HONOLULU – It’s been 18 long months since Brent Primus claimed Bellator’s lightweight title with a stunning TKO win over then-champ Michael Chandler, and with the rematch now on deck, the champ says it’s personal.

“All the stuff he’s been talking, all the lying, all the controversy, it is (personal), man,” Primus told MMAjunkie. “I want to get in there and prove that it wasn’t a mistake – and he knows that it wasn’t, too – so I’m excited.

“Literally, I was so scared that I heard that he might be going to another organization because his contract was up, and I was literally praying that he stays with Bellator, and I’m just really excited that he’s staying. We can get in there and get it done.”

Primus (8-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) and Chandler (18-4 MMA, 15-4 BMMA) meet in the main event of Friday’s “Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops,” which takes place at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The event airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMAjunkie.

It’s a rematch of the pair’s Bellator 180 meeting, when Primus’ leg kicks – the “low calf kick” that has since become quite prevalent in MMA – left Chandler unable to keep himself upright, leading doctors to call off the fight in the first round.

Chandler remains dismissive of the officials’ decision, believing he could have beat Primus on one working leg. Primus finds Chandler’s protests unfounded.

“They say you win like a champion, you lose like a champion, but he does not know how to lose like a champion,” Primus said. “Man, I’m just so excited to get to fight this dude.”

There’s much on the line, to be sure. Chandler is one of Bellator’s biggest stars, and he insists the first result was a fluke. In the 18 months since, where injuries, contract negotiations and personal obligations all resulted in a lengthy delay for the rematch, Primus hasn’t taken too kindly to Chandler’s claims.

A Primus victory would certainly prove his validity as Bellator champion, and he knows it.

“I’m excited,” Primus said. “There’s no better feeling, especially that I’m finally going to fight Michael Chandler. There’s nobody else I’d rather fight in the world right now, so we can get all this controversy behind us and get in there and get it done. I’m excited.”

To hear more from Primus, check out the video above.

For more on “Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops,” check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.