Prindle Plans to Stand, Throw in Bellator 59 Final with Santos

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Eric Prindle has no illusions about where his strengths lie as he approaches his Bellator 59 heavyweight tournament showdown with Thiago Santos.

It is no secret that Prindle has heavy hands, and he intends to use them to the best of his ability on Saturday at Caesars Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.

“I want to keep the fight standing, and I want to knock Thiago Santos out,” Prindle said. “I have been working on takedown defense and staying light on my feet.”

Nicknamed “Big Monster,” Santos is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The Brazilian behemoth blitzed his way through both of his Bellator Fighting Championships appearances, finishing Josh Burns and Neil Grove with rear-naked chokes in just over three minutes combined.

“I think Thiago Santos showed that he has what it takes to be here, and he is definitely a strong opponent,” said Prindle. “I haven’t seen too much of his ground game, but he’s obviously good at it. He’s a black belt from Brazil. I’m going to do what I can to keep the fight standing and let my hands go.”

Prindle has also been impressive in his run to the Season 5 tournament finals, riding Abe Wagner to a unanimous decision before turning out Ron Sparks’ lights in just 40 seconds on Oct. 29. According to Prindle, his knockout of Sparks was especially fortuitous, as he entered the fight injured.

“A lot of people didn't know I was injured. I was definitely surprised that I was able to finish Ron as quickly as I did,” said Prindle. “A [wounded] animal is definitely dangerous, so I had to finish as quickly as possible. I got the win and got lucky.”

His two previous tournament showings now behind him, Prindle sits just one fight away from a title shot against Bellator heavyweight champion Cole Konrad. However, “The American Soldier” says it would be foolish to entertain that possibility in light of the considerable task waiting for him at Bellator 59.

“I’m not thinking about Cole Konrad’s belt. I think when you do that, you are letting in the demons. [When you are] too full of yourself, that’s when you get hurt and start losing,” said Prindle. “I think any heavyweight can lose. Someone can get you just right, and you go to sleep and you lost. I don’t ever want to look past anyone. I don’t think Santos got lucky; [he] is strong and has a good game. I am going to go there and do whatever I can to win.”