Vila, Dantas, Prindle, Santos On Point for Bellator 59 Finals
All four tournament finalists came in on point at Friday's
Bellator 59 weigh-ins, as Alexis Vila,
Eduardo
Dantas, Eric
Prindle and Thiago
Santos each hit their contracted weights.
Vila tipped the scales at 135 pounds prior to his bantamweight tournament showdown with Dantas, who checked in at 136. Meanwhile, both Prindle and Santos came in at 264.8 pounds ahead of their heavyweight final at the Season 5 finale.
Taking place Saturday at Caesars Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City,
N.J., the event will also showcase the
Bellator debut of former
UFC talent Kurt
Pellegrino (155), who takes on Season 4 lightweight tournament
finalist Patricky
Freire (155). Additionally, “Ultimate Fighter” alum Phillipe
Nover (155.6) will square off with Polish prospect Marcin Held
(156). The event's main draw will air on MTV2 and Epix, while the
preliminary proceedings will stream live on Spike.com.
Vila, 40, has yet to taste defeat in 11 career outings. Previously competing at 125 pounds, the Olympic bronze medalist has put his considerable wrestling pedigree and his heavy hands to good use since joining Bellator as a bantamweight, knocking out featherweight champion Joe Warren and outpointing Marcos Galvao to advance to the tournament final.
Coming in 18 years the junior of his opponent, Dantas rides a five-fight winning streak heading into his showdown with Vila. After blasting former EliteXC belt holder Wilson Reis in the quarterfinals, Dantas took home a hard-fought split decision win over former tournament finalist Ed West in the round of four.
A winner of seven straight fights, Prindle holds a perfect 3-0 record since joining the Chicago-based promotion. “The American Soldier” outpointed Abe Wagner on Oct. 1 before knocking out Ron Sparks later that month, taking only 40 seconds to dispose of his semifinal opponent.
Known as “Big Monster,” Santos has lived up to his nickname since joining Bellator's heavyweight ranks, posting first-round submission victories over Josh Burns and Neil Grove. A veteran of the defunct, bare-knuckle Rio Heroes organization, Santos has won four straight since submitting to Alexy Oleinik in 2009.
Bellator 59
Saturday, Nov. 26
Caesars Hotel & Casino
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Thiago Santos (264.8) vs. Eric Prindle (264.8)
Patricky Freire (155) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (155)
Eduardo Dantas (136) vs. Alexis Vila (135)
Marcin Held (156) vs. Phillipe Nover (155.6)
Karl Amoussou (174.6) vs. Jesus Martinez (175.5)
LeVon Maynard (171) vs. Christopher Wing (170.5)
Lucas Pimenta Borges (173) vs. Doug Gordon (174)
Brylan Van Artsdalen (145.2) vs. Scott Heckman (146)
Brandon Saling (183.6) vs. Gregory Milliard (185.4)
Vila tipped the scales at 135 pounds prior to his bantamweight tournament showdown with Dantas, who checked in at 136. Meanwhile, both Prindle and Santos came in at 264.8 pounds ahead of their heavyweight final at the Season 5 finale.
Advertisement
Vila, 40, has yet to taste defeat in 11 career outings. Previously competing at 125 pounds, the Olympic bronze medalist has put his considerable wrestling pedigree and his heavy hands to good use since joining Bellator as a bantamweight, knocking out featherweight champion Joe Warren and outpointing Marcos Galvao to advance to the tournament final.
Coming in 18 years the junior of his opponent, Dantas rides a five-fight winning streak heading into his showdown with Vila. After blasting former EliteXC belt holder Wilson Reis in the quarterfinals, Dantas took home a hard-fought split decision win over former tournament finalist Ed West in the round of four.
A winner of seven straight fights, Prindle holds a perfect 3-0 record since joining the Chicago-based promotion. “The American Soldier” outpointed Abe Wagner on Oct. 1 before knocking out Ron Sparks later that month, taking only 40 seconds to dispose of his semifinal opponent.
Known as “Big Monster,” Santos has lived up to his nickname since joining Bellator's heavyweight ranks, posting first-round submission victories over Josh Burns and Neil Grove. A veteran of the defunct, bare-knuckle Rio Heroes organization, Santos has won four straight since submitting to Alexy Oleinik in 2009.
Bellator 59
Saturday, Nov. 26
Caesars Hotel & Casino
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Thiago Santos (264.8) vs. Eric Prindle (264.8)
Patricky Freire (155) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (155)
Eduardo Dantas (136) vs. Alexis Vila (135)
Marcin Held (156) vs. Phillipe Nover (155.6)
Karl Amoussou (174.6) vs. Jesus Martinez (175.5)
LeVon Maynard (171) vs. Christopher Wing (170.5)
Lucas Pimenta Borges (173) vs. Doug Gordon (174)
Brylan Van Artsdalen (145.2) vs. Scott Heckman (146)
Brandon Saling (183.6) vs. Gregory Milliard (185.4)
Related Articles
