In November, Bellator‘s heavyweight tournament finals match went to a no contest, after an illegal but accidental low blow by Thiago Santos left Eric Prindle unable to continue. The fight, which will determine the next challenger to face champion Cole Konrad, has now been reset for a March 9 date.
The bout will take place at Bellator 61, the second show of Bellator’s sixth season, and will emanate from Bossier City at the Horseshoe Riverdome in Louisiana.
At Bellator 59, Santos (10-1, 1 no contest) had Prindle (7-1, 1 no contest) prone on the ground when he landed a kick between Prindle’s legs just 84 seconds into the fight. After a five-minute recovery period, Prindle still couldn’t continue and the fight was ruled a no contest after the referee determined the blow to be accidental.
The March 16 event will also host the quarterfinals of a middleweight tournament.
Those bouts are also set, and the matchups will pair UFC veteran Maiquel Falcao vs. Norman Paraisy, Brian Rogers vs. Vitor Vianna, Vyacheslav Vasilevsky vs. Victor O’ Donnell and Giva “The Arm Collector” Santana vs. Bruno Santos.
Vianna (12-2-1) was a finalist in last season’s middleweight tournament, losing a decision to Alexander Shlemenko in the finals.
Vasilevsky is a notable new entrant to the field, coming in with a 15-1 record and riding a 14-fight win streak. The fight will also mark his US debut.