With his back against the wall, former heavyweight tournament finalist Eric Prindle will have one more opportunity to move his career back in an upward trajectory on the main card of tomorrow night’s Bellator 121. 
The 37-year-old will take on James Thompson, an English veteran heavyweight with stints in PRIDE, Elite XC and DREAM that has been unbeaten in his last five bouts.
If Prindle (8-5, 1NC) wants to make sure that he remains a relevant figure, he’ll have to snap that unbeaten streak. After a 7-1, 1 NC start to his pro career, Prindle would go on to lose four of his next five fights – most recently, an preliminary card loss to Javy Ayala. Prindle has made it clear that he understands how pivotal this upcoming fight with Thompson will be.
“This fight with James Thompson is the most important fight of my career,” said Prindle. “I feel like I have something to prove to Bellator, my fans, and anyone that believes in me.”
Prindle acknowledges that he’s going to have to approach his fight with Thompson with a certain amount of caution because both heavyweights possess a lot of knockout power.
“You have two really big, athletic guys that can put any man out with a single shot, so I think it’s going to be a phenomenal fight for fans to watch. One of us is going to sleep.”
Prindle has won five of his eight fights by knockout and he is currently tied for the third most knockout wins in Bellator heavyweight division history. With a fight that could likely end on the feet, Prindle favors his stand-up.
“I think my boxing will be an advantage in this fight. I think that the first person to land a big shot is going to end up winning the fight.”
As much as Prindle would look to entertain the fans, his recent losses have changed his fighting philosophy.
“I’ve been focusing too much on putting on entertaining fights and not enough on doing what I need to win,” Prindle said. “At this point in my career, I really need to go back to the basics and doing whatever I need to do to get the win.”