Evangelista Santos Discusses His Bellator 154 Bout With Saad Awad

MMAjunkie spoke to Bellator MMA fighter Evangelista Santos, who faces Saad Awad at Bellator 154. Below are some highlights.

Santos on his fighting style: “I like to bang it out. I like to fight aggressively and move forward. I think that’s how it’s going to play out.”

Santos on his win over Brennan: “I felt that once things got heated on the feet, he’d go back to his instinct, which is to wrestle. I noticed he had worn wrestling shoes on previous fights, so I felt the heel hook would be there for me. I felt he would put himself in a vulnerable spot, and that he would gift me the submission. And that’s what happened.”

His thoughts on fighting Awad: “If I have a chance to take him down and submit him, I’ll do that, but my idea is to fight on the feet. He’s a complete fighter with takedowns and submissions, but his strong point is his standup, his boxing. He boxes well and moves well. I expect us to be mostly on the feet and I’ll be looking for the knockout from the start.”

Santos on Awad moving up to 170 pounds: “I don’t know why he’s moving up to welterweight. But it doesn’t matter to me. Just like some fighters who drop from 185 to 170 pounds, others go up from 155 pounds. It doesn’t make a difference to me. I’ll face him seriously and respect his abilities.”

Santos on wanting to fight for another three years: “I’ll keep on training so Scott Coker can decide what my next step might be. I’ll be at the ready. The most important thing for me is to remain focused, as I believe I have another three years of fighting in me. I want to fully dedicate myself over the next three years. I’ll train smart, avoiding any injuries. And the period in which I didn’t fight for two years was highly important, as I was able to look at fighting from a different point of view. It served to strengthen me.”