Rashad Evans: ''Fedor Lost Because Priest Didn't Come In''
Rashad Evans appeared on last night's edition of PRO MMA Radio, the official radio show of FightLine.com, and gave an interesting theory as to why Russian heavyweight great Fedor Emelianenko lost for the second straight time this past Saturday night at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva to Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva. According to Evans, Emelianenko was upset before the fight because his priest had not yet arrived.
"I have someone close to the situation who was working with Bigfoot," said Evans. "They said that Fedor was all upset because his priest didn't come in. You know, he always has a priest for every one of his fights, and the priest didn't come in or came in late, and it really messed him up mentally.
"When he came out, he seemed to be showing more emotion than he normally does. Normally he has a straight face, but he looked like he was mad, not like the typical Fedor we see."
While Fedor was able to secure the first round on two of the judges scorecards, Silva was able to dominate the last holder of the PRIDE heavyweight championship in the second round. The contest was stopped at the conclusion of the round due to damage Fedor had suffered to his right eye, which was swollen shut.
"That second round, when he [Fedor] broke, I would have never imagined," said Evans. "I would have never imaging that it would have happened to Fedor, but this is the fight business, anything can happen."
Meanwhile, the career of the Russian legend remains unclear after he hinted after the fight that his career as a fighter may be over.
"I want to thank for you for your support," said Fedor after the fight. "Something was wrong from the beginning. I didn't adjust. Maybe it is time to leave."
When pressed in the cage afterward by Showtime announcer, Gus Johnson, whether this was indeed the last time he would fight, the revered Fedor said, "Yes, maybe this is last time, maybe it's high time [to retire]. I had a great, beautiful sporting life. Yes, maybe it's time. Thank you very much for the support. Thank God for everything."
Fedor Distraught Before Bout With Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva - FightLine.com
