Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos suffered a brutal second round knockout loss to Michael Page back at Bellator 158. Now two years later, it would appear that the mixed martial artist is officially announcing his retirement.
The fighter once married to Cris Cyborg has put on a series of exciting match ups over the years. Speaking to MMA Fighting, Santos has revealed that he is hanging up the gloves.
“I had the privilege of doing 50 fights, and money never was my biggest motivation to fight. I’ve always fought for the love for competition, the challenge. That’s what motivated me. I’ve always fought for any money, never choosing who I would fight or for how much.
“I leave the cage with my head held high. I have no intentions to return. I would really love to, but everything has its time. I think my time to contribute to the sport inside the ring is over. I have no plans to compete. My projects are outside the ring now.”
“I love being involved with athletes and regular people. I’ve always taught classes even when I still was an active fighter. I’m a black belt in jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, luta livre and muay thai, and I believe I have plenty of knowledge to share with people, and I want to apply that to the new generation. I’ve contributed inside the ring, and now I’ll look to the future.
“If I had someone like me early in my journey, I’m sure I would have accomplished everything I have in half of the time. This is what I want to do, get all this knowledge and teach the youth, plant the seed. MMA is the fastest-rising sport in the world and I want to create champions, form better people through the sport. You can change your life and many people’s lives through sports.”
“When I was 15 years old and told people I would fight in Japan and in the United States, they laughed at me, and that gave me strength to keep going and prove them wrong. This is what I want to teach people. Believe in God and have faith in your dreams. If you work hard, you will get there.”
