Evangelista Santos Likes Being the Underdog Against Michael Page

Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos spoke with MMAjunkie about his fight with Michael Page at Bellator 158. Some highlights are below:

On being the underdog: “Everyone is celebrating Michael. It doesn’t bother me at all. To be honest, I like being the underdog. I feel well and strong. I love showing up and shocking the fans. I like shutting up an entire arena. I’ve done this several times, most recently against Brennan Ward. I’ve won countless times on my opponent’s home turf. I show up and spoil the party. This time won’t be any different. It’ll be a great spectacle. The fans will be standing, be sure of that.”

On his loss against Saad Awad at Bellator 154: “I committed a great error in underestimating Saad Awad, since he was moving up from a lighter weight class. I didn’t believe he could defeat me in any way. It was a great error, and errors must be corrected. I am sure it won’t happen again. I’ll be facing everyone seriously, as I had always done in the past.”

On Page: “Michael Page is a great athlete. I think he’s shown that every time he performs. Regardless of the fact that he may have faced less-than-stellar opponents, he has shown great abilities. He’s versatile. He fights at his own distance. He has a very good reach. He enters and exits the striking zone very well, leaving his opponents to swing and miss. It’s a factor I’m studying very intently. I’ll test him out. I think he’s never taken a beating, or went through a tough spot. I believe that I can impose a strong rhythm. Wherever he leaves an opening, I’ll take advantage of it. If I see it on the feet, I’ll knock him out. If it’s on the ground, I’ll submit him. I don’t plan to let it go to the judges. Since he’s fighting at home, I’m sure the judging will be skewed in his favor, as it always happens. So it won’t go to the judges.”