Arona Claims Illness Contributed To Sokoudjou Loss

Just after his defeat at the last Pride, the Brazilian black belt Ricardo Arona sent an open letter to site TATAME explaining his problems for his fans. Check it out:

I know that Sokoudojou deserves the victory, we know he is a dangerous and tough athlete, but I want to splain to my fans and friends, I would like to say that I did choose a fight strategy which did depends of all my physical condition and unfortunally, one week before I go to Japan, I got sick and I got bad body pains, headache, fever, so I didn’t have at that moment the energy to win that bout.

The medical team of the Pride orghanization did examinate me but they didn’t find the virous. I believe it is like a “dengue” desease, because I am still felling myself not very well and with fever. When you all watch that fight you will see that there is not the usual Arona fighting there and that was not the performance I did want to show. I hope to get as soon as possible in Brasil to do some exams and start the better treatment because I want to start my training stage for the ADCC, to participate of the match or of the super bout.

I appolagize to all my fans and friends and I promisse to improve my performance as soon as I get myself better and then to show you what you are expecting of me. Thanks to you all for the support and the trust on me,