  We investigate the interplay of the electronic and structural transition in
La$_{0.2}$Sr$_{0.8}$MnO$_{3}$. The transport and specific heat measurements
exhibit unusual evolutions and signature of a first order phase transition
around 265 K. Mn K-edge extended $x$-ray absorption fine structure results
reveal distortion in the MnO$_6$ octahedra even in the cubic phase and a
remarkable evolution of the distortion across the phase transition. These
results manifest the importance of fluctuations in Mn 3$d$ orbital occupancy
and disorder in their electronic properties, which may help in understanding
the orbital and spin ordering proposed in these systems.
