In the aftermath of Michael Page’s Bellator 158 victory over Evangelista ‘Cyborg’ Santos, all that most people were talking about was the British fighter’s Pokemon-themed celebration.
However, after watching the clip, it’s impossible not to notice the brutality of the knockout itself, which left Brazilian fighter Santos laid out on the ground from of a flying knee from London-born ‘Venom’.
It later emerged that Page connected with such force that it left his opponent with a fractured skull, and Cyborg was admitted to hospital in the early hours of the morning.
https://twitter.com/BitaNick/status/754453869258760193
https://twitter.com/BitaNick/status/754456407605383169
The second-round defeat left him with a career MMA record of 21-18, with Page extending his unbeaten professional record to 11-0 including seven knockouts. The 38-year-old, who hails from Curitiba, has lost his last two Bellator bouts after entering the promotion with a first-round submission of Brennan Ward back in April.
Santos’ ex-wife Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino shared a photograph showing the extent of his injuries and urging fans to donate to his recovery costs via a GoFundMe page.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BH-FKJkBj5o/?taken-by=criscyborg
“I’m under observation now, and will have surgery in the United States,” Santos told MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz. “I had a serious injury, but Bellator is giving me all the support I need.”
Bellator commentator Jimmy Smith, who was cageside for the bout, claims to have spoken to a cut man who told him that he had only ever seen an injury that severe in a car crash.
A cut man who had worked as an EMT saw Cyborg after and told me he had only seen an injury like that in a severe car crash
— Jimmy Smith (@jimmysmithmma) July 17, 2016
