SUMMARY
- Evangelista Santos is a former mixed martial artist hailing from Brazil.
- In his third Bellator fight, 'Cyborg' suffered a broken skull and nose against Michael Venom Page.
MMA has often been labeled a brutal business due to the punishing nature of the sport. Over the years, fans have witnessed some of the most freakish and frightening injuries that some fighters have had to endure. However, none of them come close to what Evangelista Santos endured against Michael Venom Page.
For those unaware, ‘Cyborg’ is a former mixed martial artist hailing from Brazil, who fought in some of the world’s biggest promotions. Throughout his career, Santos competed for Strikeforce, Bellator MMA, the PRIDE Fighting Championships, Cage Rage, and many more. As such, he had built a reputation for being somewhat of a proud and undaunted warrior inside the cage.
However, he had a career-defining moment when he faced Michael Venom Page at Bellator 158. In what was only his third Bellator fight, Santos faced the high-flying Englishman, who was making a name for himself on the scene. At the time, Evangelista, 38, was nearing the end of his career. However, many would argue he still had a lot left to give. Unfortunately, on the night he succumbed to a knee to the head in Round 2.
Did Evangelista Santos retire after his brutal head injury?
Having gotten a taste of Michael Venom Page’s long-range attacks very early on, Evangelista Santos simply bit down and got ready to swing for the fences. Known for his ground game and submission prowess, Santos was also a slugger at heart. As it turns out, it would end up being his downfall. Going for an overhand right, Cyborg’s tendency to rush with his head tucked in gave MVP the perfect opening to land a brutal knee.
As it turns out, the flying knee resulted in a skull fracture that sent chills down the spine of many and still irks anybody who sees it. Shortly after the injury, Santos showed horrifying X-rays of his caved-in forehead and broken nose. Notably, ex-wife Cris Cyborg also came to his aid, urging and directing people toward Santos’ GoFundMe page.
Whilst the images were mortifying enough on the surface, the X-rays made it look even more brutal. To make matters worse, MVP did a Pokemon-themed celebration which in hindsight, was not the brightest move. After getting to know about his opponent’s unforgiving celebration, Evangelista Santos vowed to return and exact revenge. Having said that, Evangelista announced his retirement six months later, in January 2017.
Evangelista ‘Cyborg’ Santos’ MMA career and record
Unfortunately, it was not to be as two years after the incident, Evangelista Santos revealed that he was fully done with fighting. Having endured such a freakish injury, along with being on an operating table for seven hours, ‘Cyborg’ was still adamant to return to action as soon as possible. However, it was clear that the recovery process slowly broke his spirit and six months after his injury, he announced his official retirement.
Having made his professional debut on Sept. 7, 1996, Santos revealed that he collected 32 victories and suffered 18 defeats. This might be a confusing statement considering that his record on all known databases reads 21-18-0. According to the fighter, not all of his fights are listed on the official records. With that said, Evangelista retired having challenged for the Strikeforce title against Nick Diaz, along with many more epic fights.
Throughout his career, Evangelista Santos threw down against noteworthy opposition including Gegard Mousasi, Mauricio Rua, Siyar Bahadurzada, Francis Carmont, Michal Materla, and Melvin Manhoef, among others. Following his retirement, Santos had made a living teaching amateurs and professionals in his gym in Texas. Carrying a wealth of knowledge, he can hopefully help others avoid what he couldn’t.