Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos suffers fractured skull in violent loss to Michael Page
Michael Page is quickly becoming Bellator’s fastest rising star and the 29-year-old added to his growing legacy with one of the most violent knockouts of all time against Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos at Bellator 158 over the weekend.
The unbeaten welterweight scored an absolutely devastating knockout of Santos with a flying knee in the second round of their bout. To put a cap on the scintillating knockout, Page celebrated by channeling the Pokemon Go craze that has taken the world by storm. With Santos still sprawled out on the canvas, Page went to his corner, grabbed a Pokemon hat and then rolled a Pokeball at his downed opponent in an attempt to “capture” his prey.
With a “Cyborg” now in his faux Pokemon stable, Page wrapped up his post-fight celebration with a “Yatta!” pose at the end.
But the celebration would take a back seat to the damage that Page’s knee inflicted on the skull of Santos. The 38-year-old had a very visible dent in his forehead as a direct result of the knee and will need surgery to repair the fractured skull.
Page took to his Instagram to wish his downed opponent a full recovery.
“I am thankful to have had the opportunity to have fought such a person and tested myself,” Page said. “I wish him all the best and a speedy recovery from his operation.”
A Go Fund Me page dedicated to raising funds for Santos’ surgery had been shared by many in the MMA community, including Santos’ ex-wife Cris “Cyborg” Justino and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. Over $20,000 was raised in 24 hours to pay for the surgery and Santos is heading back to the U.S. for the procedure.
As for Page, he remains unbeaten with an 11-0 record (7-0 in Bellator) with every victory except one coming by way of submission or knockout. According to Sportsbook Review, Page has been a significant favorite in his last five fights and should certainly see a step up in competition in the near future considering his propensity for finishing fights and his rising popularity.
