?Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos is as tough as his nickname suggests, but now he's facing an uphill battle and needs help.
Santos was finished in the second round of his Bellator 158 bout Saturday, after Michael "Venom" Page's knee collided with his head. The shot sent Cyborg to the mat holding his face, as his opponent rolled a Pokeball at him in a post-fight celebration which went viral. Santos' condition was no joke, however, as he was rushed from the O2 Arena to the hospital with a fractured skull.
"I?m under observation now, and will have surgery in the United States," Santos said in a statement to MMA Fighting. "I had a serious injury, but Bellator is giving me all the support I need."
See Also: Michael Page And Cyborg Santos Speak To Fightful.com
Santos noted that the injury in the short-notice bout would keep him on the shelf for a while, but that he would return to fighting. Santos' ex-wife, Cris "Cyborg" Justino started a GoFundMe page in an effort to help out her ex-husband. At press time, the page had raised over $14,000 of it's $20,000 goal in just nine hours.
Bellator announcer Jimmy Smith noted that a cut man at Bellator 158 that had also worked as an EMT said that he had only witnessed this type of damage in severe car accidents. Bellator President Scott Coker confirmed that the company would pay Cyborg's medical bills and his win bonus.
By Sean Ross Sapp