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Sport

17th Jul 2016

Cyborg Santos’ fractured skull is the worst sports injury we’ve ever seen

This is gruesome.

Carl Kinsella

It’s no exaggeration to say that he’s lucky to be alive.

Evangelista ‘Cyborg’ Santos suffered a fractured skull in his fight with Michael Page in London last night.

The welterweight fighter took the full brunt of his opponent’s flying knee kick and ended up with one of the most serious injuries we’ve ever seen.

His ex-wife Cristiane Juliano, who goes by the same nickname, has posted a graphic photo of the injury to her Instagram page – saying that they don’t know when Santos will be able to fly home, and that he’s has not yet been operated upon. There are fears his brain will swell further.

Juliano, who is also an MMA fighter, has set up an GoFundMe page to help pay for Santos’s surgery and help him with other expenses as it will be a long time before he can fight again.

The full statement is below, accompanied by a photo of the horrific injury. Absolutely not for the faint-hearted.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BH-FKJkBj5o/?taken-by=criscyborg

You can click here to go to the GoFundMe page and donate.

The donation page poignantly reminds us of the risks these fighters take for our entertainment, saying:

‘Long after the cheers of the crowd are gone, the fighter who entertained the fans is left alone, it is time to show Cyborg Santos the fans of MMA are still here!’

At time of writing, the page has generated almost $3,000 of its $20,000 goal.