Bellator 158: Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos suffers fractured skull ater flying knee knockout by Michael 'Venom' Page

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT - Bellator fighter Santos has undergone surgery on a broken skull after suffering a gruesome knockout defeat in London this weekend

Evangelista ‘Cyborg’ Santos is out of hospital after suffering a fractured skull during his Bellator 158 loss to Michael ‘Venom’ Page at London’s O2 Arena this weekend, with pictures revealing the gruesome extent of the injury.

The 38-year-old was rushed from the ring to hospital after being knocked out by Page when he landed a vicious knee to Santos’s forehead, and the Brazilian’s ex-wife, Cris, has posted images on social media to reveal the damage he suffered.

WARNING: The following images contain graphic content

Santos can be seen to be in a large amount of pain after receiving the blow, and doctors were reluctant to operate on the mixed martial arts fighter due to a fear that they could cause more damage to the brain swelling Santos has already suffered.

Writing in a post on her Instagram page, Cris – who is also an MMA athlete and fights under the same name of Cyborg – said: "Fight fans Please say a prayer for my ex-husband Cyborg Santos.

"Many of you watched him fight on Spike TV this weekend when he suffered this injury while fighting in London. Cyborg is still in the hospital in the UK, and they are not sure when he will be able to fly again. He has not had surgery yet and there is worry the brain can continue to swell causing more damage.

"Bellator MMA is supposed to be responsible for all medical procedures needed to fix this injury from the, however, Cyborg is going to be unable to work for some time and we will be putting together a GoFundMe for Fight fans wishing To sponsor him and his family at this difficult time."

"Thank you God for your protection, The Dr said this very Easily could have been life threatening. Please show your support for the fighters and share!"

However, there was good news on Monday morning as Page posted a message on Twitter to confirm that he had received confirmation from Santos’s team that he had undergone successful surgery and had left hospital, with plans for the Brazilian to fly home on Tuesday.

Page wrote: “We have spoken with @CYBORG121's team this morning & he is out of hospital & doing well. He will be flying back home tomorrow Best wishes.”