MMA fighter Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos suffered a horrendous injury on the weekend

Warning: This article contains images that readers may find distressing

Initially, the main talking point from Bellator 158 on the weekend was the Pokeball celebration Michael Page whipped out when he knocked Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos to the floor with a vicious knee to the head.

But while everyone had a lighthearted chuckled immediately after Page's win, something much more sinister has emerged in the aftermath.

The crowd cheered wildly after the finishing blow - delivered with 30 seconds remaining in the second round - but those at the fight night may have been a little more subdued had they known the seriousness of what actually happened to Page's victim.

Micheal Page does it again! - MVP KOs Cyborg Santos with a flying knee last night at Bellator pic.twitter.com/JRcfHDZhY0

— Soa The Hulk Palelei (@soathehulk) July 17, 2016

The 38-year-old reportedly suffered a compound skull fracture and his ex-wife Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino shared a photo of the injury on Instagram, where an alarming dent in the middle of the fighter's forehead is clearly evident.

In her post, Justino - who is also an MMA star - revealed his doctor said the injury could have been life threatening, and encouraged fans to contribute to a GoFundMe campaign set up for him.

"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," Justino wrote.

View this post on Instagram

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 their is worry the brain can continue to swell causing more damage. Click The link In My bio to donate to his #GoFundMe and support him and his family at this time. Thank you God for your protecion, The dr said this very Easily could have been life threatening. Please show your support for the fighters and share! 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷Fãns de luta façam uma prece para o meu ex marido Cyborg Santos ,muitos de vocês assistiram ontem a luta dele na Spike TV,onde ele sofreu este ferimento enquanto lutava em Londres ,ele ainda está no hospital e não tem certeza quando ele vai poder voar de volta pra casa, @bellatormma é responsável por todo procedimentos médicos que ele precisar para resolver este problema porém ele não vai poder trabalhar por um tempo e nós vamos arrecadar ajuda pra ele através do #gofundme para os fãs patrocinarem ele e sua família nesta hora difícil, Obrigada Deus por sua proteção!! O medico disse que ele poderia estar em risco de vida,mostrem seu apoio aos lutadores e compartilhem isto!!! No meu Perfil do Instagram esta esta o link ajudar! #GodToGlory #figtherlife #teamcyborg #evangelistacyborgsantos #bellator158 #London Spanish 👇

A post shared by ®️ Cristiane Cyborg Justino (@criscyborg) on Jul 17, 2016 at 9:54am PDT

"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 their (sic) is worry the brain can continue to swell causing more damage.

"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!"

UFC commentator Joe Rogan shared the post, and said the fracture was "the worst MMA injury I've ever seen".

Bellator commentator Jimmy Smith said a doctor told him Santos' injuries resembled those of a car crash victim.

Remarkably, Page actually predicted what would happen to Santos before the two stepped into the Octagon. While we're all used to fighters huffing and puffing before a fight, telling the media exactly how much damage they're going to do to their opponent, Page's pre-fight premonition was eerily accurate.

As incredible as it sounds, Santos is reportedly confident of stepping back inside the Octagon in the near future.

"I'm under observation now, and will have surgery in the United States," Santos told MMA Fighting. "I had a serious injury, but Bellator is giving me all the support I need.

"I'll be back soon."