Ed Mulholland/Getty Images

Mixed martial arts fighter Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos revealed July 17 in an interview with MMA Fighting's Guilherme Cruz he suffered a "serious fracture in his forehead" in his Bellator 158 loss to Michael Page in London on July 16. He has now undergone successful surgery and hopes to fight again in 2016.

Continue for updates.

Santos Comments on Recovery, Potential Return

Monday, Aug. 29

Santos told Cruz on Monday that he is eying a December return and also spoke about recovery from surgery:

I had a great recovery. This time off was super important for me. I was so busy doing other stuff that I didn’t even notice how fast [this] month has passed. It was really uncomfortable three or four days after the surgery, but after that I pretty much rested and studied. I plan on coming back to training next week and fighting in December. This is my plan. But before I make any decision, I will listen to what the doctors have to say. I have an appointment with the doctor next week to find out if he really clears me to train again, but I’m feeling super fine.

"I had surgery [July 27], and thank God everything went fine," said Santos, per Cruz on July 29. "It lasted seven hours, and the hospital will give Bellator a full report later today. God guided the doctors in this surgery, so everything went well."

Doctors Monitor Santos Before Surgery

Sunday, July 17

Cristiane Justino, Santos' ex-wife, wrote an update on Instagram. She noted doctors were closely monitoring Santos' health in case his brain continued to swell (warning: graphic image):

Bellator MMA shared a replay of Santos' knockout. Page caught him with a flying right knee, and the Brazilian immediately fell to the canvas:

Video Play Button Videos you might like

Page tweeted out a message of support for his opponent Sunday:

At 38 years old, there remain question marks over Santos' future, particularly as he has suffered two devastating losses since the arrival of 2016. Saad Awad also finished him via TKO in May, ending a two-fight winning streak for the Brazilian.