British UFC star thought he broke opponent's nose – what actually happened was a lot worse

Michael 'Venom' Page says helium thought helium had breached Evangelista Santos' chemoreceptor erstwhile helium had really fractured his skull.

The 37-year-old Briton has agelong been known arsenic 1 of the UK's astir breathtaking names successful the world of mixed martial arts, rising up done determination promotion UCMMA earlier being signed to Bellator. And it was during his 10-year stint with the Viacom-owned promotion wherever helium faced Santos - who is amended known by his moniker of 'Cyborg' - successful 2016.

Page, who is renowned for his hands-down benignant of warring and showmanship, started disconnected incredibly beardown successful the fight, utilising his unorthodox question to adjacent the region and prime isolated his seasoned foe astatine leisure. After much of the aforesaid successful the 2nd round, Cyborg came steaming successful hoping to onshore a hard close cross, lone for MVP to leap into the aerial and link with a flying knee.

The stroke sent Santos spiralling towards the canvas, belly down and holding his look portion kicking his legs retired successful pain. Referee John McCarthy waved the bout disconnected determination and past arsenic Page wheeled disconnected successful celebration, acquiring a Pokemon headdress and shot from his country earlier rolling it towards his downed opponent.

Page initially thought that helium had broke his opponent's chemoreceptor with the knee, but the world of Santos' wounded was a acold worse authorities of affairs. Speaking exclusively to Mirror Fighting astir the incident, Page explained: "I didn’t cognize what had happened. Obviously I knew I’d won origin helium turned implicit benignant of holding his face.

"His legs were kicking. I assumed successful that infinitesimal that I astir apt broke his chemoreceptor oregon something. You can’t archer precisely wherever you’re landing erstwhile you’ve done it. And past I ne'er saw him permission the cage. I’m doing my celebration, enjoying myself, didn’t spot erstwhile helium near the cage truthful I didn’t get to spot him. It was lone afterwards, the adjacent time that I saw what happened."

Santos had suffered a gruesome fractured skull done the blow, an wounded which helium required specializer reconstructive country to repair, including the insertion of a metallic plate. Speaking connected however helium felt erstwhile helium realised the interaction of his knee, Page added: "For me, careless of what we’re doing successful the cage, I ne'er privation to harm anybody similar that, bash you cognize what I mean?

"I ne'er privation to nutrient immoderate life-changing injuries oregon wounded anyone regardless. In that moment, I’ll ne'er alteration what I’m wanting to bash due to the fact that that’s the intention. You spell successful determination to truly effort and enactment harm connected your opponent, but the 2nd you finish, you propulsion yourself backmost retired - you’re backmost into world almost.

"It’s similar you’re successful a caller world erstwhile you’re doing that, you’re backmost into mean reality. I wouldn’t privation thing antagonistic connected anybody. So we each wished him well, tried to rise him wealth and truthful connected and truthful forth. He’s a tough, tough, pugnacious guy. A tough, pugnacious antheral and I truly respect him and I anticipation he’s okay."

Thankfully for Santos, helium has since recovered from the wounded - but helium hasn't fought since his life-changing nonaccomplishment to Page successful 2016. MVP, meanwhile, waved goodbye to Bellator successful 2023, swiftly signing for the UFC wherever helium has gone connected to execute a triumph implicit Kevin Holland and a loss to Irish imaginable Ian Garry.

Page fell successful emotion with combat sports from a precise young age, with some of his parents practicing Lau Gar Kung Fu - however, helium wasn't ever the elite level combatant that helium is successful 2025. Page besides told Mirror Fighting that helium utilized to get bushed up astatine the gym week in, week out, until thing clicked and changed his vocation for ever.

He added: "I spell backmost to the kickboxing days, I went done years and years of conscionable getting my a*** handed to me. Getting beaten up each weekend, flying to a contention and conscionable getting beaten up. Then it got to a constituent wherever I was starting to fig retired you know…I was learning.

"Although I was taking those whoopings each azygous weekend, I was learning a lot. And past it was conscionable 1 time wherever thing conscionable clicked, and weirdly capable it really happened astatine a satellite championships which allowed maine to triumph my archetypal 1 which was the cleanable timing for it.

"But past erstwhile I got back, each the radical that were virtually conscionable whooping maine before, I was similar that acold up of them. That 1 displacement of everything benignant of connecting and coming together, allowed maine to spell from being dominated by idiosyncratic to wholly dominating. So erstwhile I got that benignant of assurance successful beating the guys that utilized to bushed me, I was capable to adhd my creativity to it and beryllium a spot much stylish portion enjoying doing what I was doing.

"And that conscionable ne'er near me, that ever stayed with maine truthful yeah. When I moved into the cage, the 2nd I got comfy - which was rather rapidly - I conscionable continued expressing myself successful a mode I would usually do." Page besides explained that he's aiming for the middleweight rubric successful the UFC much than thing else, portion revealing his emotion of fighting.

He continued: "For me, much than thing - immoderate sanction - it’s conscionable the title. I privation that belt, I privation that bling. I privation to beryllium capable to enactment that down arsenic thing I’ve achieved successful this game. And past it’s conscionable enjoyment. I deliberation each of you guys tin spot from watching my fights I person fun, I person a batch of fun. I truly bask it.

"And we bid truthful hard, nary of this comes easy. We bid so, truthful hard. We’re busting our guts each azygous day, truthful these are the 15/25 minutes I get to conscionable bask the fruits of that labour. So, large fights, enjoyment for the crowd, enjoyment for myself, belts and conscionable being capable to bash close by my family. Support my household and those that are astir maine that I attraction for."

Page is acceptable to instrumentality to the Octagon connected Saturday nighttime to look undefeated Russian brawler Sharapudtin Magomedov - who has crafted a respectable grounds of 15-0 since making his MMA debut backmost successful 2017. The Dagestani takes a antithetic attack to warring erstwhile compared to different legendary names from the portion similar Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, opting to basal and bang connected the feet alternatively than utilising grappling and wrestling.

However, MVP believes that helium tin manus Magomedov the archetypal nonaccomplishment of his vocation successful Saudi Arabia. On his opponent, helium said: "He’s an exceptional fighter, truly amusive benignant to watch. Really explosive and powerful. Again, I conscionable consciousness my combat benignant is 1 that conscionable frustrates many.

"People conflict with my timing, however I tin offset and messiness up their timing. How I tin onshore shots, however close I americium astatine landing shots, however hard it is to onshore a changeable connected me. All of those things fused unneurotic conscionable makes for a frustrating nighttime for astir people, and past usually I find that 1 changeable that volition enactment them away. So that’s precisely however I spot it going."

Michael Venom Page faces Sharapudtin Magomedov successful the co-main lawsuit astatine UFC Fight Night: ADESANYA vs IMAVOV this Saturday, Febraury 1. To ticker the fight, you tin tune successful to TNT Sports 1 from 5pm. The combat is besides disposable done discovery+.