One month after undergoing surgery to fix a fractured skull, Bellator fighter Evangelista Santos has already made plans for his return to the cage.
"Cyborg" underwent surgery on July 27 in Texas, days after losing via TKO to Michael Page in London, and hopes to be cleared to slowly return in early September.
"I had a great recovery," Santos told MMA Fighting. "This time off was super important for me. I was so busy doing other stuff that I didn’t even notice how fast his 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," he continued. "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."
According to Santos, the doctors were impressed how fast he was able to recover from the severe injury.
"They were surprised ever since I arrived in the hospital with the exams," "Cyborg" said. "I recovered well and really fast. They were impressed, and they do think it’s possible for me to fight again. I won’t be the same way I was. I’m like a damaged car now, not a brand new car [laughs]."
Santos (21-18) holds a 1-2 record under the Bellator banner, and plans on cutting down to 155 pounds for his next fight.