Evangelista Santos suffers sickening cracked skull after being kicked in the head during MMA scrap at The O2 Arena

THE ex-wife of a MMA star has revealed the sickening injuries suffered by her husband during a fight in London.

Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter Evangelista ‘Cyborg’ Santos suffered a compound fracture of the skull as a result of a knee to his forehead in a scrap against Michael 'Venom' Page at the O2 Arena.

And Santos' former wife Cris - a women's MMA star - has posted an X-ray of the horrifying damage done to the 38-year-old's head.

Cris - who also fights as 'Cyborg' - asked fans to "say a prayer" for Evangelista, who had not been able to undergo surgery with docs fearing more swelling to the brain could cause permanent damage.

Santos was left writhing in agony at the end of the bout against Page, as the brutal second-round blow instantly sent him sprawling to the canvas.

He was then rushed to hospital, as Cris launched an appeal through her Instagram page for people to donate money to help pay for his rehab.

She 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 their is worry the brain can continue to swell causing more damage.

"@bellatormma is suppose to be responsible for all medical procedures needed to fix this injury from the fight, however Cyborg is going to be unable to work for sometime 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!"

London fighter Page also posted a message of support for his fellow fighter after landing the vicious blow.

He posted: "Evangelista Santos Cyborg is a legend and a true warrior.

"I am thankful to have had the opportunity to have fought such a person and tested myself, I wish him all the best and a speedy recovery from his operation much respect."

Former world heavyweight boxing champ Lennox Lewis waxed lyrical about the knockout.

He said: "Let me tell you, if you went to the bathroom or turned to talk to your friend you would have missed it!