Evangelista Santos facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Evangelista Santos
Born	(1977-12-12) 12 December 1977 (age 47) Rondonopolis, Brazil
Other names	Cyborg
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg)
Division	Light Heavyweight Middleweight Welterweight
Reach	71 in (180 cm)
Fighting out of	Houston, Texas, United States
Team	Chute Boxe Academy The Arena
Rank	Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Cristiano Marcello
Years active	1997–2014, 2015–2016
Mixed martial arts record
Total	39
Wins	21
By knockout	14
By submission	4
By decision	3
Losses	18
By knockout	12
By submission	2
By decision	4
Other information
Notable relatives	Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (divorced)

Evangelista Santos (born December 12, 1977) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist. He is often called "Cyborg." He competed professionally from 1997 to 2016.

Santos fought in many big organizations. These included Strikeforce and Bellator MMA. He was known for his exciting fighting style. Many of his wins, 14 out of 21, came by knockout. Santos was also a runner-up for the Strikeforce Welterweight Title.

Early Life and Training

Evangelista Santos grew up in Rondonopolis, Brazil. When he was 12, he learned about animal fighting, which was common then. After five years, he started training in kickboxing. This led him to vale tudo when he was 18. Vale tudo is an early form of mixed martial arts. Santos also won the Brazilian national championship in Muay Thai four times.

Mixed Martial Arts Career

Starting His Career

Santos became a professional fighter at age 20. He won his first two fights. Then he faced Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons and lost. Santos later won two fights with the British Cage Rage group. He then returned to Brazil for Jungle Fight. There, he knocked out Michal Materla. This was Materla's only knockout loss at that time.

Santos then fought Melvin "No Mercy" Manhoef for a championship. It was an exciting fight with many punches. Santos lost by knockout in the end. He won his next two fights. One win was against future UFC fighter Francis Carmont.

Fighting in Japan

Santos made his debut in Japan's PRIDE FC. He lost his first fight there by a submission move called a keylock. In his next PRIDE FC fight, he won against Japanese boxer Yosuke Nishijima. Santos won by a rear-naked choke submission.

He later fought for the Cage Rage World Light Heavyweight Championship again. He lost this fight by decision. Santos also lost to Gegard Mousasi by TKO. After that, he joined World Victory Road. He won his first fight there by an achilles lock. He fought one more time for the Japanese group. He lost due to an arm injury.

Strikeforce Fights

Santos joined Strikeforce in June 2009. He was the main fighter at an event. He lost a close fight to Joey Villasenor. In his next fight, he beat Marius Zaromskis. Zaromskis had previously fought for the Strikeforce Welterweight Title.

Santos then challenged Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz. This title fight happened in January 2011. Santos lost the fight by an armbar submission in the second round.

He was supposed to fight Paul Daley later. But Santos had to pull out because of a shoulder injury. In September 2011, Santos fought Jordan Mein. Mein defeated him by TKO in the third round. After a long break, Santos asked to leave Strikeforce. He wanted to fight more often, and his request was granted.

Later Career Fights

Santos was set to fight Pete Spratt in February 2013. However, he got injured and could not fight. After almost two years away, Santos returned to fighting. He faced Artenas Young in January 2016. He won this fight by a unanimous decision.

In April 2014, Santos had a rematch with Melvin Manhoef. Manhoef had knocked him out in their first fight. Santos lost to Manhoef again by knockout in the first round. He announced his retirement soon after this fight.

Bellator MMA

In March 2016, Santos signed a contract with Bellator MMA. He made his debut in April 2016. He won his first fight against Brennan Ward by submission in the first round.

Santos fought again in May 2016 against Saad Awad, but he lost. In July 2016, he faced Michael "Venom" Page. Page defeated him with a flying knee. This caused a serious injury to Santos's face.

Santos officially retired from fighting in January 2017. He spent a year coaching in Brazil. In 2018, he moved back to the USA. He now coaches at his own gym in Texas. In August 2018, Santos confirmed he had no plans to fight again.

Personal Life

Evangelista Santos was married to another MMA fighter, Cristiane Justino. They were married from 2005 to 2011. During their marriage, she started using his nickname, "Cyborg," for herself.

Mixed Martial Arts Record Summary

See also

• List of Bellator MMA alumni
• List of Strikeforce alumni