MVP Skull Crack | HOF

MVP vs Bullet

Fans are in for a treat during the co-main event of UFC Saudi Arabia this weekend as Michael “Venom” Page takes on Shara “Bullet” Magomedov in what should be a strikers delight. Both men are at the top of their respective divisions but for this fight, MVP moves up a weight class to meet Magomedov at 185lbs.

Magomedov rides a 4-fight unbeaten streak in the UFC while MVP is coming off of his first UFC loss against Ian Garry. Expect Magomedov to have the momentum of the crowd in Saudi Arabia, which likely will have little effect on the laser-focused MVP.

Despite the momentum Magomedov carries into this fight, MVP brings an immense amount of danger. Of his 22 wins in MMA, 16 have been by way of finish. Some of these finishes were so gruesome that they have forever changed the landscape of his opponents careers.

Photo by Evangelista Santos

Cracking Skulls

At Bellator 158 in 2016, MVP defeated Evangelista Santos by TKO in round 2 with a devastating flying knee. So devastating in fact, Santos fractured his skull. The injury was so severe that Santos hasn’t fought since and will never fight again.

Fans reacted to the injury after the fight when pictures of Santos went viral. A CT scan revealed that his entire skull was caved in above his brows. Santos posted a picture from a hospital bed which showed a visible indent in his forehead.

Santos required a 7-hour surgery to repair his skull. The surgery was successful, but unfortunately at the cost of Santos never being able to fight again.

Photo by Bellator

Smashing Noses

100 Bellator events after smashing Santos’ skull at Bellator 158, MVP returned at Bellator 258 to take on Derek Anderson. Similarly to Santos, Anderson suffered a brutal broken nose in round 1 and was forced to throw in the towel against MVP.

Many questioned if the stoppage was necessary, that is until they got a good look at Anderson. Not only was Anderson’s nose clearly broken, but it was beyond visibly mangled. His nose went sideways, was caved in, and even had a bloody cut in the center.

After having his nose flattened by MVP, Anderson has only fought one time in a smaller regional promotion. Luckily for Anderson, he got a quick 30-second submission in the fight and avoided a single punch to his forever damaged nose.

It’s hard to say if his nose is the reason Anderson no longer fights, but it would be hard to blame him for not wanting to risk further injury to an already permanently altered face.

Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA

Shins of Steel

In his last fight before joining the UFC, MVP delivered a leg kick from hell to opponent Goiti Yamauchi. The kick was so precise that it forced a stoppage to the fight in the first round with a single blow.

MVP’s shin landed flush against Yamauchi’s knee cap, forcing the knee to fully dislocate and partially shatter. Already having a caved in head in his bag, MVP officially added a caved in knee cap to the same resume with this shocking win.

Luckily, unlike many of MVP’s victims, Yamauchi was able to recover and continue fighting after the injury. The UFC also took notice of MVP’s danger as they signed him almost immediately after the win.

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By Published On: January 30th, 2025Categories: Latest UFC News: Results, Rumors & More at Home Of Fight