Athletes
ELIZEU ZALESKI DOS SANTOS NOT WORRIED ABOUT RANKINGS
Divisional Stalwart Focused On Performance, But Recognizes Importance Of Main Card Opportunity at UFC 303
One day after beginning his 10th year on the UFC roster, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos will accomplish another career first inside the Octagon when he faces off with Randy Brown in the UFC 302 main card opener on Saturday night in Newark, New Jersey.
A staple of the welterweight division throughout his time with the promotion that has amassed a 10-3-1 record under the UFC banner, dos Santos has competed on three previous pay-per-view events, all on the prelims, and recognizes the importance of an opportunity like the one he shares with Brown this weekend at Prudential Center.
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“Being on a pay-per-view event, a numbered event, fighting on the main card, those are all things that are gonna bring in eyeballs,” began Zaleski dos Santos, speaking through an interpreter. “People are gonna be watching this card, watching the main card. I’ve done a lot of fights closing out the prelims and in other positions throughout the card, but I think this fight is definitely putting me in the spotlight.
“It’s obviously important and people are going to be watching, so it’s a great feeling.”
In addition to sharing the opening bout of the main card with Brown, the welterweight combatants also share a similar trajectory and position within the divisional hierarchy, as well as perception within the broader MMA community.
Despite a very good record and having previously posted seven consecutive victories inside the Octagon — including a highlight reel knockout win over Sean Strickland — Zaleski dos Santos has hovered on the fringes of the rankings at times, but never quite broken through.
While he admitted that he feels a certain kinship with his opponent this weekend given their similar standings, Zaleski dos Santos isn’t on board with Brown’s jokingly suggesting that the loser of this contest has to give up hope of ever cracking the rankings.
“In a sense of going after the same objectives, being in the same position, yeah,” he answered in regard to the similarities between he and Brown, who enters the matchup having won eight of his last 10 and brandishing an 11-5 record in the UFC to date.
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"Maybe that’s his idea, that’s his thinking,” Zaleski dos Santos responded when presented with Brown’s “rankings eliminator” comment. “Maybe we’re down a similar path, but taking different roads.
“Honestly, I think the rankings are kind of irrelevant, especially in our division. We’re in the most difficult division, deepest division, so it’s always going to be a stacked division, always going to be difficult to get to the top.
“That’s what he’s thinking,” he added, “but that’s not what I’m thinking.”
For Zaleski dos Santos, his focus has always been and remains on what transpires inside the Octagon.
“I’ve always said that I’m the fighter, and my role in this is to train, put on good performances, put on exciting fights,” he said. “I’ve made some changes recently, including my management, working with new managers that I think might be able to bring me closer to the goal, which is to be on top of the division.
“But I’ve done my part — I’ve gone in there and put on exciting fights, won fights.”
That’s a big part of what makes his enduring status as an overlooked member of the welterweight ranks so perplexing.
Regardless of where he’s fallen on the fight card or who he’s shared the cage with, each time Zaleski dos Santos steps into the Octagon, it has been must-see TV, whether things are finishing quickly like they did with Strickland and Curtis Millender or we’re getting a 15-minute battle as we have a number of times over the years, including his most recent appearance.
After returning to action for the first time in 20 months last June with a split decision win over Abubakar Nurmagomedov, the 37-year-old Brazilian ventured to his home country for a clash with undefeated divisional question mark Rinat Fakhretdinov win the final bout of the UFC’s return to Sao Paulo.
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The bout, which took home Fight of the Month honors in the November 2023 Monthly Report, was a rollercoaster ride from the very beginning, with Fakhretdinov dropping dos Santos less than 20 seconds in and looking poised to close things out quickly. But the Brazilian veteran weathered the storm and by the time the third round began, the two had switched positions, with Zaleski dos Santos now playing the aggressor and Fakhretdinov doing everything in his power to avoid being finished and hear the final horn.
He made it, and when the scores were totaled, the bout was declared a majority draw.
“Fighting in Brazil is something that everyone looks forward to one day,” he said, reflecting on his last outing. “Even if you’re not Brazilian, fighting in Brazil is a happening in itself. It’s indescribable the feeling of fighting in Brazil, having the crowd on your side, and everything that goes with it.
“I really expected to have my hand raised after that fight; I thought that I won,” said Zaleski dos Santos, who had one judge score the bout in his favor. “I thought it was a competitive fight, a good fight, and a lot of people thought I won as well, but that was up to the judges.”
While not the result he was hoping for, it extended his unbeaten streak to three, and kept “Capoeira” hovering in the same position he’s maintained for the majority of his UFC career.
Although he’s in his late 30s and eager to keep moving closer to title contention, Zaleski dos Santos isn’t approaching this weekend’s matchup with Brown with any greater sense of urgency than he would any other contest.
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It’s simply the next fight, the next opportunity to move forward, and the next chance to put on a show.
“Any fight is gonna put you closer, any fight is gonna put you further, so I’m not thinking about pressure for this one,” he said of this weekend’s main card opener. “I believe in my potential, I believe in what I can do — I know what I can do — and this is one more fight that is going to push me further in the division.”
“The next step is beating Randy Brown,” he added. “I’m aware that this is an opportunity and beating him is gonna push me further. I’m confident that I can go in there, put on a good show, put on a good performance, and show everything I’ve worked hard for.”
UFC 302: Makhachev vs Poirier took place live from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on June 1, 2024. See the Final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses, and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
