# Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (born November 12, 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He was the former Jungle Fight welterweight champion in Brazil and currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

## Background

Zaleski was born in Francisco Beltrao, Parana, Brazil. He grew up training in Capoeira since age nine. Zaleski transitioned to MMA at age 20 and started competing professionally soon thereafter.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Early career

Zaleski started his MMA career on November 8, 2009, and he fought for many promoters notably Jungle Fight, Smash and Amazon Fight in Brazil. He was the former Jungle Fight welterweight champion and he built a record of 14–4 with 13 finishes and 1 decision prior joining UFC.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

Zaleski made his promotional debut on May 30, 2015, at UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Alves against Nicolas Dalby. Zaleski outstruck Dalby as he landed 16 more significant strikes, but judges handed the victory via split decision to Dalby as he successfully took Zaleski down six times.
He faced Omari Akhmedov on his next fight at UFC on Fox: Teixeira vs. Evans on April 16, 2016. He won the fight and claimed his first UFC win via knockout in the third round. The fight earned him his first Fight of the Night bonus award.
On October 1, 2016, Zaleski returned to face Keita Nakamura at UFC Fight Night: Lineker vs. Dodson. After three rounds of fighting, he won the fight with a unanimous decision with the score board of (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).
Zaleski faced Lyman Good, former Bellator and CFFC champion, on July 22, 2017, at UFC on Fox: Weidman vs. Gastelum. He won the back-and-forth fight by split decision. The fight also earned him his second Fight of the Night bonus award.
Zaleski faced Max Griffin on October 28, 2017, at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Machida. He won the fight with a unanimous decision. The win also earned him his third Fight of the Night bonus award.
Zaleski was expected to face Jack Marshman on March 17, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 127. However, on February 19, 2018, Zaleski announced that he is pulling out of the fight because of a knee injury. He was replaced by Brad Scott
Zaleski faced Sean Strickland on May 12, 2018, at UFC 224. He won the fight with a knockout in the first round.
Zaleski was scheduled to meet Belal Muhammad on September 22, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 137. On September 14, 2018, Muhammad was pulled out of the bout and he was replaced by newcomer Luigi Vendramini. He won the fight via knockout in round two.
Zaleski was scheduled to face Li Jingliang on November 25, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 141. However on October 27, 2018, reports were made that Zaleski withdrew from the bout due to a partial ligament tear in his right knee.
Zaleski faced Curtis Millender on March 9, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 146. He won the fight through submission in the first round.
Zaleski was expected to face Neil Magny on May 18, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 151. However, on March 28, 2019, dos Santos announced that he had not been contacted by the UFC about the match.
A pairing with Li Jingliang was rescheduled and took place on August 31, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 157. He lost the fight due to a technical knockout in round three.
As the last fight of his prevailing contract, Zaleski faced Alexey Kunchenko on March 14, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 170. He won the fight with a unanimous decision.
As the first fight of his new, four-fight contract, Zaleski faced Muslim Salikhov on July 11, 2020, at UFC 251. He lost the fight with a split decision.
Zaleski was expected to face promotional newcomer Shavkat Rakhmonov on October 24, 2020 at UFC 254. However, Zaleski pulled out in late September due to a knee injury that required surgery.
Zaleski faced promotional newcomer Benoît Saint-Denis on October 30, 2021, at UFC 267. After nearly finishing Saint-Denis in round two, he won the bout with a unanimous decision.
Zaleski was scheduled to face Mounir Lazzez on April 16, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 34. However, Zaleski dos Santos withdrew the week of the fight for personal reasons and was replaced by Ange Loosa.
On September 22, 2022, it was announced that USADA suspended Zaleski for 1 year after testing positive for ostarine in an out-of-competition test on March 14, 2022. Zaleski and his team contended that the test was due to a contaminated supplement. He is eligible to return on March 14, 2023.
Zaleski faced Abubakar Nurmagomedov June 3, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 46. He won the fight through a split decision.
Zaleski faced Rinat Fakhretdinov on November 4, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 231. The bout ended in a majority draw.
Zaleski faced Randy Brown on June 1, 2024, at UFC 302. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Zaleski was scheduled to face Nicolas Dalby in a rematch on November 9, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 247. However, Dalby withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by promotional newcomer Zach Scroggin. At the weigh-ins, Scroggin weighed in at 174 pounds, three pounds over the welterweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Scroggins was fined a percentage of his purse, which went to Zaleski. Zaleski won the fight by technical knockout early in the first round.
Zaleski faced Chidi Njokuani on March 15, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 254. At the weigh-ins, Njokuani weighed in at 172.5 pounds, one and a quarter pounds over the welterweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Njokuani was fined 20 percent of his purse which went to Zaleski dos Santos. Zaleski lost the fight by technical knockout via a knee and elbows in the second round.

## Championships and accomplishments
### Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Fight of the Night (Three times) vs. Omari Akhmedov, Lyman Good and Max Griffin
** UFC.com Awards
*** 2018: Ranked #5 Knockout of the Year vs. Sean Strickland
* Jungle Fight
** Jungle Fight Welterweight Championship (One time)
*** One successful title defense
* SMASH Fight
** SMASH Fight Welterweight Tournament

## Personal life

His moniker "Capoeira” was coined as his first combat sport was Capoeira.

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 35 matches | 25 wins | 9 losses |
| By knockout | 15 | 2 |
| By submission | 3 | 2 |
| By decision | 7 | 5 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 25–9–1 | Chidi Njokuani | TKO (knee and elbows) | UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Dolidze 2 | March 15, 2025 | 2 | 2:19 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (172.25 lb) bout; Njokuani missed weight. |
| Win | 25–8–1 | Zach Scroggin | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Prates | November 9, 2024 | 1 | 1:15 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (174 lb) bout; Scroggin missed weight. |
| Loss | 24–8–1 | Randy Brown | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 302 | June 1, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | |
| Draw | 24–7–1 | Rinat Fakhretdinov | Draw (majority) | UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Lewis | November 4, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 24–7 | Abubakar Nurmagomedov | Decision (split) | UFC on ESPN: Kara-France vs. Albazi | June 3, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 23–7 | Benoît Saint Denis | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 267 | October 30, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Zaleski dos Santos was deducted 1 point in round 3 due to a groin strike. |
| Loss | 22–7 | Muslim Salikhov | Decision (split) | UFC 251 | July 12, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 22–6 | Alexey Kunchenko | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. Oliveira | March 14, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Brasília, Brazil | |
| Loss | 21–6 | Li Jingliang | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Zhang | August 31, 2019 | 3 | 4:51 | Shenzhen, China | |
| Win | 21–5 | Curtis Millender | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos | March 9, 2019 | 1 | 2:35 | Wichita, Kansas, United States | |
| Win | 20–5 | Luigi Vendramini | KO (flying knee and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Anders | September 22, 2018 | 2 | 1:20 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 19–5 | Sean Strickland | KO (spinning wheel kick and punches) | UFC 224 | May 12, 2018 | 1 | 3:40 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 18–5 | Max Griffin | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Machida | October 28, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 17–5 | Lyman Good | Decision (split) | UFC on Fox: Weidman vs. Gastelum | July 22, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Uniondale, New York, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 16–5 | Keita Nakamura | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Lineker vs. Dodson | October 1, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Portland, Oregon, United States | |
| Win | 15–5 | Omari Akhmedov | TKO (knees and punches) | UFC on Fox: Teixeira vs. Evans | April 16, 2016 | 3 | 3:03 | Tampa, Florida, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 14–5 | Nicolas Dalby | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Alves | May 30, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Goiânia, Brazil | |
| Win | 14–4 | Eduardo Ramon | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Jungle Fight 75 | December 18, 2014 | 2 | 2:07 | Belém, Brazil | Defended the Jungle Fight Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 13–4 | Itamar Rosa | KO (punches) | Jungle Fight 71 | July 19, 2014 | 1 | 1:59 | São Paulo, Brazil | Won the vacant Jungle Fight Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 12–4 | Rodrigo Souza | KO (punches) | Jungle Fight 65 | February 2, 2014 | 2 | 2:57 | Bahia, Brazil | |
| Win | 11–4 | Josenildo Ramalho | KO (punches) | Jungle Fight 59 | October 12, 2013 | 1 | 2:42 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Loss | 10–4 | Guilherme Vasconcelos | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Jungle Fight 54 | June 29, 2013 | 2 | 2:20 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 10–3 | Ricardo Silva | KO (punches) | SMASH Fight 1 | May 3, 2013 | 1 | 1:16 | Curitiba, Brazil | Won the SMASH Fight Welterweight Tournament. |
| Win | 9–3 | Gilmar Dutra Lima | KO (punch) | SMASH Fight 1 | May 3, 2013 | 1 | 0:27 | Curitiba, Brazil | SMASH Fight Welterweight Tournament Semifinal. |
| Loss | 8–3 | Franklin Jensen | Decision (unanimous) | Sparta MMA 1 | September 29, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Itajai, Brazil | |
| Win | 8–2 | Misael Chamorro | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Beltrão Combat 1 | May 19, 2012 | 2 | 1:35 | Francisco Beltrão, Brazil | |
| Loss | 7–2 | Viscardi Andrade | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Max Fight 11 | March 17, 2012 | 2 | 1:27 | Campinas, Brazil | |
| Loss | 7–1 | José de Ribamar | Decision (split) | Amazon Fight 10 | December 7, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Belém, Brazil | |
| Win | 7–0 | Jackson Pontes | TKO (punches) | Max Fight 10 | November 10, 2011 | 1 | 2:42 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 6–0 | João Paulo Prado | TKO (retirement) | Vale FC 1 | August 6, 2011 | 2 | 5:00 | Taubaté, Brazil | |
| Win | 5–0 | Misael Chamorro | TKO (punches) | Big Bold's Night 1 | November 13, 2010 | 1 | N/A | Cascavel, Brazil | |
| Win | 4–0 | Dyego Roberto | TKO (body kick) | Samurai Fight Combat 3 | April 25, 2010 | 3 | 4:16 | Curitiba, Brazil | |
| Win | 3–0 | Christian Tide Squeti | Decision (split) | Londrina Fight Show 1 | December 13, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Londrina, Brazil | |
| Win | 2–0 | Wellington Morgenstern | KO (punches) | B33 Fight 8 | November 15, 2009 | 1 | N/A | Ponta Grossa, Brazil | |
| Win | 1–0 | Douglas Jandozo | KO (punches) | G1 Open Fight 7 | November 8, 2009 | 1 | 3:03 | Joaquim Tavora, Brazil | Welterweight debut. |