The best and worst from UFC Fight Night 146: Lewis vs. Dos Santos

#3 Best: Zaleski dos Santos switches it up to great effect

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos picked up his 7th win in a row over Curtis Millender

When the UFC announced the co-main event here between Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Curtis Millender, some eyebrows were raised as both men had been flying under the radar, and Zaleski dos Santos had never appeared on a UFC main card before. But both men also had the reputation of being spectacular strikers, and so fans in the know were expecting a war full of flashy exchanges.

In the end, though, we actually got a one-sided submission, as Zaleski dos Santos evidently figured he had a big advantage on the ground over Millender – who had never been knocked out in 20 fights – shot in and took him down, and then choked him out in short order. ‘Capoeira’ didn’t even need to apply the choke in the textbook way, simply using a gable grip and a tight squeeze to coax the tapout from his opponent.

Considering Zaleski dos Santos had just 2 submission wins out of his overall 20 going into last night – the last one coming way back in 2014 – this was a massively impressive win. It was also his 7th in a row in the UFC – meaning he’s almost definitely for real. The promotion need to book him against a top 10 contender next time out – Rafael Dos Anjos or Leon Edwards would do – and see if they have a title contender on their hands, because they may well do.