UFC Fight Night 146: Lewis vs. Dos Santos - Predictions and Picks

#2 Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Curtis Millender

Curtis Millender will look for the knockout against Elizeu Zaleski

Welterweight is – along with Bantamweight and Lightweight – one of the most stacked weight classes in the UFC right now, and so it’s unsurprising to see a pair of 170lbers in the co-main event here. What is surprising is that Millender and Zaleski have been given this spotlight. After all, Zaleski has never been featured on a UFC main card while Millender has only made one main card appearance himself.

It’s hard to argue that they don’t deserve the opportunity, though. Millender is 3-0 in the Octagon thus far and hasn’t lost since 2015, while Zaleski has won 6 UFC fights in a row after losing his debut, and he’s also been putting foes away in flashy fashion – knocking out Sean Strickland with a wheel kick and Luigi Vendramini with a flying knee.

Watching his fight footage, it’s hard to understand why Zaleski hasn’t been showcased in the UFC before. To sum him up in one word, you’d probably label him a risk-taker. His nickname essentially gives away exactly what he’s all about. Where Brazilian strikers are usually Muay Thai-based, Zaleski’s background is in capoeira – the flashy striking style created by African slaves in Brazil that blends dance moves with martial arts.

That means Zaleski is willing to throw all kinds of crazy kicks and combinations at his opponent, as we saw in his wins over Strickland and Vendramini, as well as his previous victories over Lyman Good, Max Griffin and Omari Akhmedov. Making him even more dangerous though is his willingness to throw caution out of the window on the ground, too – diving for submissions and attempting wild suplexes if given the opportunity.

Millender, meanwhile, is a much more straight-ahead kickboxer, although that doesn’t make him any less dangerous. He’s a huge 170lber who stands at 6’3” and wields a 78” reach – for comparison’s sake, that’s 4” longer than ‘The Gorilla’ Darren Till, one of the more dangerous strikers in the division. ‘Curtious’ uses this reach wisely, abusing his opponents with jabs and kicks to the legs, body and head from range, and when he does get inside, he’s adept at attacking with his knees and elbows, often from odd angles.

It’s that range that makes this a difficult-sounding fight for Zaleski. The Brazilian stands at 5’11”, some 4” shorter than Millender, and he’s at a disadvantage when it comes to reach in terms of both punches and kicks. That wouldn’t matter so much if he were a more straightforward striker, but he’s the kind of fighter who tends to need range to fire off those wild capoeira combinations.

This could go either way in all honesty – either man could take the other out in a rush as they’re such quick, skilled strikers – but I’m leaning towards Millender, who to my knowledge has never really been beaten in a striking-based fight. As long as he can keep Zaleski at the end of his reach – and doesn’t get confused by the Brazilian’s unorthodox style – then I think he can pick at him with his kicks and jabs and outwork him to a decision. Expect a fun fight though, for sure.

The Pick: Millender via unanimous decision