Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos Ethnicity/Nationality: Where Is the UFC Welterweight From?

UFC 301 witnessed some of the best fighters from Brazil just a few weeks back. It now seems that the fans will witness yet another talent from Brazil at UFC 302. Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos, the 37-year-old, will take on Randy Brown in the Welterweight division. His last fight ended as a draw, but the fight lasted a full fifteen minutes.

The 37-year-old will now look to get back to winning ways and keep his winning momentum going. Before his much-awaited clash, we look at his ethnicity and nationality.

Where is Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos from?

Dos Santos was born in a small town called Francisco Beltrao in Parana, Brazil. Just like most Brazilian fighters, Santos also had a very humble beginning and had to work hard. His parents split at a very young age. As a result, he had to move to a completely new place.

However, he then moved back with his father, Irineu Dos Santos, to live at his farm. In one of his interviews, he shared his journey during his initial days. He said, “We woke up at 6 a.m. to get milk from the cows and take them out to pasture, and then we dealt with pigs and cleaned everything. We were done by 10, and then we would do anything else that had to be done, like fixing fences or something else that was broken.”

However, this was not the only problem he faced in his career. ‘Capoeira’ also faced some resentment from his father as well.

According to the Brazilian, his father did not like the idea of taking up fighting as his career. He rather insisted he carry on his work on the farm. Regardless, Dos Santos took up fighting and eventually made it to the UFC. He initially started training in Capoeira but later uncovered a passion for the sport and started learning different martial arts forms.

And now that we know how Capoeira turned into a fighter, here’s a sneak peek at his training.

How did ‘Capoeira’ start training?

Dos Santos began his martial arts training at the young age of nine. He initially developed a liking for Capoeira as a for of martial art, but started learning different forms at the age of 20. He currently trains at the CM System gym in Curitiba, Brazil, under the watchful eyes of Cristiano Marcello.

Santos made his debut in 2015  and since then has impressed a lot of people with his skills. The 37-year-old credits his team and his coaches for his success in his brief career. In his recent interviews, he shared some details about his team and his training.

He said, “The guys on our team give me the support and put their minds into it.” Santos further added, “We have 50 athletes from every category. We get a lot out of it. I’ve been improving and adding more new weapons to my game so I can always perform the best way possible.” 

Santos is confident of making it to the top 15 in the welterweight division. Nevertheless, he will have his work cut out against a formidable opponent. While the Brazilian is still unbeaten in his last three outings, he will still have a lot to prove on Saturday.

Will ‘Capoeira’ keep his winning momentum going at UFC 302? Let us know in the comments below.