Everybody’s talking about the headliner of UFC 302. However, you should not lose sight of the other exciting matches on the fight card. One of them will feature the first 2024 fight of Brazilian welterweight, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. ‘Capoeira’, as he calls himself, will butt heads with Randy Brown, and they will open the main card of the pay-per-view.

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos has amassed a pretty stellar MMA record since he turned pro in 2009. Now, even at the age of 37, we may not find the words ‘slowing down’ in his dictionary. However, The Brazilian ace isn’t immune from having a bad day at the office. As such, let’s take a deep dive and peek into dos Santos’s 32-fight career and analyze his losses in the UFC.

How many times has Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos lost in the UFC?

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos came under the UFC’s radar six years after turning professional. He joined Dana White‘s promotion in 2015 but failed to make it worth it for the crowd in attendance, and lost his debut fight against Danish veteran, Nicolas Dalby. ‘The Danish Dynamite’ somehow edged past dos Santos with a split decision win.

Four years later, ‘Capoeira’ would drop the ball once again when he fought 5-time ‘Performance of the Night’ winner, Li Jingliang. The Chinese star dismantled Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos with punches for a third-round TKO win at UFC Fight Night 157. But this was not the end of his bad luck.

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos has had a modest run in this decade. Two losses in five matchups is all he has to show. This decade’s first loss came against Dagestan’s Muslim Salikhov. It was yet another bag-fumbling split decision loss. Dos Santos failed to capitalize in his last fight also, which was against Rinat Fakhretdinov, and ended in a majority draw.

What you’ve read so far is only a part of the story. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos has also suffered a few losses in other regional promotions before stepping inside the UFC’s Octagon. Let’s have a look at that front now.

How well did dos Santos fare outside the UFC?

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos competed in many regional and low-tier promotions before he landed in the US. Jose Gomes, Viscardi Andrade, Franklin Jensen, and Guilherme Bomba were the only non-UFC fighters to have beaten the Brazilian welterweight. ‘Capoeira’s defeats included two submission losses and two decision losses. But on the flip side, dos Santos also enjoyed a few great instances of registering consistent wins.

‘Capoeira’ kicked off his MMA career with a 7-fight winning streak. Then, after the Brazilian joined the UFC, he had another run of 7 consecutive wins, even though he fell short on his debut. Also, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos has defeated the likes of Max Griffin, Curtis Milender, and, of course, former middleweight champion Sean Strickland, during that undefeated run.

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos would be hoping to break into the rankings and register a statement win over Randy Brown. But how do you predict that fight going down? Drop your take in the comments.