UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Lewis will be something special with all of the fights on the matchcard. The welterweight class will feature a unique battle between ‘Gladiator’ Rinat Fakhretdinov and ‘Capoeira’ Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos on the preliminary card.
Rinat Fakhretdinov (21-1-0) made his UFC debut against Andreas Michailidis at UFC Fight Night 207. He won the fight via a unanimous decision, destroying his opponent round by round. Rinat Fakhretdinov was offered the UFC contract by Dana White himself, as he was so impressed by his skills.
Rinat Fakhretdinov has only lost once in his career, and that was his second fight. Since then, he has never lost a fight and is on a 20-fight win streak. Fakhretdinov last fought Kevin Lee at UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov, which he won by guillotine submission in the opening minute.
Rinat Fakhretdinov (The Iceman 🥶🏔️) vs Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos pic.twitter.com/VQipHNDwpJ
— Radimir Ringwelski (@IllinoisRoute66) November 3, 2023
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (24-7-0) is a good fighter in the welterweight division. ‘Capoeira’ is a former Jungle Fight welterweight champion in Brazil. He made his UFC debut against Nicolas Dalby at UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Alves, which he lost via split decision.
Dos Santos last fought Abubakar Nurmagomedov at the UFC on ESPN 46. After coming off a 1-year suspension after testing positive for Ostarine, he won the fight via a split decision.
Rinat Fakhretdinov vs Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos stats
| Stats | Rinat FakhretdinovE | Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 21 | 24 |
| Losses | 1 | 7 |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in | 5 ft 10 in |
| Division | Welterweight | Welterweight |
| Reach | 74.1 in | 72.9 in |
| Age | 32 | 36 |
Rinat Fakhretdinov vs Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos prediction
‘Gladiator’ Rinat Fakhretdinov lands 3.20 significant strikes per minute with 68% accuracy. His opponents are only able to land 0.78 strikes per minute against him, but he has a defense rate of 58%. He averages 5.82 takedowns per 15 minutes and also defends 100% of takedown attempts against him.
‘Capoeira’ Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos averages a few more significant strikes per minute, at 4.48. But his accuracy is really low, at 42%. His defense is also less than Fakhretdinov’s, as he absorbs 3.10 strikes per minute and defends only 58% of those thrown by his opponents. Dos Santos’ takedown numbers are not so good at 0.19, but he defends 66% of takedowns and averages 0.37 submissions every 15 minutes.
Rinat Fakhretdinov destroys Kevin Lee in 55 seconds.
He faces Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos this weekend. pic.twitter.com/MMM0nLMfBU
— Ocelot MMA (@Ocelot_MMA) October 30, 2023
This is going to be some fight in this preliminary card. Fakhretdinov is coming into the fight with a 20-fight win streak, whereas Dos Santos is coming to get back his honor after he got suspended. So, in this matchup, Rinat Fakhretdinov might win against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos via KO/TKO.
