Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos earned a big win at UFC Wichita, putting a halt to the Curtis Millender hype train via a first round submission.
Curtis Millender and Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos are two of the fastest rising welterweights in the UFC. In the co-main event of UFC Wichita, one of them proved exactly why. Millender was 3-0 in the UFC and on a nine fight winning streak heading in, last defeating Siyar Bahaduarzada at UFC 232. In his career he had claimed wins over the likes of Thiago Alves, Max Griffin, and Kevin Holland.
Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos was a hot prospect in his own right. Zaleski was 6-1 in the UFC prior to Saturday, all six wins coming in his last six bouts. He last defeated Luigi Vendramini in September of last year via flying knee knockout.
With that sort of pedigree, the winner of Zaleski vs. Millender was sure to be in line for a big fight next in the welterweight division.
It didn’t take long to sort out who that would be. Zaleski got a big takedown early in the bout; he then quickly transitioned to the back and secured a rear-naked-choke on Millender. Curtis battled out of the first one, however the Brazilian quickly got back to work and got a second choke in. This time Curtis Millender wasn’t getting out. What a quick submission by Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos. What an impressive submission.
Welterweights, there's a new player in the top-15! @ElizeuCapoeira gets the first-round sub at #UFCWichita pic.twitter.com/KIigXNcSu7
— UFC (@ufc) March 10, 2019
After a big win like that over a promising prospect in Millender, one has to figure that Dos Santos will get a big match-up soon at 170 pounds.
Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos def. Curtis Millender by submission (rear-naked-choke), Round 1, 2:35
