Undefeated Russian prospect Rinat Fakhretdinov took on veteran Brazilian striker Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in the latter’s home territory of Brazil at UFC Sao Paulo.
Fakhretdinov came in after a strong 3-0 start to his UFC career where he has beaten such fighters as Bryan Battle and Kevin Lee dominantly. He looked to defend his #15 welterweight rankings against Zaleski, who has beaten both hot prospects, like Benoit St Denis, and Russian wrestlers, like Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Alexey Kunchenko.
However Rinat Fakhretdinov seemed to be different early on as he came out when he immediately knocked down Zaleski with a right hand. He got on top in full guard and pressed the Brazilian against the fence, attempting ground and pound. However EZDS worked to get up which limited punching opportunities. He eventually got up but Rinat again had the advantage with the striking, especially when effectively weaponizing his pressure. The Russian may be somewhat awkward but he can certainly fight. Zaleski fought back with shifting combinations and hard kicks but Fakhretdinov’s defense was good enough to still win the rest of the round on the feet.
Fakhretdinov came out in round two with a striking combination converted into a takedown attempt but dos Santos managed to defend despite a smooth setup. While Rinat did still have the better of the striking with his awkward boxing, Zaleski managed to do significantly better tahn in the first round. Being on the back foot was a problem for him, as was the constant enforcement of boxing range which kept him from getting off kicks as easily. Fakhretdinov’s coaches have to be commended for an excellent gameplan. He wrestled to a rear body-lock and controlled his opponent for the last minute and a half of the second round, barring the last fifteen seconds when Zaleski broke free. Still, the round seemed like it would go to Rinat.
Zaleski shot a bizarre takedown in the early going of the final round that was stuffed. Rinat looked slower though as the Brazilian got a second wind, perhaps buoyed by the home field advantage. He worked some clinch control of his own but the technique of Fakhretdinov was too good and he broke off and attempted his own takedown attempt. Neither could work any offense there and the striking was the main place where damage happened. It was competitive but Zaleski did much more damage with explosive attacks in the round, even though he was often on his back foot just like the first two rounds.
Rinat Fakhretdinov’s pressure and resilience were commendable despite clearly hurting from both eating strikes and having a worn out gas tank. With ninety seconds left in the round Zaleski landed a stabbing front kick to the stomach of Fakhretdinov that dropped him to the canvas. Elizeu jumped on top and landed short ground strikes. He took the Russian’s back and constantly threw strikes, landing an absurd amount in a row but with not enough power to force the referee to stop the fight. The Brazilian went for a rear naked choke and it seemed to be in as Rinat did not even fight the hands. However it was not under the chin and he swiveled out of the position and into top position when Zaleski readjusted his hands, allowing Fakhretdinov to end the round on top.
Rinat Fakhretdinov clearly lost the final round in a thrilling fight where both fighters showed true warriors spirit. The questions were twofold: did Fakhretdinov win the first two rounds? And did Zaleski do enough to get a 10-8 round in the third round? Bruce Buffer read the scorecards in a tense arena. All three judges gave the first two rounds to Rinat but two of them gave Zaleski a 10-8, making the bout a majority draw in a clear ‘Fight of the Night’ contender. Neither fighter seemed too disappointed as they embraced and showed their sportsmanship following the decision.
Official Result: Rinat Fakhretdinov and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos ends in a Majority Draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)
