Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos Still Going Strong

A longtime staple of the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos has entered the phase of his career where he finds himself at odds with Father Time more often than not.

The soon-to-be 38-year-old Brazilian will set out in search of his first victory in 17 months when he rematches former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Nicolas Dalby in the featured UFC Vegas 100 prelim this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. While the sun has likely begun to set on Zaleski dos Santos, he intends to get the maximum amount of juice out of his squeeze.

“As long as God allows us to stay healthy and be able to train, we should keep fighting,” he told Sherdog.com. “As we mature, we learn how to train and compete even better. I feel great in this maturing process. I feel great at this age and with all the time I’ve put into training. I continue to learn from both older and younger training partners. As long as I’m healthy and this flame burns in me, I wish to continue competing.”

Zaleski dos Santos operates out of the CM System academy in Curitiba, Brazil, where he works under longtime coach and mentor Cristiano Marcello. He maintains the utmost confidence in those with whom he has surrounded himself.

“Every training camp I have is even more productive regarding my own maturing and my responsibilities within our team,” Zaleski dos Santos said. “I’m very well prepared and ready to put on the best fight of my life.”

In Dalby, he faces a familiar foe. The two met previously at UFC Fight Night 67, where the Dane was awarded split scorecards in 2015. Dalby, who turns 40 on Nov. 16, enters the cage having won four of his past five bouts, a decision defeat to Rinat Fakhretdinov in June his only misstep.

“I believe that this fight can play out anywhere, and it could even go to decision,” Zaleski dos Santos said. “It’s a matter of if the opportunity for a knockout or submission presents itself, but the fight can last longer than expected due to both mine and Dalby’s resilience. I respect him a lot. Everything is in place for us to have the best fight of the night.”

Zaleski dos Santos sees the rematch with Dalby as another chance to put his wares on display.

“The UFC keeps giving me opportunities to showcase my work,” he said, “and I’m happy to show that I can still be one of the best fighters in the world.”