Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Abubakar Nurmagomedov Set for UFC on ESPN 45

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos will return from suspension to face Abubakar Nurmagomedov at UFC on ESPN 45.

Canal Encarada was first to report the welterweight booking, and Zaleski’s coach, Cristiano Marcello, later confirmed the bout to MMAFighting.com. UFC on ESPN 45 takes place on June 3 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight tilt pitting Jack Hermansson against Brendan Allen.

Zaleski is coming off a one-year USADA suspension after testing positive for ostarine in an out-of-competition sample. Zaleski blamed the failed test on a contaminated supplement but was unable to secure a reduced sanction. The 36-year-old Brazilian last competed at UFC 267, where he earned a lopsided unanimous decision victory against Benoit St. Denis in October 2021. “Capoeira” is 9-3 during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion and 23-7 as a professional overall.

A veteran of the Professional Fighters League and World Series of Fighting, Nurmagomedov has been victorious in two of his first three Octagon appearances. After dropping his promotional debut to David Zawada, the 33-year-old Dagestani rebounded to earn decisions over Jared Gooden and Gazhi Omargadzhiev in his next two outings. Nurmagomedov owns a 17-3-1 career mark since making his pro debut in 2011.