The date is set for a collision between two behemoths of MMA. New Years Eve and Pride Shockwave 2005 will see a clash which is anticipated to send shockwaves rippling throughout the entire MMA world.

Pride’s pursuit of who will be either the next victim or successor of Fedor Emelianenko has brought them before the 6’7, 406lb Brazilian giant, Zuluzinho. 

But will this battle of the titans really cause shockwaves; or will it simply be another fight in which Emelianenko, who many believe to be the best MMA competitor in the world, further convinces future competition that he’s unbeatable?  Such a question can only reasonably be answered after consideration is given to the man set to face-off against the champion: “The Brazilian Bob Sapp”, Zuluzinho.  -But who is Zuluzinho Zuluzinho?

Zuluzinho is one of nine children born to the legendary Rei “King” Zulu (real name Casemiro Nascimento Martins).  Rei Zulu gained notoriety as one of the planet’s hardest men by defeating countless opponents in bare knuckle Vale Tudo bouts across Brazil. Although his ‘professional’ MMA record doesn’t reflect his successes, Zulu’s many wins were recognition enough to warrant challenge from another famous Brazilian family, the Gracies. 

In 1980 the Gracie family challenged Rei Zulu to a bout against one of their then up-and-coming fighters, Rickson Gracie. Gracie was declared as the winner; but four years later they would do battle again.

At a time when the Gracie family had gained meteoric status in Brazil, Rei Zulu had fought and won enough times to earn himself a second shot at their crown. Where as the previous bout had been held in a small gymnasium before only a few onlookers, this second bout took place in the Maracanazinho Stadium in front of twenty thousand spectators.

Even though Rei Zulu lost the re-match (via rear naked choke- 2nd min, rd 2) the fight became a legendary piece of MMA history and the name Rei Zulu became internationally recognised.

Zuluzinho has a conventional history of martial arts training, which included Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Thai Boxing- unlike his father who was a self-trained hard man. The large majority of Zuluzinho’s competitive fights were low-key Vale Tudo bouts held in Brazil, until he was  convinced by Anthony McGann (co-owner of the ‘Wolfslair’ Academy and head of the Cage Warriors Pro Fight Team) to come and fight in the UK. 

Zuluzinho made his professional MMA debut at Cage Warriors Strike Force 2: UK vs The Worldwhere he knocked out Rafal Debrowski.  This took Zuluzinho’s reputed fight record to 35-0-0- with all victories coming by way of knockout!

However, it has become increasingly apparent that Zuluzinho’s fight record is somewhat contentious.  Cage Warriors were unable to confirm his exact fight record, then bjj.org and wikipedia.org both claimed that, as of the 1st of October 2005, Zuluzinho’s fight record was at 35-0-0.  Yet, to our knowledge, Zuluzinho has fought only once since then, at Pride 30: Fully Loaded.

In a post-Pride 30 interview with ‘Tatame Magazine’, Zuluzinho professed to have a record of 37-0-0.  Where this additional knockout came from no one can tell, but if Zuluzinho’s fight record is as big as he says, then he will be a force to be reckoned with and someone Emelianenko should take care not to underestimate.

Despite the speculation as the real number of victories that appear on Zuluzinho’s fight record, one thing is known for certain- It is not just his father’s legacy or his numerous ‘victories’ that got Zuluzinho to Pride, it is also his affinity with causing his opponents to be left unconscious. 

Nobuhiko Takada speculated that the fight between Zuluzinho and Emelianenko is one that may cause a huge upset.  Zuluzinho is not just working his way up the ladder, he is getting a straight shot at Pride’s number one man! That Takada thinks makes him very dangerous. Takada said of Zuluzinho that “his punches are rough, but they are also strong, quick and deliberate”. 

Zuluzinho made his name on the back-streets of Maranhao in North Brazil, demonstrating that not everyone has to fight through the rankings to earn a shot at The Champion. The fight out of poverty and degradation is a much harder fight.  Furthermore, Zuluzinho is fighting for his family name, something he feels very strongly about.