Sport 400-pound PRIDE alum Zuluzinho floors opponent at buzzer, celebrates too soon, loses fight

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There’s nothing quite like a little Zuluzinho fight on a Tuesday afternoon in 2021 – especially when he floors his opponent and almost pulls off an upset.

Zuluzinho, 42, lost a majority decision to Yusup Shuaev at an AMC Fight Nights event held in an aptly named WOW Arena in Sochi, Russia.

Yes, I’m talking about that Zuluzinho. The same “Little Zulu” who competed in PRIDE over a decade-and-a-half ago. The one who fought Fedor Emelianenko and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in 2005.

At 6-foor-6 and 397 pounds, Zuluzinho took his time going down the entrance stairs and strutted his way to the cage. As one can probably guess by looking at the images and videos associated with this blog post, mobility was never Zuluzinho’s strong suit, which is still the case 15 years later.

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Despite an unimpressive Pride run, Zuluzinho has assembled serious MMA credentials which are no laughing matter. He holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has an unofficial underground MMA record far more impressive than the record reflected by his sanctioned bouts. Zuluzinho was reported to have won 38 fights in a row by knockout in Brazil prior to much of his legitimate MMA competition (the number cannot be verified). A massive physical specimen with obvious power, Zuluzinho continues to fight from time to time in smaller promotions to this day.

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Sounds like the crossroads between a freakshow fight and a set-up record-booster, right? Well, weirdly enough, in very MMA fashion, it didn’t play out exactly as expected.

Very late in Round 1, Zuluzinho (12-10) ended the lackluster tempo with an overhand right that floored Shuaev (7-0-1). As Shuaev fell onto the mat, Zuluzinho toppled over him as he looked for the finish.

That’s when the referee got involved and confusion ensued. Now, obviously, there was a language barrier. Zuluzinho got off his opponent and celebrated what he thought to be his fourth consecutive MMA win. However, in reality, the round had ended, so the referee separated the fighters.

Zuluzinho drops Shuaev at the bell and thinks the fight is over. Amazing pic.twitter.com/OQNhdIVdGZ

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The young “ Zuluzinho ,” on the other hand, will face no more than PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures). Coming to end of 2005 that’s how we’re gonna be: adrenaline on high levels. BTT dreams with two belts. The Brazilian explains his strategy: “I will wait until he comes to me and then I will backstroke him. I’m sure when my crisscross hits he won’t be up on his legs. He’d not be that courageous to fight and stand with me, looking forward to my legs as soon as he can.” At 27, a jiu-jitsu black belt fighter , this is a sport he has been practicing for seven years.

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— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) February 23, 2021

With his butt crack peeking out of his long, black pants for the full duration of the 15 minutes, Zuluzinho never backed down from his opponent. Late in Round 3, Zuluzinho displayed true showmanship. He jigged and danced when there was a lull in the action – and even purposely leaned forward to goad Shuaev into throwing a head kick.

Lil Zulu ate that kick like it was nothing #AMCFightNights pic.twitter.com/4Io9iGvz4Z

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) February 23, 2021

Though much of his attack was a slow plod forward or from a stationary position, Zuluzinho (dare I say, all things considered) looked much better than I expected. I mean, no one was expecting he’d win, right? And he almost did.

It’s easy to stare in awe at the weirdness, but Zuluzinho had the guts, at age 42, to do something many people 15 years younger wouldn’t ever consider. Something I wouldn’t consider. I’ll always give props to anyone who steps into that cage, but especially the pioneers of the sport.

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So hats off, Zuluzinho. I’m glad you’re still having fun after all these years. The next time you fight, entertain away. You know I’ll be watching.

Ahahah he's ready to go again pic.twitter.com/ORQHV5Pizi

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) February 23, 2021

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