- Rei Zulu
MMAstatsbox|name=Rei Zulu
nick=King Zulu
height=6feet 4inches
weight=220lbs.
birthdate=1945
died=
nationality=flagicon|Brazil|Brazilian
fighting from=Brazil
hometown=unknown
fightstyle=Vale Tudo
wins=144
losses=9
knockouts=139|Rei Zulu (born 1945) is a legendary
mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter fromBrazil . Zulu was born of poverty, and decided to seek a career as a professionalVale Tudo fighter. Zulu had his first fight at age 18 in 1963.Zulu made a name for himself by challenging local tough guys from Brazil, as well as tourists from around the world. In 1980, after 17 years of competition, Zulu was reportedly undefeated in 140 fights. It was during this time, Zulu issued a challenge to the Gracie Family to prove who was the best Vale Tudo fighter in the nation.
Undefeated
Rickson Gracie met Zulu in a televised match which made headlines in Brazil. In a hard fought battle, Zulu lost his undefeated streak when Gracie choked him out. In a rematch a few years later, Zulu again lost by choke. However, on November 30th, 1984, Rei Zulu scored his biggest victory, an upset over Full Contact Kickboxing practicioner Sergio Batarelli at "JJ vs MA-Jiu-Jitsu vs Martial Arts", as an alternate match.Zulu was still a legendary figure in the world of Mixed Martial Arts and continued to fight on. In 1990, he lost back-to-back knockouts to James Adler. On April 6, 2000 in
Piaui , Brazil in a televised match, Zulu, 55 years old, lost via knockout to Wellington Dourado. Zulu lost the match when he was pushed out of the ring and knocked out when his head hit the floor.However, Zulu continued to fight on, as it was the only profession he knew. In 2007, at 62, Rei Zulu had three fights in Brazil and won all of them by knockout. He was also an adviser to his son
Zuluzinho . The younger Zulu streaked to a 39-0 (39 knockout) record before making hisPRIDE Fighting Championships debut.In a February 7, 2008 interview on
Sherdog.com , Zulu says he will continue to fight on. He hopes to fight American fightersSkip Hall (MMA) , 63, and formerUFC World Heavyweight ChampionDan Severn , 49.MMA Record (incomplete)
References
*www.sherdog.com
*Gracie Magazine
*Gracie In Action Video
*internet
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