The Amazonian city of Belem, Brazil, is known for producing more
than 90% of the country’s acai and for being where Carlos Gracie
met Mitsuyo Maeda Koma, whose tomb remains there. The meeting
sparked a revolution that led to the popularization of jiu-jitsu
and the worldwide expansion of The Gentle Art through MMA.
Three decades ago, on Aug. 30, 1996, I was in the city for the
first time to cover Freestyle de Belem 2. It’s worth noting that
such events were scarce in Rio de Janeiro, where the mainstream
media was waging a veritable crusade against vale tudo and
jiu-jitsu. Meanwhile, Belem was transforming itself into a kind of
national capital of the sport. There, media had provided extensive
coverage, which led to a local craze with several events per month.
All were sold out and had numerous sponsors, allowing businessmen
Jael and Mario Rosseti to offer purses far above the standards of
the time.
After the success of Freestyle de Belem 1, organizers decided to
bring in fighters from all over Brazil. From Maranhao came the
legendary Casemiro
“Rei Zulu” Nascimento Martins and
Claudionor da Silva Fontinelle, the smallest athlete at the
event. From Rio de Janeiro came Ebenezer
Fontes Braga and Egidio
“Sombra da
Noite” Amaro da Costa. From Belem came Silvio
“Pantera Negra” Vieira, Francisco
Nonato and Bira Bira.
In current MMA, where professional fighters are protected by
athletic commissions, it’s impossible to imagine a competition of
this nature. Braga serves as the protagonist of this story.
“That was truly crazy,” he said. “I had to have knee surgery to
travel because I had torn a ligament a few days before the event.
When I arrived in Belem, the other seven fighters in the tournament
held a meeting to suggest a contract change with the promoter.
Instead of $10,000 for the champion, they wanted $8,000 for the
champion and $2,000 for the runner-up. I insisted that I was there
for the all or nothing, and since everyone had signed the contract,
there was no change.”
Braga opened the tournament against Nonato, who dropped him early
in their fight. He followed with a barrage of punches and knocked
Braga out of the ring. “I woke up when I hit the ground,” Braga
said. “I took advantage of the electric and TV cables around the
ring, which wrapped around me, and recovered.” Braga returned to
the ring and knocked out Nonato with a series of punches and knees.
In the second match, Braga squared off with Vieira in the longest
and bloodiest bout of the tournament. Braga held the upper hand,
standing and on the ground, and emerged victorious via
decision.
On the other side of the bracket, “Rei Zulu” used the experience he
had gathered over 400 fights to dominate Amaro da Costa on the
ground. He then took on Fontenelle in the semifinals. The
David-versus-Goliath classic between “Rei Zulu” and Fontinelle
energized the crowd. The 160-pound Fontinelle withstood the
advances of the 231-pound Martins by using his speed. As usual,
“Rei Zulu” drew laughs from the crowd by making faces while he
sought to corner his opponent. Fontinelle kept him off-balance with
powerful low kicks but wandered too close to the heavyweight during
one of their exchanges. “Rei Zulu” trapped him in a guillotine
choke for the submission.
‘Lord, I Can’t Feel My Knee Anymore’
During the intermission, I went to a bathroom that was being used
as a locker room and came across a scene I will never forget. Under
the shower, Braga, just minutes away from returning to the ring for
the third time, prayed aloud: “Lord, I can’t feel my knee anymore.
I can’t see properly. I have no physical strength left. Help me win
this fight as quickly as possible.” I left the bathroom in silence,
having heard that mantra repeated a few more times, and positioned
myself at the edge of the ring. A few minutes later, the event
announcer called in the two fighters for the final.
“Zulu took the easier side of the bracket and didn’t wear himself
out, while I fought two 39-minute battles,” Braga said. “He knew I
was dead and started by trying a takedown. I defended with the last
of my strength and surprised him with a straight left. Zulu felt
it, and I flew with a well-placed knee. When he fell and James Adler
stepped in declaring the technical knockout, I looked at the timer,
which showed one minute. I’ll never forget that scene.”
When the report on Freestyle de Belem 2 was published in the
Japanese magazine Kakutougi Tsushin, Japanese businessmen quickly
contacted Joao
Alberto Barreto to gauge Martins’ interest in competing there.
He had already fought Rickson
Gracie on two previous occasions. Eight months later, “Rei
Zulu” was flown to Japan to face Enson Inoue in
Shooto. He
lost by technical knockout in just 45 seconds. “Rei Zulu” continued
to fight until 2008, when he retired at the age of 66. Today,
Martins, now 83, is confined to a wheelchair due to hip problems
and lives in a poor neighborhood in Maranhao State. A legend of his
stature—he faced some of the greatest names across four generations
and traveled to every corner of Brazil while accepting challenges
for 50-plus years—deserves a better fate.
Following his victory in Belem, Braga went on to battle Kevin
Randleman in the Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 6 tournament and
Dan
Severn at International Vale Tudo Championship 1. He later
competed in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship and
Pride Fighting Championships while also participating in two
superfights under K-1 rules. Braga retired in 2004 after a Jungle
Fight loss to a young Fabricio
Werdum, a man who would capture the undisputed UFC heavyweight
championship 11 years later.
Fontinelle, the other standout performer at Freestyle de Belem 2,
continued to generate plenty of buzz at national events. In
subsequent years, he fought in IVC tournaments and even tested
himself against Anderson
Silva at Meca World Vale Tudo 4 in 2000.
