Within the annals of fight sports activities historical past, few bouts stand out just like the tremendous heavyweight spectacle that was Eric “Butterbean” Esch versus Zuluzinho at PRIDE 34. Dubbed “The 750-Pound Struggle” (although, in actuality, it was nearer to 800 kilos), this conflict of titans in April 2007 was it was a seismic occasion that physicists would research for generations.
Butterbean vs. Zuluzinho
On one facet, you had Butterbean, the 5’11”, 350-pound striker, recognized for his no-nonsense knockouts and distinctive look. His signature bald head and immense spherical body made him inconceivable to overlook. He seemed like an American Physician Eggman. With 77 wins in skilled boxing, 58 of these by knockout, Butterbean was a strolling wrecking ball.
On the opposite facet loomed Zuluzinho, a colossus at 6’7″ and tipping the scales at a jaw-dropping 407 kilos. Along with his large dimension, he was an intimidating determine who, not less than on paper, appeared like an immovable object. For Japanese audiences of the Kakutogi-boom period, giants reminiscent of Bob Sapp and Hongman Choi have been just too small. They solely whet the urge for food. These audiences begged for one thing larger. And Zuluzinho was the reply to their big combat cravings.
PRIDE 34
Followers tuned in for one easy cause: they wished to see what would occur when 800 kilos of human flesh collided. Would the ring survive? Would gravity surrender? Would Butterbean, for the primary time in his profession, look small?
The solutions got here rapidly, which was a shock given the dimensions. Regardless of their reputations for flattening opponents with fists the dimensions of dinner plates, the combat took an sudden flip. Butterbean, the person as soon as described as “a bowling ball with arms,” determined to skip his knockout energy and go for a takedown. Sure, you learn that proper. Butterbean—recognized for sending individuals to dreamland with haymakers—took the combat to the bottom like a seasoned grappler. A Ryan Corridor with some muscle, when you may think about.
If that wasn’t stunning sufficient, the true shock got here moments later when Butterbean locked in an Americana submission on Zuluzinho, forcing the Brazilian big to faucet out. The group, and possibly the planet itself, shook with disbelief. This wasn’t alleged to occur. Butterbean? Grappling? Is there even a black belt lengthy sufficient for his body?
Physicists should be scratching their heads over the Butterbean-Zuluzinho combat, a bout that appeared to defy the legal guidelines of nature. When two objects of this magnitude collide the formation of a black gap ought to happen. As a substitute, what we obtained was Butterbean, the human wrecking ball, channeling his interior astrophysicist and Gracie by utilizing leverage and torque to topple a person who may simply double as a celestial object.
For Zuluzinho, it was a tough night time. Shedding to a person half a foot shorter and finest recognized for punching Johnny Knoxville wasn’t precisely the spotlight of his profession. However for us normal-sized mortals, it was fairly enjoyable.
