MMA Roots: When Ebenezer Fontes Braga Stole the Show

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.