In 1988, promoters tried to put together an anticipated fight between Rickson and luta livre exponent Marco Ruas. In November of the same year, Zulu defeated kickboxing champion Sérgio "Rock" Batarelli in another fight, which was the condition to host another match against Rickson, but it never happened. In any case, Rickson won again, submitting his opponent with another choke in the second round. Gracie also claimed Zulu was oiled up with vaseline in order to impede his grip. During the match, held in the Maracanazinho before an audience of 20,000 spectators, Zulu himself fouled by trying to eye-gouge Gracie, while Gracie himself gave Zulu a low blow later into the fight. According to Zulu, the Gracie family demanded the rules to be changed just one hour before the event, banning closed-fisted strikes, direct punches to the face, and kicks to a downed opponent. In 1984, Zulu requested a rematch in Rio de Janeiro, which became a controversial affair. Despite his disadvantages, Gracie won the match at the third round by submitting Zulu with a rear naked choke, gaining immediate national recognition.
Rei Zulu was not a qualified martial artist, having only a background in a supposedly indigenous wrestling style named tarracá, but he weighed 230 pounds (104 kg) and had experience in the vale tudo circuit, being supposedly 270–0 at the time. Matches against Rei Zulu Īt 19, Gracie was pitted in a high-profile fight in Brasilia against famous Brazilian professional wrestler and fighter Casemiro "Rei Zulu" Nascimento Martins (father of Zuluzinho). Rickson Gracie, son of Helio Gracie, received his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at age 18.
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