400-Pound Fighter Zuluzinho Hilariously Celebrates Victory Too Early And Ends Up Losing MMA Bout

Conor McGregor's teenage super-fans probably won't have a clue who this bloke is.

But for us mixed martial arts purists, Zuluzinho is somewhat of a cult figure and a true pioneer of the sport - well, sort of.

The 6-foot-6-inch 400-pound man mountain is remembered most for his stint in PRIDE FC during the mid-2000s.

Granted, his time with the Japanese promotion wasn't exactly successful but it was certainly entertaining.

And now the big fella is back on the MMA circuit following a two-year absence - and his comeback went just how you'd imagine it.

42-year-old Zuluzinho was taking on Yusup Shuaev at an AMC Fight Nights event in Sochi, Russia.

The first round was a back-and-fourth encounter with both men exchanging some heavy blows.

But in the dying embers of the round, Zuluzinho dropped Shuaev was a perfectly-timed overhand right.

The Russian heavyweight, who looked tiny in comparison to his towering opponent, clattered to the canvas.

Thinking on his feet and clearly looking to finish the fight, Zuluzinho jumped on top of Shuaev and continued delivering some devastating ground and pound.

As the bell to end the round sounded, the referee wasted no time in jumping in and pulling Zuluzinho off of Shuaev.

But there was some confusion.

Clearly thinking he'd won the bout by TKO, Zuluzinho rose from the mat and wheeled away in celebration with his hands punching the air.

Grinning from ear to ear, he even collapsed to the canvas in sheer joy.

But that joy was very short-lived.

Zuluzinho was quickly informed by the officials that the reason the referee had stepped in was because it was the end of the round - not to call an end to the fight.

Whether this was a simple case of not hearing the bell, or even a language barrier, who knows?

But either way, Zuluzinho was forced to return to his corner and do battle once again.

And, of course, you can probably guess what happened next.

Yep, he ended up losing the fight in a majority decision.

Absolutely brutal, right?

But upon seeing the entire replay of the bout, you can argue that Zuluzinho was actually unlucky and was definitely the aggressor throughout the entire bout.

Fair play to him though, he's still knocking about at the ripe old age of 42.

And it's safe to say Zuluzinho is the same entertainer he was when he fought the likes of Fedor Emelianenko and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira over a decade ago.

Legendary stuff.

Topics: UFC, Australia, MMA, Russia

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry