Zilla Fatu is Umaga's son. Also a member of dynasty samana Fatus. He is a cousin of Roman Reigns or The Rock. What is all this for the young fighter? Next, we review some of the most interesting statements he gave in his recent interview with Chris van Vliet in Insight.
► In the words of Zilla Fatu
About the memories of his father Umaga
«Eating everything (laughs) and telling me: 'Son, can you go to grab that food from there?' But yes, what I remember is that he ate everything, and that It was like a big teddy bear. Because I know everyone thinks that, because of their character, it would be conceited, arrogant or simply bad, but my dad was the opposite. My dad was very affectionate, attentive, and obviously very family oriented. He was the glue that kept us united.»
About his favorite memory
«It was for American football. I played in a children's team, and one day, I didn't know that he was going to the game, and I was surprised. I remember that just before the game I was stretching and said: 'Hey, son, I have a proposal for you'. I asked him: 'What's up, dad?' And he said: 'Look, for every touchdown you write down, I give you 20 dollars'. I said: 'Really?' He said: 'Yes, I take care.' I remember that after the game I had scored five touchdowns in total. As soon as I saw him after the game, he already came with the money and gave it to me. But that was not the most surprising. Then he brought t -shirts, signed photos of 8 × 10 for the team, and showed a lot of love. I was signing autographs, taking photos with my friends. They knew who he was, they had seen him on television, but they had never met him in person, so when they saw him there they enjoyed him a lot. And I, being a child, have my friends telling me: 'Is that your dad?', I felt overwhelmed and super excited. It was something that reached me to the heart, I was so happy. And I remember that after that, everyone at school talked about the subject, and that made me feel very good. “
About following the footsteps of his father
«I think, obviously, when I returned home from prison, I had my back against the wall. Growing up, our family always told us to do something else. Wrestling was always going to be an option, but we tried something different. Besides, My dad used to tell us every Thursday, in family gatherings: 'I don't want them to do this. I want them to be better than me. I don't want them to go through what I went through. I don't want them to put their body at risk, I want them to do something safer '. At that time I did not understand it, but now that I am in business, I definitely understand why. There are many things that come with this and that people do not see, the media do not show it. To be able to accept it and not flee from it makes me happy. I am happy to have chosen to fight, because that brought me closer to him, and now I am knowing who my dad was through wrestling. I am very happy to have started. “
Do you feel that you are still with you?
«Oh yes. Speaking of my debut, I had said before that I had butterflies in my stomach, but everything went as soon as I crossed the curtain. In that debut, there was a moment – if they see it, they will notice – that I was not trying to imitate The Rock, but I was breathing everything, absorbing everything. And as soon as I did that, everything vanished. As I said, That day I found my purpose.»
About thinking that the fight would be easy at the beginning
«That is exactly what I thought. I said: 'Well, my dad is Umaga, it makes it look so easy, I can do it.' But after a few months of training, I definitely won respect for the trade. I realized that it was more difficult than I imagined. But thanks to the reality of Wrestling's foundation, which has a large base, they could help me with everything I needed. It's like a good village that is forming me, and still does. “
On who was a father figure after Umaga's death
«To be honest, Shelton (Benjamin). I saw him as a father figure, obviously because he was our neighbor, he lived right next to him. But I was always on the road. So there were times when I didn't see him, and I got together with the wrong people. When we moved away from him, it was a cultural shock for me, because we went from living in a good neighborhood to live in a dangerous neighborhood. And I think that transition marked me. That's when I fell into the streets, I started getting together with bad companies. One thing led to the other, and I began to do bad things, miss the school, and do what the young young people do. »
About what the surname fatu means
«It means everything. And to be honest, I don't know if you know what fatu means 'heart' in English, so everything is love. Our culture is based on love and respect. I think when I grew up I didn't see it, but I felt it. Now that I am an adult, everything makes sense. All the questions I had as a child and that had no answer, now I have them, because I have matured. I get different now. Obviously, I've been entering and leaving prison, and now it's like: 'Ok, this is me'. And it's just love, that's all. “
About the pressure of the famous surname
«Oh yes, even before my debuts. I knew there would be very high expectations, not only for my family, but for my dad. He left the bar very high. In my mind, I want to overcome that. I want to carry what my dad did to the next level. And I think that is the challenge for me now: separating Zilla Fatu from the Samoana dynasty. Today I talked to my team and I thought: 'Maybe that is not the plan. Maybe it's not separating it. Maybe it's time to accept it and represent it with pride. '»
🩸 COMING SOON…… @Chrisvanvliet pic.twitter.com/0xwYRrCkA6
– Zilla Fatu (@zilfatu) August 3, 2025
