The midgar Zolom is not meant to be fought before the caves. Theory: The designers of the game didn't want some1 to somehow defeat the Midgar Zolom and get a crap load of exp because that would drastically throw off the game for QUITE a while. I never beat him I just got the chocbo, ran across, and saw the huge dead one. You shouldn't try to beat him for leveling just for personal pride. Also THIS IS NOT A SPOILER!! Thanks.