Legendary Japanese fighter, Kazushi Sakuraba, is a very familiar name to most hardcore fans, but there are many new fans that may have never seen the former Pride star grapple his way to the top of the sport several years ago, and many fighters today still talk about the "Gracie Hunter" and his fights.Two of the fighters who proudly claim Sakuraba as their favorite are WEC featherweight, Urijah Faber, and UFC fighter, Stephan Bonnar, who both mentioned the Japanese fighter when speaking to fans at a recent Q&A session.
"I would say past or present, favorite fighter for me is Sakuraba," Faber said when asked who his favorite fighter was. "If you watch the guy, first off he's a wrestler, a top level wrestler, but he really has a great attitude out there. He's always out in front, really, really creative, and he's been in one of the most inspiring fights that I've ever seen."
The fight that Faber referenced was Sakuraba's last fight against Zelg Galesic, in which he pulled off a kneebar after suffering damage throughout the fight. Faber also mentioned Sakuraba's historic 2000 no-time limit win over Royce Gracie as a favorite performance.
Stephan Bonnar went one step further when paying tribute to the former Pride star.
"I love that guy, I even named my cat after him," said Bonnar.
The ageless Sakuraba continues to come up in conversations when fighters mention who they admire most, and for anyone that isn't sure about how good he really is, go back and watch his 2000 fight against Renzo Gracie, but don't expect to hold down your lunch when you see the finish.
14 comments:
I remember the first time he mixed it up with "The Ax Murderer", it was at the height of Sakuraba's Pride days. He had pretty demolished the entire Gracie family by that time and was the #1 Middleweight in the world in most circles with what little MMA media coverage there was in the US back then. Vanderlei crushed him that night and launched himself in legendary status with the victory. Saku was never really the same after that IMO ... he was a great fighter in his day and I will always be a fan of his. The epic bout at the first grand prix with Royce in 2000 was in a word ... insane. To top it off, after going six full 15 minute rounds (yes 15 minute) he came back later in the night to fight Igor Vovchanchyn, a freakin' heavyweight (ranked in the top 5 at the time!) for another 10 minutes before finally being stopped by a much bigger, stronger man. He proved his metal that night for sure. True legend of the sport! I'm sure many new fans have no idea who the guy is, but he actually competed in the UFC back in the late 90's when the promotion did the first ever Ultimate Japan.
Sak made his name beating up the Gracies but now we know that the gracies suck so where does that leave Sak's legacy? In hindsight, being a "gracie killer" is kind of like being a "kitten killer."
@ anonymous.
There are always fan's like you who get things confused. These guys paved the way. Is it fair to say that Matt Hughes sucks because he got beat up by GSP, Thiago etc? Nope... because he demolished a lot of fighters when he was in his prime... Every top fighter has an era. And who are you to say that the gracies suck? These guys where top ranked. So according to your theory the whole mma game sucked back then. That's bull.
One of the best Technicians of all time
Well put Masta. I get sick of people bashing fighters who put mma on the map. You think so low of the Gracies? Then f*** off and watch the WWE where having s*** for brains is a key tool.
Its too bad Tito was the poster boy for the UFC for so long, Otherwise I dont think fights these days would consist of constant trash talk.
Also too bad Lesnar had to bring his WWE personality with him. Kinda looked like a nut when he beat Mir. If lesnar wants people to think he wasnt shooting roids he should of thought about acting like a retard. Sorry but wasnt lesnar in wrestling about the same time when that guy from WWE went nuts and killed his wife and kids? and tell me if im wrong but isnt every turd in WWE on the juice? like cmon take one look at the guys and tell me they dont look juiced up. Anyone past the age of 12 that watches WWE has serious issues if he/she thinks its "entertainment" Most the kids you see these days that watch that garbage are fat overweight lazy slobs.
Thats my rant for the year
To Anonymous who said that the Gracies suck, you obviously don't know much about MMA do you? For the record, Sakuraba didn't only beat the Gracies, but a whole slew of other good fighters, including Rampage, Randleman, Vernon White, Vitor, Mezger, Smirnovas, and Funaki. He also fought close fights with Rogerio Nogueira and Igor. His legend is not just because of who he fought or beat, but because of the fact that he fought anyone no matter how much bigger they were, or skilled, and always held his ground. If Saku had stayed in the 185 lb division his whole career, he would probably have lost very few, and be remembered as one of the greatest middleweights of all time.
The guy is great in way that his win/loss record will never show.
A brilliant technician coupled with a big heart and a real affable personality that came through in his fights.
His performances spoke to people all over the world who don't speak a lick of Japanese. The man is a genius and I lament that there will never be anyone else like him
Saku is a legend period. Anyone that never watched him live is a fucking noob. I repeat...a noob.
Saku was my favorite fighter. And I don't think I never really had a favorite fighter outside of that. CC and Fedor were pretty cool. But I just didn't get that vibe from them. When Saku beat Rampage and Randleman I was freaking amazed.
Cain and JDS are the shit now..but I am too old now to be a fan.
I dunno...no one captivated me as much as saku in MMA.
really, you're gonna get on this thread to bash Lesnar and the WWE? first of all, when Chris Benoit killed his wife, son, and self, Lesnar was long gone...and to even put Lesnar in the same sentence with that statement is very disrespectful...and no, not every pro wrestler is on steroids, they work out, you should try it sometime, tubby.......fuck you hater
Now, back to the topic at hand...Sakuraba is one of the most exiting mma fighters of all time, and it is nice to see guys from the "newer generation" acknowledging him...it would be easy for them to say his style is old or whatever, but they don't, they seem to know who paved the way for them to have an profitable career in fighting...
and to hate on the Gracies is just ridiculous...yeah, their latest project wasn't ready for the UFC...in the early days, Gracie proved that you don't have to be huge, or have dynamic striking to win a fight, just rip the guys F'ing arm off!!!! Props to Sakuraba for solving the puzzle
Sakuraba will be my favorite fighter until the day I die.
Seeing him compete in his prime was a great honor.
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