Issue 066
September 2010
28
Chris Lytle made his Octagon debut on UFC 28, way back on November 17, 2000…
17
Lytle has now fought for the promotion 17 times and amassed a record of 8-9, but his win over Matt Brown sees him string together his first three-fight win streak with the UFC.
100
Number of strikes thrown by Shane Carwin in the first round of his heavyweight scrap with Brock Lesnar. Carwin bloodied Lesnar but couldn’t put him away.
4
Number of strikes Carwin threw in round two. Lesnar took him to the canvas and forced a tap, due to an arm triangle, to become the undisputed heavyweight champ.
14
Number of guys with the first name ‘Chris’ on the UFC 116 card. Chris Tuchscherer suffered a TKO loss to Brendan Schaub, but Chris Lytle and Chris Leben had much more success. Lytle scored an armbar over Matt Brown, and Leben finished Yoshihiro Akiyama with a triangle with just seconds remaining in round three. ‘Chris’ is originally a Greek name and means ‘bearer of Christ’.
100K
It turned out to be a busy and very productive stretch for Leben. He collected $100,000 in bonus money for his efforts – $25,000 for ‘Knockout of the Night’ against Simpson, and $75,000 for Fight of the Night with Akiyama.
4
A total of four men earned ‘Fight of the Night’ honors at UFC 116. Stephan Bonnar and Krzysztof Soszynski joined Leben and Akiyama in cashing in on ‘Fight of the Night.’ Bonnar scored the TKO of Soszynski to earn revenge in the rematch. Both bouts were certainly deserving.
The Highs and Lows of Kazushi Sakuraba
Possessing formidable stature among Japanese fight fans, the man once known as ‘The Gracie Hunter’ has seen peaks and troughs that often appear more myth than reality. In his time he has carried the pride of a nation and represents more than any fighter the resilience of the Japanese spirit.
1996
After a career as a pro wrestler, Sakuraba gets choked out in his MMA debut at the age of 27 against the then-fearsome Kimo Leopoldo.
1997
Enters the UFC Ultimate Japan tournament 20lb under the weight threshold, yet is crowned the winner. Was almost eliminated from the event after a bad call in his opening match.
1999
Notches up wins over Vitor Belfort and Ebenezer Fontes Braga. Caps the year by submitting Royler Gracie with a kimura, the same hold that famously defeated Royler’s father Helio in 1951.
May 2000
Advances via forfeit in the first Pride Grand Prix to face Royce Gracie. They fight for 90 minutes until Royce’s corner throw in the towel due to exhaustion and damage from leg kicks.
Late 2000
Defeats both Renzo and Ryan Gracie to cement his position as ‘The Gracie Hunter’.
2001
Loses to Wanderlei Silva at Pride 13. Four months later he endures the slams of ‘Rampage’ Jackson to score a win, but drops a rematch with Silva at Pride 17.
2003
Suffers a clean knockout at the hands of Wanderlei Silva in the opening round of the Pride 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix.
2006
Makes a shock defection to Pride’s rival promotion, K-1 HERO’s. Accuses Yoshihiro 'Sexyama' Akiyama of greasing after losing to the judoka. The result is later overturned to a no contest.
June 2007
Rematches Royce Gracie at K-1 HERO’S Dynamite!! USA and loses a unanimous decision, his first loss to a Gracie. Royce later tested positive for anabolic steroids.
December 2007
Fights fellow Japanese legend, former pro wrestler and co-founder of Pancrase, Masakatsu Funaki. Wins via kimura.
2008
Drops a unanimous decision to highly regarded professional wrestler and MMA fighter Kiyoshi Tamura (who also has wins over Jeremy Horn and Renzo Gracie).
2010
Loses to Ralek Gracie at Dream 14, The Gracie Hunter’s second loss to the BJJ dynasty.
