Issue 023

March 2007

Tokyo, Japan, December 17, 2000

Frank Trigg

A brash, compact wrestler with a predictable but effective wrestling/ground ‘n pound style, Trigg has been in some memorable fights. Some poor performances in 2005 and early 2006 saw his submission defense completely absent and helped prompt his retirement. Predictably, this fierce competitor was quickly back in action and was last seen giving charismatic loon Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller an absolutely brutal soccer kicking in December 2006. A broadcaster for MMA Weekly’s radio shows and commentator for PRIDE FC, Trigg has plenty to keep him busy besides his fighting career. His MMA record currently stands at 14-5.

Hayato Sakurai

A darling of the hardcore MMA fanbase during the dark days of 1998 to 2001, the 31-year-old Sakurai is an immensely talented and experienced fighter with one of the sport’s most well-rounded skillsets. Equally comfortable on his feet or on the ground, Sakurai has a good chin, an excellent judo pedigree, precise striking, and an inventive submission game. Currently sporting a 29-7-2 record, Sakurai has beaten some excellent fighters in his 10-year career as a Shooto and more recently PRIDE Bushido regular. After battling some serious injuries he went 6-1 in 2005 and 2006, once again proving he remains an elite fighter in his weight class.  

‘Mach’ and ‘Twinkle Toes’

Trigg and Sakurai’s clash for the Japanese fighter’s middleweight belt was one of the featured matches on Shooto’s biggest show of the year, helping pull a very vocal crowd to the 7000-seater Tokyo Bay NK Hall. An entertaining scrap with a fantastic finish, Trigg and Sakurai were later given Shooto’s ‘Best Bout’ award for 2000.

A native of the Ibaraki prefecture on Japan’s eastern coast, Sakurai grew up a huge fan of Japanese pro wrestling. He even took his nickname ‘Mach’ (pronounced Ma-ha) from his favorite Puroresu performer, Mach Hayato. Growing up, young Sakurai wanted to take up the pseudo-sport and took judo classes to build his strength, skill, and athleticism. Thankfully for fight fans, he excelled at Japan’s traditional martial art and never looked back. Sakurai earned his black belt and at one point was a member of the elite Meiji University Judo Club that produced Olympic gold medallists Naoya Ogawa and Hidehiko Yoshida. With his judo base, Sakurai decided to give Shooto a try. First, he picked up an amateur title in Shootboxing, a Japanese sport that combines kickboxing with throws, but no matwork. Later, learning under Shooto legend Noboru Asahi, ‘Mach’ progressed quickly and debuted for Shooto in October 1996, armbarring another future superstar, Caol Uno.

Born Dewey Franklin Trigg in Rochester, New York in 1972, ‘Twinkle Toes’ (surely the most ludicrous nickname in MMA) was an elite wrestler at the Junior College level in Phoenix, Arizona. After graduating he moved on to the University of Oklahoma but achieved little on the mat there, mostly due to knee injuries. While unable to do much wrestling, Trigg did dabble in Tai Chi and judo. He stayed on as a coach between 1997 and 2000, while at the same time embarking on his fighting career. A talented, motivating coach, Trigg deserves plenty of credit for his part in Oklahoma’s 1999 Big 12 championship. A keen student of American porn films, Trigg is also a former contestant on horrifying VH1 ‘reality’ show, Kept Man featuring Jerry Hall.  

A stunning finish

Going into his 19th professional fight, Sakurai was still unbeaten at 16-0-2. Trigg was also undefeated, boasting (and Trigg does like to boast) an unblemished 7-0 record where he had finished every opponent inside the distance. The fight itself was never less than enjoyable but what really sets it apart is the spectacular final minute. After a shaky start, Trigg used his sheer power, efficient ground control and aggressive punching to good effect. The last minute of the first round was particularly rough for Sakurai as Trigg blasted him with left hands on the mat. Saved by the bell and his own defensive guile, Sakurai was still very dazed at the end of the round. The second started out in much the same way with the highly skilled, more experienced Sakurai quickly on his back and avoiding Trigg’s fists. A desperate scramble saw ’Mach’ regain his feet but eating a couple of big shots as he backed away. Rushing in with sheer aggression and the end in sight, Trigg left himself wide open. Even in his battered, tiring state, the wily Sakurai made him pay. Flooring Trigg with a perfect left hook bought Sakurai plenty of time as the referee began the count. Shooto rules at the time included a standard 8-count for a knockdown. Trigg lurched back to his feet but was soon flat on his face after taking a huge right knee in the corner. Again he stumbled unsteadily upwards to beat the count but blundered straight into another crushing knee to the face that ended things in dramatic and emphatic style.

Two rocky roads

Sakurai’s tremendous 20-fight unbeaten streak from 1996 to 2001 earned him a worldwide following among hardcore fans. Already very popular in Japan, fans everywhere were impressed with his precise striking and excellent grappling skills. Current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva ended that winning run in August 2001 and since then Sakurai has, by his own high standards, struggled. His North American debut went badly as, fighting for the first time in a cage (and against his doctor’s orders) the bigger and stronger Matt Hughes manhandled him at UFC 36. The reason for his doctor’s objections? A pair of car crashes in the space of a fortnight just weeks before the match.  

Since then Sakurai has fought exclusively in Japan, often having to battle injuries with two broken orbital sockets, chronic back problems, and a serious ankle injury all plaguing him. A Pride: Bushido regular since early 2004, Sakurai struggled against bigger men until a 2005 renaissance that saw him turn back the clock with a string of excellent wins. His only loss that year came in a mini-thriller on New Year’s Eve where that ankle injury left him barely mobile and unable to avoid Takanori Gomi’s brutal two-fisted assault. A pair of stoppage wins in 2006 indicate that despite his injury problems, the 10-year-veteran remains one of the sport’s best at his weight.

Nothing like as active as Sakurai, Trigg left Japan and has yet to return there as a fighter. A few wins on home soil earned him a surprising UFC welterweight title shot against Matt Hughes. Few people can boast of outwrestling Hughes, if only for a brief period, or of almost bashing him to defeat with his fists. Yet that’s what Trigg did in their bouts at UFCs 45 and 52. True, he lost both by rear naked choke and was completely dismantled at UFC 54 by Georges St. Pierre, again losing with the same choke.  

An unimpressive decision win over Ronald Jhun in Hawaii led to a shocking 72-second triangle choke loss to the much lighter Carlos Condit three months later, but his absolute smashing of ‘Mayhem’ Miller does seem to indicate Trigg has some more punishment to dish out before he retires for real.