Kazushi Sakuraba

Sakuraba is the one of the greatest (but certainly most popular) Japanese fighters of all-time. His matches with the Gracies, Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop were enormous events in Japan. The former pro wrestler with the cauliflower ears, bandaged-up knees and childlike sense of fun is also one of the most entertaining and inventive fighters in history. His record of 19-9-1 may be ordinary, but he was practically untouchable from 1998 through to 2000. Sadly, chronic knee injuries and too many beatings at the hands of bigger fighters such as Silva, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona have destroyed his body, and although he remains a huge star the ‘IQ Wrestler’ really should have retired in 2003. A recent jump to K-1 Hero’s indicates he plans to carry on fighting for a few more years.

Renzo Gracie

Currently coaching the Pitbulls team in the new IFL (International Fight League), the charismatic New York-based Gracie was long considered the best all-round fighter of the family. A veteran of RINGS and PRIDE, Gracie has defeated fighters like Oleg Taktarov, Sanae Kikuta and Maurice Smith, while losing to the likes of Kiyoshi Tamura, Dan Henderson, Carlos Newton and BJ Penn. The 39-year-old has fought only sparingly in the last five years but is set for a comeback in September against fellow IFL coach and MMA legend Pat Miletich. His official MMA record currently stands at 10-6-1.

History and symbolism

This was more than just a fight. Sakuraba’s third showdown with a Gracie was a true classic, and the gravity of the encounter made it all the more appealing. It came less than four months after Sakuraba’s astounding 90-minute epic with Royce Gracie (where older brother Rorion had thrown in the towel for the battered and exhausted Brazilian). It was also some nine months after Sakuraba’s somewhat controversial victory over another of Helio’s sons, a fight that ended with Royler Gracie completely trapped in a kimura armlock and the referee (who technically had no authority to do so) stopping the fight for the stubborn Brazilian’s own safety.

Beating a Gracie with a kimura was a hugely symbolic act in itself. Japanese Judo legend Masahiko Kimura had faced Helio Gracie in a submission match in 1951. Dominating the fight, Kimura finished Gracie off with the hold now named after him by breaking Helio’s arm and forcing him to retire. History-conscious Japanese fans were well aware of the story, and over 35,000 of them packed suburban Tokyo’s Seibu Dome to see their hero face Renzo Gracie over 2 x 10 minutes, with a single 5-minute overtime if needed. As if this wasn’t significant enough, Ryan Gracie had just minutes earlier completely destroyed Japanese pro wrestler Tokimitsu Ishizawa with a spectacular barrage of punches. Sakuraba ‘the Gracie Hunter’ would, in Japanese fans eyes, be seeking revenge for the art of pro wrestling.

Round one

Things began slowly, with both men very respectful and wary of each other’s skills. The bigger Sakuraba spent most of the standing exchanges in a southpaw stance with his hands held low. They both missed some kicks and clinched quickly. Gracie landed a knee to the body before an impassive Sakuraba neatly took him down. Firing off some dangerous upkicks from his back, Gracie kept Sakuraba at bay before scrambling back to his feet. Gracie landed some low kicks whole Sakuraba charged forward, swinging with clumsy punches.

The first sign of Sakuraba magic came as he almost gently reversed a Gracie takedown attempt into a double-leg of his own. Standing over the Brazilian, he whipped in some heavy kicks to the thigh and shins, the crowd cheering with each one. Back on his feet, Gracie blocked a high kick, scored with a low kick/right-hand combination and went for a takedown that Sakuraba easily blocked. Halfway through the round the action slowed as Gracie stalked Sakuraba but neither actually did much.

The occasional low kick and a few messy punches was the extent of things until Gracie moved in for a clinch and then just held on. For well over a minute Gracie hugged his opponent while Sakuraba simply stood there, leaning slightly on the ropes. Eventually the referee separated them. Things livened up a little with the restart as they swapped low kicks and Sakuraba faked his dreaded Mongolian chop to the head and landed a couple of low kicks. Gracie cuffed him with a right hand just before the bell to end a tense and extremely close round.

Round 2

Gracie started aggressively and charged in with punches, but Sakuraba simply ducked low and scored with a beautifully-timed turning double-leg takedown. With Gracie on his back, Sakuraba stood and faked one of his trademark jumping stomps- grabbing Gracie’s foot, Sakuraba slipped a fast upkick and punished Gracie with a brutal kick to the thigh. An attempted cartwheel guard pass by the ever-inventive Japanese star drew a big cheer from the crowd and showed how comfortable Sakuraba was in the contest. The two went from standing to the mat a number of times, with Sakuraba dictating where the action would take place. Renzo was forced to play defensively on the ground, so Sakuraba broke free and stood back up with less than five minutes left in a fight that looked destined for overtime.

He grabbed Gracie’s foot and started spinning him round in a circle on the mat, seemingly just for his own amusement, yet all part of the Saku sideshow. Scrambling to his feet, Gracie managed to score in the resulting exchange, but Sakuraba got yet another takedown by ducking underneath a wild punch. In a nice display of technique, Gracie used his legs and an ankle pick to trip Sakuraba and take his back. The clock ticked away close to the end of the round, and with time fast running out, Sakuraba pulled a blinder out of his bag of tricks.

The finish

They scrambled to their feet and Sakuraba, with his head poking through the ropes, had both hands on Gracie’s left wrist. Sakuraba had spent considerable time in this position during his fight with Royce, but there was less than a minute left in the round and with Gracie defending well by locking his hands tightly, it seemed just a matter of waiting things out.

Sakuraba had other ideas. He forced Gracie’s hands apart and with a figure-four lock clamped on Gracie’s left arm, he yanked on the arm and spun him completely around, setting up the fateful kimura lock. The spin ended with Sakuraba dumping Gracie to the mat and landing in side control. From there he quickly locked on the submission, forcing Gracie’s left arm into a grotesque position. With less than twenty seconds to go Gracie had no intention of submitting, but with his elbow completely dislocated, the referee rightly stopped the match. With only seventeen seconds left before the final bell, it was an unforgettably dramatic finish, possibly one of the greatest in MMA history. It sealed Sakuraba’s legendary status- he had defeated three Gracies in a row, two of those with submission holds. The fighter-cum-entertainer had done the impossible, and his achievements will never be forgotten.

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