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Kazushi Sakuraba Career DVDs
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Kazushi "The Gracie Hunter" Sakuraba
vs.
Vernon White
Carlos Newton
Allen Goes
Vitor Bilfort
Ebenezer
Fontes Braga
Royler Gracie
Igor Vovchanchyn
Renzo Gracie
Guy Mezger
Ryan Gracie
Royce Gracie
Wanderlei Silva I
Anthony Macias
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Wanderlei Silva II
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
Gils Arsene
Elvis Scembri I
Wanderlei Silva III
Shannon Ritch
Elvis Schembri II
Kevin Randleman
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Yoon Don Sik
Ricardo Arona
Ken Shamrock
Ikuhisa Menowa
vs.
Vernon White
Carlos Newton
Allen Goes
Vitor Bilfort
Ebenezer
Fontes Braga
Royler Gracie
Igor Vovchanchyn
Renzo Gracie
Guy Mezger
Ryan Gracie
Royce Gracie
Wanderlei Silva I
Anthony Macias
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Wanderlei Silva II
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
Gils Arsene
Elvis Scembri I
Wanderlei Silva III
Shannon Ritch
Elvis Schembri II
Kevin Randleman
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Yoon Don Sik
Ricardo Arona
Ken Shamrock
Ikuhisa Menowa
Kazushi Sakuraba (Japanese: 桜庭和志, Sakuraba Kazushi, born July 14, 1968 in present-day Katagami, Akita,
Japan) is a Japanese professional mixed martial arts competitor and professional wrestler. He has competed
for UWFi, Kingdom Pro Wrestling, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, PRIDE Fighting Championships, K-1
HERO'S and DREAM. He has the distinction of competing in the longest mixed martial arts bout on record,
having beaten Royce Gracie in a 90-minute bout in 2000.
In Japan, he is known as "The IQ Wrestler", for his brilliance in the arts of catch wrestling and freestyle
wrestling, as well as for his overall cerebral approach to fighting. He is also known as "Saku", which is
frequently represented by the number "39" (the Japanese pronunciation of 3 being "san" and 9 "ku"). In the
West, he is often referred to as the "Gracie Hunter," due to his victories over the famed Gracie family of
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners. He also holds notable wins over Vitor Belfort, Quinton Jackson, Guy Mezger,
Kevin Randleman, and Ken Shamrock.
[edit] Early years
Sakuraba wrestled for Chuo University, where he won the East Japan Freshman championship in his first
year and served as their team captain thereafter. In his senior year, he finished fourth place in the All-Japan
tournament.[1]
[edit] Professional wrestling
Upon graduating from the university, Sakuraba had initially thought to remain with Chuo University as a
coach. However, at the last minute he decided to pursue a career as a professional wrestler. According to
Sakuraba, the impetus for this stemmed from a childhood dream of one day emulating Tiger Mask, a famous
Japanese cartoon hero and real-life professional wrestler. [2]
[edit] UWFi years
After considering the shoot wrestling organization Pancrase, he ultimately chose the UWFi, a professional
wrestling league that was nonetheless known for its highly technical and realistic-looking bouts. His time in
the UWFI would prove to be a formative experience for Sakuraba; it was there under the tutelage of Billy
Robinson and Lou Thesz that he received his initial instruction in catch wrestling. It is catch wrestling that
would serve as the base of the unorthodox ground-game that would later lead him to success in the PRIDE
Fighting Championships. [3]
In spite of his amateur pedigree, Sakuraba was forced to work his way up from the bottom of the UWFi's
rung. Sakuraba lost his debut in 1993 to Steve Nelson and went winless through his rookie year with the
league. It is also popularly alleged that under the eye of Kiyoshi Tamura, he was made to perform menial
chores about the dojo.[4] Nonetheless undeterred, Sakuraba steadily built a working knowledge of
submission holds upon his freestyle wrestling base until his efforts were at last rewarded with a win over
Mark Silver in October of 1994.
Though his record remained below .500, Sakuraba continued to edge his way closer to mid-card status
through the rest of the year. Then, in 1995, the UWFi began an interpromotional feud with New Japan Pro
Wrestling. The vast majority of UWFi workers came out on the losing end of the booking to the larger and
more mainstream promotion and Sakuraba was no exception. He was defeated in high-profile bouts to
Tokimitsu Ishizawa, Koji Kanemoto and Shinjiro Otani, bringing Sakuraba a new level of exposure to the
public. The ring psychology and technical prowess he displayed in the bouts also impressed the management
of the UWFi enough that he was finally pushed towards main event status.
New Japan's dominance in the feud injured the marketability of the UWFi promotion, which had pressed the
perception that their athletes boasted legitimate skill in catch wrestling and kickboxing. In a bid to regain
credibility, Yoji Anjoh travelled to California to challenge Rickson Gracie in the latter's own dojo, only to be
swiftly and brutally defeated before the assembled Japanese press that had followed him there. With the
UWFi's formerly fearsome reputation in tatters, its attendance numbers swiftly decreased, with the
federation closing its doors once and for all in December of 1996. In their final show it was Sakuraba who at
long last headlined, defeating Yoji Anjoh by submission.
[edit] Kingdom Pro Wrestling
Following the close of the UWFi, Nobuhiko Takada, the most popular of the UWFi workers amongst the
mainstream public founded Kingdom Pro Wrestling, taking in Sakuraba and the majority of his fellow UWFi
alumni. In the vein of its predecessor, Kingdom was primarily a league devoted to realistic-looking works.
Having by now established his ability, Sakuraba was this time booked as a main-eventer from the outset.
However, unlike the UWFi, Kingdom struggled from the beginning to draw substantial crowds. Mixed martial
arts was growing in popularity, and the dominance of the Gracie family and their fellow Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
practitioners over the field and more specifically over professional wrestlers, left the Japanese public ever
more unconvinced as to the fighting ability of Kingdom's stable of athletes.
[edit] Ultimate Fighting Championship
In an attempt to gain attention for the embattled Kingdom Pro Wrestling league, Hiromitsu Kanehara and Yoji
Anjoh signed on to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Ultimate Japan tournament. Kanehara
was injured in his training for the tournament, and Sakuraba wound up as his late hour substitute. The
tournament was intended for heavyweights, and Sakuraba, at 183 pounds, was nearly twenty pounds beneath
the UFC's 200 pound designation for the weight class. Reporting himself as 203 pounds in order to gain entry,
Sakuraba was paired off against the 243 pound Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blackbelt and former Extreme Fighting
champion, Marcus Silveira.
Following a barrage of blows by Silveira, Sakuraba dropped for a low single leg, only for the fight to be
prematurely ended on a KO. Referee John McCarthy had mistakenly thought Sakuraba to have been knocked
down. A loud protest followed from the crowd and an angry Sakuraba attempted unsuccessfully to take the
microphone and address the Japanese audience. However, after reviewing tape, McCarthy changed his
decision to a no-contest. Tank Abbott, who had earlier defeated Yoji Anjoh, dropped from the tournament
due to an injured hand, leaving Sakuraba and Silveira to face off once more that night in what would be the
championship bout of the tourney. This time, Sakuraba claimed the victory, submitting Silveira with an
armbar. Afterwards, Sakuraba famously stated, "In fact, professional wrestling is strong". With the victory
Sakuraba remains one of the last UFC tournament champions to date.
With Nobuhiko Takada having left Kingdom to challenge Rickson Gracie in a KRS promoted event called
PRIDE, the still struggling promotion capitalized on Sakuraba's newly found popularity establishing him as
Kingdom's top talent. He embarked on a winning streak against several foreign mixed martial arts
competitors including Paul Herrera, Rene Rooze, Mark Hall and Orlando Weit. However, Kingdom continued
to flounder and finally folded in March of 1998.
[edit] PRIDE Fighting Championships
Entering the PRIDE Fighting Championships on the heels of a defeat of stablemate Nobuhiko Takada at the
hands of Rickson Gracie in the organization's initial event, Sakuraba was paired off against Vernon White,
then a veteran of 32 bouts who also boasted a 20-pound weight advantage. Showcasing a balance of
wrestling and submission prowess, Sakuraba came after White with constant takedowns and unceasing
submission attempts. White held Sakuraba off for the first two sessions, but was ultimately armbarred
towards the end of the third round.
Next, Sakuraba was matched against Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Carlos Newton. Though
relatively new to mixed martial arts, Newton had recently disposed of the reigning Shooto light
heavyweight champion Erik Paulson with a swift armbar victory and already developed a reputation as a
talented grappler. Sakuraba finished the match in the second round, this time with a rolling kneebar.
Throughout the bout, both men displayed a high-level of grappling acumen, leading many fans and pundits of
mixed martial arts to label it as the definitive grappling match in the history of the sport.[citation needed]
Eager to capitalize on Sakuraba's catch wrestling prowess to reverse the perception that Japanese
professional wrestlers were inferior to Brazilian combatants (in part perpetuated by his teammates' own
defeats), Sakuraba's next three bouts were scheduled against Brazilian jiu jitsu blackbelts Vitor Belfort, Allan
Goes and Luta Livre blackbelt Ebeneezer Fontes Braga. Sakuraba, after seeming completely outclassed,
defeated Belfort by unanimous decision, drew with Goes and submitted Braga via armbar. In a trend that
would continue through Sakuraba's PRIDE career, each opponent occupied a spot near the top of the 205-
pound class at the time of their meeting with him and held a weight advantage of around 20 pounds.
[edit] The Gracie Hunter
After defeating Anthony Macias, Sakuraba was matched against Royler Gracie, who had previously conquered
Sakuraba's stablemate Yuhi Sano. It marked the largest weight advantage Sakuraba has enjoyed in his career
to date (being around 30 pounds heavier than Royler). Royler, unable to score a takedown, remained on the
ground in an effort to bait Sakuraba into a grappling-oriented contest. Eventually, with less than two minutes
remaining, Sakuraba finally engaged Royler on the ground, soon catching him in a Kimura lock. As Sakuraba
wrenched on the submission, the referee intervened with 1 minute and 44 seconds remaining on the clock,
ending the contest and awarding Sakuraba the win by TKO. Sakuraba's victory over Royler constituted the
first loss by a Gracie in professional fighting in several decades and as such, sent ripples of shock and
controversy through the mixed martial arts community. Some protested that the victory was tainted due to
the fact that Royler (although placed in a debilitating submission hold) never conceded defeat and was mere
seconds away from the final bell when the bout was stopped. It is worth noting that the last Japanese
athlete to defeat a Gracie prior to Sakuraba's win against Royler, legendary judoka Masahiko Kimura, had
used the very same maneuver Sakuraba utilized to beat Royler. That time, the recipient had been Royler's
father, Helio Gracie, who had, like Royler, also refused to submit.
While the Japanese fight media rejoiced and elevated Sakuraba to superstar status, the Gracie family took
great umbrage over the incident, feeling that they had been cheated by Pride. Compelled to set the record
straight and re-assert the dominance of his family, Royler's younger brother and former UFC champion Royce
Gracie returned to the sport of mixed martial arts in 2000 and entered the 16-Man PRIDE Grand Prix
alongside Sakuraba and several other top fighters of the era. Placed on the same side of the bracket, a
special set of rules were requested by the Gracies in the event of a Sakuraba-Royce match, including no
referee stoppages and no time-limits, the fight ending only in the event of a submission or knock-out. In his
first fight of the 2000 Pride tournament Sakuraba once again found himself matched up against a heavier
opponent, this time the well-regarded 205-pound fighter, former King of Pancrase Guy Mezger. After a
closely fought 15 minutes the judges requested an overtime round, and the fight ended in controversy when
Mezger's coach Ken Shamrock forced his fighter back to the locker room in order to protest the judges'
inability to render a decision. Sakuraba ended up winning the match by forfeit. Meanwhile, Royce defeated
Nobuhiko Takada by unanimous decision and thus set the stage for their much anticipated showdown.
In the tournament quarterfinals Royce and Sakuraba battled for an hour and a half. Sakuraba nearly ended the
match with a knee-bar towards the end of the first round. Later on, Royce returned the favor with a
guillotine choke which Sakuraba lingered in, but eventually escaped from. As the confrontation stretched on,
the Gracie's own no time-limit rules began to work against Royce as Sakuraba's wrestling skills and balance
nullified Royce's ability to score a takedown and — in some instances — even pull guard. Even Royce's ever-
present jiu-jitsu gi became a weapon for the wrestler to use against him as Sakuraba used it to help him
control Gracie on the instances the fight did come to the ground. However, with Sakuraba's control of the
takedown, these instances of ground warfare became increasingly sporadic. After the 90 minute battle of
punishing leg kicks, Royce's brother, Rorion threw in the towel.
Prior to the bout, there was speculation that the fight was largely personal, with Royce looking to avenge
his brother and Sakuraba looking to atone for his stablemate's defeats and vindicate professional wrestling
and the UWFi once and for all. However, following the stoppage, Royce and Sakuraba embraced in the ring.
Gracious in victory, Sakuraba flatteringly pointed to Royce as the superior ground-technician when
questioned as to why he didn't engage him on the ground more frequently. Exhausted from his battle with
Royce, Sakuraba surprised many when he emerged from the locker room for the tournament semi-finals. His
opponent, Igor Vovchanchyn, outweighed him by close to fifty pounds (Sakuraba had come into the bout
with Royce lighter than usual, at 176 pounds) and was considered to be the top heavyweight striker of the
day. Sakuraba surprised many by taking Vovchanchyn down and nearly finishing him with an armbar. After
the final bell, the bout was close enough that it was ruled a draw, with an overtime round to determine a
winner between them. However, fatigue and size both had worn on Sakuraba by now his corner opted to
throw in the towel.
Following the Grand Prix, Sakuraba was christened the Gracie Hunter by the Japanese sports media. Keeping
in tow with his new nick-name, Sakuraba sandwiched a swift victory via achilles lock against Shannon Ritch
between fights against brothers Renzo and Ryan Gracie. In contrast to Royler and Royce, Renzo and Ryan
were products of Carlson Gracie's approach to jiu-jitsu, which placed a stronger emphasis on combat-ready
skills and training without a gi. At the time of his bout with Sakuraba, Renzo's only loss in 10 bouts was a
closely contested decision to Sakuraba's former UWFi stablemate and rival, Kiyoshi Tamura while Maurice
Smith, Oleg Taktarov and Abu Dhabi champion Sanae Kikuta numbered amongst his victims.
Renzo's stylistic differences from his cousins were in evidence from the outset of his contest against
Sakuraba, as he pressed the pace of the bout with a variety of kicks and punches. Sakuraba responded in
kind, and the striking seemed to stalemate. Throwing his wrestling into the equation, Sakuraba timed a
number of double and single leg takedowns against Renzo's flurries from where he alternately attempted to
cartwheel past Gracie's guard, malign his legs with kicks from the standing position and even attack with a
low dropkick. However, Renzo's defensive skills from bottom nullified the entire gamut of Sakuraba's
offensive attempts until mere seconds remained in the battle and the contestants found themselves pressed
against the turnbuckle. Sakuraba locked in a kimura and spun around, flipping Renzo to the canvas even as he
wrenched his arm behind his back. Like Royler and Helio before him, Renzo refused to submit to the hold
despite his elbow being snapped prior to hitting the ground and, even as the referee waved off the contest
due to the injury, stoically showed no sign of disappointment or pain. His arm in a sling, Renzo took the
microphone and, before the 35,000 fans assembled at the Seibu Dome, stated that Sakuraba was "the
Japanese version of the Gracie family." Renzo has since referred to the bout as his proudest moment in
mixed martial arts, due to his refusal to submit in the face of injury.[5]
Ryan Gracie, who had fought on the same card and emerged victorious, issued a challenge to Sakuraba and
the two were subsequently scheduled to meet at PRIDE 12. Due to a shoulder injury, the fight was limited to
a single 10-minute round, where Ryan's spirited efforts were generally stymied and controlled by Sakuraba,
who noticeably avoided attacks on his younger opponent's injured arm.
[edit] Decline and comeback
Following the win against Ryan, Sakuraba battled Wanderlei Silva. Sakuraba knocked Wanderlei down, but
the Brazilian Muay Thai specialist recovered to TKO Sakuraba before the close of the first round. It marked
Sakuraba's second defeat in mixed martial arts and his first loss in the 205-pound division. In spite of his
substantial weight disadvantage, Sakuraba had been a heavy favorite to win. Sakuraba then shocked the
audience by giving Silva his belt entitled SAKU on it. Wanderlei then stated that he would willingly give
Sakuraba a rematch if Sakuraba wanted another match with him.
After sitting out the next PRIDE to recuperate, Sakuraba found himself across the ring with Quinton Jackson,
a former collegiate wrestler who had compiled a record of 10-1 on the American circuit. At the sound of the
bell, Sakuraba immediately took the bigger and more powerful man to the canvas with a low single-leg
takedown. However, Jackson's superior size and enormous physical strength allowed him to muscle out of
Sakuraba's submission attempts. After locking his legs about Jackson for a triangle choke, Sakuraba found
himself hefted into the air and repeatedly powerbombed to the canvas. Later, he attempted an armbar
against Jackson, only for the Tennessee native to again lift him up and this time, attempt to drop him from
the ring. His expression unchanging through the course of Jackson's assault, Sakuraba continued to flow from
one lock to another. Eventually, he took the back of a by-then exhausted Jackson and submitted him with
his first rear naked choke victory. The contest was a launchpad for Jackson's career, leading to a long-term
contract with PRIDE where he eventually became regarded as a top middleweight competitor.
It also re-established Sakuraba's proficiency in dealing with larger opponents and placed him back in line for
another shot at Wanderlei Silva in PRIDE's next event, this time to decide PRIDE's inaugural 205-pound
champion. Usually prone to humorous entrances, it was a somber and focused Sakuraba that came down the
aisle for his rematch with Silva. As with Jackson, Sakuraba was able to score an early takedown in the bout,
where he then worked from Silva's guard. After several minutes searching for an opening, he finally found
one when Silva attempted to escape to his feet. Sakuraba locked on a tight guillotine, but was countered by
a slam from Wanderlei which ended up breaking his collar bone. Not willing to let him go on so hampered,
his corner threw in the towel.
Sakuraba took time off to let his shoulder heal, then returned against heavyweight kickboxer Mirko
Filipovic. Sakuraba managed to take Filipovic down, but sustained another injury, this time a broken orbital
bone. Finally assenting to place him in competition against fighters of his own weight class, PRIDE
management put him against French jiu jitsu champion Gilles Arsene in a bout Sakuraba dominated and then
against Rickson Gracie protege, Antonio Schembri. With a win over Schembri, it was speculated that
Sakuraba might be then groomed for a championship fight in a new weight division for fighter's of his size.
However, in a massive upset, Schembri managed to stun Sakuraba with a hard knee that rendered the
Japanese grappler unable to continue.
This seemed to mark a turning point in Sakuraba's career; though he was unbeaten in his first nine PRIDE
bouts, he thereafter split his next six matches before suffering a particularly devastating loss against Ricardo
Arona at PRIDE's Middleweight Grand Prix event in June, 2005, during which his face became severely
swollen and bloody due to repeated strikes from Arona; his corner stopped the fight after the second round.
Following the win, PRIDE president Sakakibara suggested Sakuraba might move down in weight to compete
in their newly formed 183-pound division. However, instead of moving down in weight, Sakuraba began
training at Chute Boxe Academy in Brazil alongside his one-time rival, Wanderlei Silva.
Upon completion of his training, he made his return to the ring to engage in yet another contest at the 205-
pound limit, this time against fellow catch wrestler Ken Shamrock. Three minutes into the bout, Sakuraba
struck through Shamrock's guard with a left hand. Shamrock staggered back and ultimately fell into the
ropes, his head hanging out of the ring, his back turned to Sakuraba. Sakuraba rushed in to follow up but
before any meaningful offense could be launched, the fight was halted by referee Yuji Shimada. Shamrock
sprang to his feet immediately following the KO and protested vigorously. Opinions have been mixed
regarding the KO's legitimacy; Ken's brother, Frank, has stated he believed the stoppage was justified, while
others have come down on the opposing side.
Prior to PRIDE's Shockwave 2005 New Year's eve event, Sakuraba strongly petitioned for a match against
Kiyoshi Tamura, even going so far as to publicly request a bout with Tamura. However, with Tamura refusing
to face him, Sakuraba recommended fellow catch-wrestler and professional wrestling proponent, Ikuhisa
Minowa, who refers to himself as a "Real Pro Wrestler." Sakuraba did not request the match due to any
grudge against Minowa, but rather because he believed that he and Minowa would put on a fight worthy of
the Shockwave event. The bout was a competitive one, with Minowa getting the better of Sakuraba striking-
wise and nearly catching him first with a kneebar and then a heel-hook. In the end, Sakuraba managed to
outwrestle Minowa on the ground and catch him in a kimura which, although Minowa would not tap to it,
would nonetheless prompt the referee to halt the contest. The victory would mark his final bout under the
Pride banner; ironically, it also marked one of the few times he was matched against an opponent of his
own size from the 183-pound division and his first bout against a Japanese fighter.
[edit] K-1 & HERO's
On May 3, 2006, Sakuraba surprisingly appeared with HERO's head Akira Maeda at a HERO's event wearing his
street clothes (yellow shirt and blue jeans) and a pro wrestling mask in the style of one of his childhood
heroes, Tiger Mask. He did not reveal himself, but it was apparent that it was a masked Sakuraba and that
he signed with K-1 and FEG. A day later, Sakuraba appeared at a FEG press conference to announce he
would fight in HERO's. His defection to HERO's was a culmination of several signs that suggested he was
leaving PRIDE. It was reported that Sakuraba left Takada Dojo (run by PRIDE's general manager, Nobuhiko
Takada), and conspicuously was not entered into PRIDE's 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix Tournament.
Sakuraba was then scheduled to compete in HERO's Light Heavyweight Tournament. His first opponent was
the 16-5 Lithuanian Kęstutis Smirnovas. Sakuraba opened the fight striking aggressively and even flooring
Smirnovas with a kick. However, as he was coming in to follow up, Smirnovas caught Sakuraba cleanly,
knocking him down to his knees and hands. Sakuraba then turned over, sliding beneath the bottom rope,
where Smirnovas unleashed repeated blows to his head. Sakuraba seemed at this point unable to defend
himself; when the referee stepped between the two fighters, it seemed likely he was moving to put an end
to the contest. However, instead of halting the battle, the referee re-positioned the fighters from
underneath the bottom rope into the ring and resumed the bout. Though the re-starting of fighters who
have found themselves near or outside the ropes is common practice, it was nonetheless controversial.
Following the re-start, Smirnovas picked up where he'd left off, pounding a supine Sakuraba whose only
defense seemed to turtle up. Finally, Sakuraba got to his feet and worked for a single-leg on Smirnovas. The
attempt was thwarted and again Sakuraba found himself beneath the Lithuanian who this time attempted to
work a rear-naked choke. Sakuraba escaped the attempt and returned his feet once again. From this point
on, Sakuraba's earlier cobwebs seemed to have cleared and he began to land combinations upon the
Lithuanian with greater and greater frequency until Smirnovas finally collapsed from the assault. Sakuraba
assumed side-control and swiftly moved into an armbar. Smirnovas fought the technique as long as he could,
but was eventually forced to submit to spare his arm which had been fully extended.
Initially there were some doubts as to whether Sakuraba would be able to make it into the next round of the
HERO's tournament based on the severity of the damage he endured against Smirnovas. However, Sakuraba
reported that a follow-up CAT scan had found no irregularities and was then slated to face one-time Olympic
judoka, Yoshihiro Akiyama in the tournament's semi-finals on October 9th in what K-1 hoped would be a high
revenue match-up. The winner of that bout was to face the victor between Melvin Manhoef and Shungo
Oyama to determine a tournament champion.
However, during a hard sparring session for the upcoming bout Sakuraba began vomiting and fainted. After
being rushed to the hospital he was diagnosed with vertebrobasilar damage that restricted blood circulation
to the head and neck area. The doctors determined the damage was caused from years of untreated head
injuries dating back to his college years.
In spite of this revelation, Sakuraba was--rather than being granted a break to recover and possibly undergo
surgery--scheduled to return to action on December 31st, 2006 against Yoshihiro Akiyama at K-1 Dynamite!!.
The bout ended with Sakuraba struggling to execute a kneebar submission while Akiyama attacked with
ground and pound. Words were exchanged between Sakuraba and referee Yoshinori Umeki prior to the stop,
which was brought on by the sounding of a bell at the behest of Akira Maeda, the event coordinator, the
referee separating the fighters following the bell rather than initiating the stop himself.
Afterwards, the usually soft-spoken Sakuraba surprised many with complaints that Akiyama's body had been
greased. The referee in charge subsequently checked Akiyama's body and gave indication to ringside
officials that he had not found anything unusual. In the aftermath of the fight the controversy escalated
drastically and new accusations of weighed gloves also surfaced. To deal with the growing controversy, K-1
launched an investigation to look into the accusations against Akiyama. Although Akiyama's gloves were
found to be regulation, video-tape revealed Akiyama administering a lotion to his skin. Akiyama--who
attested he was simply treating his dry skin--was found to have been "negligent" and disqualified. The fight
was subsequently declared a no-contest and Akiyama's purse was withheld. A press conference followed,
wherein Akiyama--now heavily maligned by the Japanese sports media--offered a public apology.
Although Sakuraba wore a shirt into the ring against Akiyama which read "K Sakuraba: End of Service", his
experience against Akiyama apparently changed his plans regarding retirement and at Heros 8 he submitted
the winless Yurij Kiseliov by armbar.
Following that win, he would next share the mixed martial arts ring with his fellow catch wrestler and UWFi
alum, Kiyoshi Tamura. Once again donning the guise of his childhood hero, Tiger Mask, as he had to signal
his exodus from Pride Fighting Championships to Heros, Sakuraba this time wore the mask to mark the
occasion of his return to Pride at their final DSE promoted show, Kamikaze. Before the assembled crowd at
the Saitama Super Arena--Pride's most frequented venue--Sakuraba and Tamura publicly voiced their
willingness to meet in a Pride ring, before shaking hands and embracing. A bout between Tamura and
Sakuraba had been one of Pride's most frequently promised match-ups, one that had never been delivered
upon in spite of several efforts to put it together.
On June 2nd, 2007, Sakuraba rematched Royce Gracie in K-1 Dynamite!! USA. The bout itself was fought at a
relatively slow pace; Sakuraba knocked Gracie to the canvas in the opening seconds and finished the bout
searching for an armbar, having taken the back of Gracie. In the intervening time, Sakuraba scored multiple
takedowns while Gracie scored a number of kicks to the legs and face once on bottom. Royce won by a
controversial unanimous decision; Sherdog scored the bout 2 rounds to 1 for Sakuraba, a score agreed upon
by a majority of fans polled on the site[6].
On June 14, 2007, the controversy surrounding the match deepened as the California State Athletic
Commission revealed that Gracie had tested positive for massive amounts of Nandrolone (ten times the
possible natural occurrence of the chemical even at the highest level of athletic training), an anabolic
steroid. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master was fined $2,500 (the maximum penalty the Commission can impose)
and suspended for the remainder of his license, which ends on May 30, 2008.
The California State Athletic Commission's Bill Douglas told MMAWeekly, "Currently, our rules do not support
overturning a decision based off the drug test results. However, Armando Garcia and I are meeting with the
Attorney General next month to begin the process of modifying the existing laws to incorporate those rules
for the future. Should everything move along like I anticipate, I would expect to see the changes in place by
the end of the year."[7]
Sakuraba returned to the ring on September 17, 2007 at K-1 HERO'S 10 against former NJPW pro wrestler
Katsuyori Shibata. Prior to the bout, Shibata's trainer, Masakatsu Funaki--rated by Sherdog as the second-
greatest Japanese mixed martial artist to date behind Sakuraba--had challenged Sakuraba on the basis that
he their styles would make for an entertaining contest. Shibata came out striking aggressively, but was soon
taken to the canvas by Sakuraba's trademark single leg. Shibata unleashed a torrent of blows off his back,
but the more experienced Sakuraba responded with strikes of his own before transitioning into an arm bar
and finishing the bout.
[edit] Sakuraba versus Funaki
Following his victory, Sakuraba praised the fighting spirit of Shibata[8] and accepted Funaki's challenge.
Much like Sakuraba, Funaki was trained in catch wrestling and emerged into the world of mixed martial arts
on the heels of a career in the UWF (the direct predecessor of Sakuraba's UWFi). Both men also held in
common a past history of submission wins over world-class opposition and recognition as two of the top
Japanese mixed martial artists to date. Appropriately, their bout took place in the main event of K-1's year
end Premium Dynamite!! show, which garners more TV viewers each year than any other televised mixed
martial arts event in Japan.
After exchanging professional wrestling-inspired entrances, the submission specialists traded strikes. Funaki's
arsenal of punches and kicks appeared to be quicker and more powerful, but Sakuraba was able to sneak in a
double-leg take down after Funaki committed heavily to a missed right cross. On the ground, Funaki closed
guard around Sakuraba before opening it up to spin for a knee-bar. For a moment, Funaki appeared to secure
Sakuraba's leg only to be thwarted by a combination of Sakuraba's submission acumen and their position
against the ring ropes, which blocked Funaki from rolling with the hold. Sakuraba then maneuvered to
Funaki's back, only for the Pancrase founder to roll back into the guard position. Breaking away from the
grappling contest, Sakuraba stood up and began to assault the still-prone Funaki's legs with a series of kicks.
Funaki answered with a kick of his own, blackening Sakuraba's eye and cutting his face. Sakuraba returned
himself to the ground, where Funaki immediately attempted to sweep him. However, Sakuraba blocked the
attempt and secured a double wristlock, eventually forcing Funaki to submit.
[edit] DREAM
In 2008, it was announced that Kazushi Sakuraba would compete in the Middleweight Grand Prix of the new
MMA promotion, DREAM. On April 29, 2008, Sakuraba defeated Andrews Nakahara in the main event at Dream.
2 Middle Weight Grandprix 2008 1st Round. However, he was knocked out (and thus eliminated from the
tournament) by Melvin Manhoef in the main event of Dream.4 Middle Weight Grandprix 2008 2nd Round.
During the match, Sakuraba suffered an ulnar fracture of the left forearm, which was caused by a kick from
Manhoef
Japan) is a Japanese professional mixed martial arts competitor and professional wrestler. He has competed
for UWFi, Kingdom Pro Wrestling, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, PRIDE Fighting Championships, K-1
HERO'S and DREAM. He has the distinction of competing in the longest mixed martial arts bout on record,
having beaten Royce Gracie in a 90-minute bout in 2000.
In Japan, he is known as "The IQ Wrestler", for his brilliance in the arts of catch wrestling and freestyle
wrestling, as well as for his overall cerebral approach to fighting. He is also known as "Saku", which is
frequently represented by the number "39" (the Japanese pronunciation of 3 being "san" and 9 "ku"). In the
West, he is often referred to as the "Gracie Hunter," due to his victories over the famed Gracie family of
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners. He also holds notable wins over Vitor Belfort, Quinton Jackson, Guy Mezger,
Kevin Randleman, and Ken Shamrock.
[edit] Early years
Sakuraba wrestled for Chuo University, where he won the East Japan Freshman championship in his first
year and served as their team captain thereafter. In his senior year, he finished fourth place in the All-Japan
tournament.[1]
[edit] Professional wrestling
Upon graduating from the university, Sakuraba had initially thought to remain with Chuo University as a
coach. However, at the last minute he decided to pursue a career as a professional wrestler. According to
Sakuraba, the impetus for this stemmed from a childhood dream of one day emulating Tiger Mask, a famous
Japanese cartoon hero and real-life professional wrestler. [2]
[edit] UWFi years
After considering the shoot wrestling organization Pancrase, he ultimately chose the UWFi, a professional
wrestling league that was nonetheless known for its highly technical and realistic-looking bouts. His time in
the UWFI would prove to be a formative experience for Sakuraba; it was there under the tutelage of Billy
Robinson and Lou Thesz that he received his initial instruction in catch wrestling. It is catch wrestling that
would serve as the base of the unorthodox ground-game that would later lead him to success in the PRIDE
Fighting Championships. [3]
In spite of his amateur pedigree, Sakuraba was forced to work his way up from the bottom of the UWFi's
rung. Sakuraba lost his debut in 1993 to Steve Nelson and went winless through his rookie year with the
league. It is also popularly alleged that under the eye of Kiyoshi Tamura, he was made to perform menial
chores about the dojo.[4] Nonetheless undeterred, Sakuraba steadily built a working knowledge of
submission holds upon his freestyle wrestling base until his efforts were at last rewarded with a win over
Mark Silver in October of 1994.
Though his record remained below .500, Sakuraba continued to edge his way closer to mid-card status
through the rest of the year. Then, in 1995, the UWFi began an interpromotional feud with New Japan Pro
Wrestling. The vast majority of UWFi workers came out on the losing end of the booking to the larger and
more mainstream promotion and Sakuraba was no exception. He was defeated in high-profile bouts to
Tokimitsu Ishizawa, Koji Kanemoto and Shinjiro Otani, bringing Sakuraba a new level of exposure to the
public. The ring psychology and technical prowess he displayed in the bouts also impressed the management
of the UWFi enough that he was finally pushed towards main event status.
New Japan's dominance in the feud injured the marketability of the UWFi promotion, which had pressed the
perception that their athletes boasted legitimate skill in catch wrestling and kickboxing. In a bid to regain
credibility, Yoji Anjoh travelled to California to challenge Rickson Gracie in the latter's own dojo, only to be
swiftly and brutally defeated before the assembled Japanese press that had followed him there. With the
UWFi's formerly fearsome reputation in tatters, its attendance numbers swiftly decreased, with the
federation closing its doors once and for all in December of 1996. In their final show it was Sakuraba who at
long last headlined, defeating Yoji Anjoh by submission.
[edit] Kingdom Pro Wrestling
Following the close of the UWFi, Nobuhiko Takada, the most popular of the UWFi workers amongst the
mainstream public founded Kingdom Pro Wrestling, taking in Sakuraba and the majority of his fellow UWFi
alumni. In the vein of its predecessor, Kingdom was primarily a league devoted to realistic-looking works.
Having by now established his ability, Sakuraba was this time booked as a main-eventer from the outset.
However, unlike the UWFi, Kingdom struggled from the beginning to draw substantial crowds. Mixed martial
arts was growing in popularity, and the dominance of the Gracie family and their fellow Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
practitioners over the field and more specifically over professional wrestlers, left the Japanese public ever
more unconvinced as to the fighting ability of Kingdom's stable of athletes.
[edit] Ultimate Fighting Championship
In an attempt to gain attention for the embattled Kingdom Pro Wrestling league, Hiromitsu Kanehara and Yoji
Anjoh signed on to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Ultimate Japan tournament. Kanehara
was injured in his training for the tournament, and Sakuraba wound up as his late hour substitute. The
tournament was intended for heavyweights, and Sakuraba, at 183 pounds, was nearly twenty pounds beneath
the UFC's 200 pound designation for the weight class. Reporting himself as 203 pounds in order to gain entry,
Sakuraba was paired off against the 243 pound Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blackbelt and former Extreme Fighting
champion, Marcus Silveira.
Following a barrage of blows by Silveira, Sakuraba dropped for a low single leg, only for the fight to be
prematurely ended on a KO. Referee John McCarthy had mistakenly thought Sakuraba to have been knocked
down. A loud protest followed from the crowd and an angry Sakuraba attempted unsuccessfully to take the
microphone and address the Japanese audience. However, after reviewing tape, McCarthy changed his
decision to a no-contest. Tank Abbott, who had earlier defeated Yoji Anjoh, dropped from the tournament
due to an injured hand, leaving Sakuraba and Silveira to face off once more that night in what would be the
championship bout of the tourney. This time, Sakuraba claimed the victory, submitting Silveira with an
armbar. Afterwards, Sakuraba famously stated, "In fact, professional wrestling is strong". With the victory
Sakuraba remains one of the last UFC tournament champions to date.
With Nobuhiko Takada having left Kingdom to challenge Rickson Gracie in a KRS promoted event called
PRIDE, the still struggling promotion capitalized on Sakuraba's newly found popularity establishing him as
Kingdom's top talent. He embarked on a winning streak against several foreign mixed martial arts
competitors including Paul Herrera, Rene Rooze, Mark Hall and Orlando Weit. However, Kingdom continued
to flounder and finally folded in March of 1998.
[edit] PRIDE Fighting Championships
Entering the PRIDE Fighting Championships on the heels of a defeat of stablemate Nobuhiko Takada at the
hands of Rickson Gracie in the organization's initial event, Sakuraba was paired off against Vernon White,
then a veteran of 32 bouts who also boasted a 20-pound weight advantage. Showcasing a balance of
wrestling and submission prowess, Sakuraba came after White with constant takedowns and unceasing
submission attempts. White held Sakuraba off for the first two sessions, but was ultimately armbarred
towards the end of the third round.
Next, Sakuraba was matched against Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Carlos Newton. Though
relatively new to mixed martial arts, Newton had recently disposed of the reigning Shooto light
heavyweight champion Erik Paulson with a swift armbar victory and already developed a reputation as a
talented grappler. Sakuraba finished the match in the second round, this time with a rolling kneebar.
Throughout the bout, both men displayed a high-level of grappling acumen, leading many fans and pundits of
mixed martial arts to label it as the definitive grappling match in the history of the sport.[citation needed]
Eager to capitalize on Sakuraba's catch wrestling prowess to reverse the perception that Japanese
professional wrestlers were inferior to Brazilian combatants (in part perpetuated by his teammates' own
defeats), Sakuraba's next three bouts were scheduled against Brazilian jiu jitsu blackbelts Vitor Belfort, Allan
Goes and Luta Livre blackbelt Ebeneezer Fontes Braga. Sakuraba, after seeming completely outclassed,
defeated Belfort by unanimous decision, drew with Goes and submitted Braga via armbar. In a trend that
would continue through Sakuraba's PRIDE career, each opponent occupied a spot near the top of the 205-
pound class at the time of their meeting with him and held a weight advantage of around 20 pounds.
[edit] The Gracie Hunter
After defeating Anthony Macias, Sakuraba was matched against Royler Gracie, who had previously conquered
Sakuraba's stablemate Yuhi Sano. It marked the largest weight advantage Sakuraba has enjoyed in his career
to date (being around 30 pounds heavier than Royler). Royler, unable to score a takedown, remained on the
ground in an effort to bait Sakuraba into a grappling-oriented contest. Eventually, with less than two minutes
remaining, Sakuraba finally engaged Royler on the ground, soon catching him in a Kimura lock. As Sakuraba
wrenched on the submission, the referee intervened with 1 minute and 44 seconds remaining on the clock,
ending the contest and awarding Sakuraba the win by TKO. Sakuraba's victory over Royler constituted the
first loss by a Gracie in professional fighting in several decades and as such, sent ripples of shock and
controversy through the mixed martial arts community. Some protested that the victory was tainted due to
the fact that Royler (although placed in a debilitating submission hold) never conceded defeat and was mere
seconds away from the final bell when the bout was stopped. It is worth noting that the last Japanese
athlete to defeat a Gracie prior to Sakuraba's win against Royler, legendary judoka Masahiko Kimura, had
used the very same maneuver Sakuraba utilized to beat Royler. That time, the recipient had been Royler's
father, Helio Gracie, who had, like Royler, also refused to submit.
While the Japanese fight media rejoiced and elevated Sakuraba to superstar status, the Gracie family took
great umbrage over the incident, feeling that they had been cheated by Pride. Compelled to set the record
straight and re-assert the dominance of his family, Royler's younger brother and former UFC champion Royce
Gracie returned to the sport of mixed martial arts in 2000 and entered the 16-Man PRIDE Grand Prix
alongside Sakuraba and several other top fighters of the era. Placed on the same side of the bracket, a
special set of rules were requested by the Gracies in the event of a Sakuraba-Royce match, including no
referee stoppages and no time-limits, the fight ending only in the event of a submission or knock-out. In his
first fight of the 2000 Pride tournament Sakuraba once again found himself matched up against a heavier
opponent, this time the well-regarded 205-pound fighter, former King of Pancrase Guy Mezger. After a
closely fought 15 minutes the judges requested an overtime round, and the fight ended in controversy when
Mezger's coach Ken Shamrock forced his fighter back to the locker room in order to protest the judges'
inability to render a decision. Sakuraba ended up winning the match by forfeit. Meanwhile, Royce defeated
Nobuhiko Takada by unanimous decision and thus set the stage for their much anticipated showdown.
In the tournament quarterfinals Royce and Sakuraba battled for an hour and a half. Sakuraba nearly ended the
match with a knee-bar towards the end of the first round. Later on, Royce returned the favor with a
guillotine choke which Sakuraba lingered in, but eventually escaped from. As the confrontation stretched on,
the Gracie's own no time-limit rules began to work against Royce as Sakuraba's wrestling skills and balance
nullified Royce's ability to score a takedown and — in some instances — even pull guard. Even Royce's ever-
present jiu-jitsu gi became a weapon for the wrestler to use against him as Sakuraba used it to help him
control Gracie on the instances the fight did come to the ground. However, with Sakuraba's control of the
takedown, these instances of ground warfare became increasingly sporadic. After the 90 minute battle of
punishing leg kicks, Royce's brother, Rorion threw in the towel.
Prior to the bout, there was speculation that the fight was largely personal, with Royce looking to avenge
his brother and Sakuraba looking to atone for his stablemate's defeats and vindicate professional wrestling
and the UWFi once and for all. However, following the stoppage, Royce and Sakuraba embraced in the ring.
Gracious in victory, Sakuraba flatteringly pointed to Royce as the superior ground-technician when
questioned as to why he didn't engage him on the ground more frequently. Exhausted from his battle with
Royce, Sakuraba surprised many when he emerged from the locker room for the tournament semi-finals. His
opponent, Igor Vovchanchyn, outweighed him by close to fifty pounds (Sakuraba had come into the bout
with Royce lighter than usual, at 176 pounds) and was considered to be the top heavyweight striker of the
day. Sakuraba surprised many by taking Vovchanchyn down and nearly finishing him with an armbar. After
the final bell, the bout was close enough that it was ruled a draw, with an overtime round to determine a
winner between them. However, fatigue and size both had worn on Sakuraba by now his corner opted to
throw in the towel.
Following the Grand Prix, Sakuraba was christened the Gracie Hunter by the Japanese sports media. Keeping
in tow with his new nick-name, Sakuraba sandwiched a swift victory via achilles lock against Shannon Ritch
between fights against brothers Renzo and Ryan Gracie. In contrast to Royler and Royce, Renzo and Ryan
were products of Carlson Gracie's approach to jiu-jitsu, which placed a stronger emphasis on combat-ready
skills and training without a gi. At the time of his bout with Sakuraba, Renzo's only loss in 10 bouts was a
closely contested decision to Sakuraba's former UWFi stablemate and rival, Kiyoshi Tamura while Maurice
Smith, Oleg Taktarov and Abu Dhabi champion Sanae Kikuta numbered amongst his victims.
Renzo's stylistic differences from his cousins were in evidence from the outset of his contest against
Sakuraba, as he pressed the pace of the bout with a variety of kicks and punches. Sakuraba responded in
kind, and the striking seemed to stalemate. Throwing his wrestling into the equation, Sakuraba timed a
number of double and single leg takedowns against Renzo's flurries from where he alternately attempted to
cartwheel past Gracie's guard, malign his legs with kicks from the standing position and even attack with a
low dropkick. However, Renzo's defensive skills from bottom nullified the entire gamut of Sakuraba's
offensive attempts until mere seconds remained in the battle and the contestants found themselves pressed
against the turnbuckle. Sakuraba locked in a kimura and spun around, flipping Renzo to the canvas even as he
wrenched his arm behind his back. Like Royler and Helio before him, Renzo refused to submit to the hold
despite his elbow being snapped prior to hitting the ground and, even as the referee waved off the contest
due to the injury, stoically showed no sign of disappointment or pain. His arm in a sling, Renzo took the
microphone and, before the 35,000 fans assembled at the Seibu Dome, stated that Sakuraba was "the
Japanese version of the Gracie family." Renzo has since referred to the bout as his proudest moment in
mixed martial arts, due to his refusal to submit in the face of injury.[5]
Ryan Gracie, who had fought on the same card and emerged victorious, issued a challenge to Sakuraba and
the two were subsequently scheduled to meet at PRIDE 12. Due to a shoulder injury, the fight was limited to
a single 10-minute round, where Ryan's spirited efforts were generally stymied and controlled by Sakuraba,
who noticeably avoided attacks on his younger opponent's injured arm.
[edit] Decline and comeback
Following the win against Ryan, Sakuraba battled Wanderlei Silva. Sakuraba knocked Wanderlei down, but
the Brazilian Muay Thai specialist recovered to TKO Sakuraba before the close of the first round. It marked
Sakuraba's second defeat in mixed martial arts and his first loss in the 205-pound division. In spite of his
substantial weight disadvantage, Sakuraba had been a heavy favorite to win. Sakuraba then shocked the
audience by giving Silva his belt entitled SAKU on it. Wanderlei then stated that he would willingly give
Sakuraba a rematch if Sakuraba wanted another match with him.
After sitting out the next PRIDE to recuperate, Sakuraba found himself across the ring with Quinton Jackson,
a former collegiate wrestler who had compiled a record of 10-1 on the American circuit. At the sound of the
bell, Sakuraba immediately took the bigger and more powerful man to the canvas with a low single-leg
takedown. However, Jackson's superior size and enormous physical strength allowed him to muscle out of
Sakuraba's submission attempts. After locking his legs about Jackson for a triangle choke, Sakuraba found
himself hefted into the air and repeatedly powerbombed to the canvas. Later, he attempted an armbar
against Jackson, only for the Tennessee native to again lift him up and this time, attempt to drop him from
the ring. His expression unchanging through the course of Jackson's assault, Sakuraba continued to flow from
one lock to another. Eventually, he took the back of a by-then exhausted Jackson and submitted him with
his first rear naked choke victory. The contest was a launchpad for Jackson's career, leading to a long-term
contract with PRIDE where he eventually became regarded as a top middleweight competitor.
It also re-established Sakuraba's proficiency in dealing with larger opponents and placed him back in line for
another shot at Wanderlei Silva in PRIDE's next event, this time to decide PRIDE's inaugural 205-pound
champion. Usually prone to humorous entrances, it was a somber and focused Sakuraba that came down the
aisle for his rematch with Silva. As with Jackson, Sakuraba was able to score an early takedown in the bout,
where he then worked from Silva's guard. After several minutes searching for an opening, he finally found
one when Silva attempted to escape to his feet. Sakuraba locked on a tight guillotine, but was countered by
a slam from Wanderlei which ended up breaking his collar bone. Not willing to let him go on so hampered,
his corner threw in the towel.
Sakuraba took time off to let his shoulder heal, then returned against heavyweight kickboxer Mirko
Filipovic. Sakuraba managed to take Filipovic down, but sustained another injury, this time a broken orbital
bone. Finally assenting to place him in competition against fighters of his own weight class, PRIDE
management put him against French jiu jitsu champion Gilles Arsene in a bout Sakuraba dominated and then
against Rickson Gracie protege, Antonio Schembri. With a win over Schembri, it was speculated that
Sakuraba might be then groomed for a championship fight in a new weight division for fighter's of his size.
However, in a massive upset, Schembri managed to stun Sakuraba with a hard knee that rendered the
Japanese grappler unable to continue.
This seemed to mark a turning point in Sakuraba's career; though he was unbeaten in his first nine PRIDE
bouts, he thereafter split his next six matches before suffering a particularly devastating loss against Ricardo
Arona at PRIDE's Middleweight Grand Prix event in June, 2005, during which his face became severely
swollen and bloody due to repeated strikes from Arona; his corner stopped the fight after the second round.
Following the win, PRIDE president Sakakibara suggested Sakuraba might move down in weight to compete
in their newly formed 183-pound division. However, instead of moving down in weight, Sakuraba began
training at Chute Boxe Academy in Brazil alongside his one-time rival, Wanderlei Silva.
Upon completion of his training, he made his return to the ring to engage in yet another contest at the 205-
pound limit, this time against fellow catch wrestler Ken Shamrock. Three minutes into the bout, Sakuraba
struck through Shamrock's guard with a left hand. Shamrock staggered back and ultimately fell into the
ropes, his head hanging out of the ring, his back turned to Sakuraba. Sakuraba rushed in to follow up but
before any meaningful offense could be launched, the fight was halted by referee Yuji Shimada. Shamrock
sprang to his feet immediately following the KO and protested vigorously. Opinions have been mixed
regarding the KO's legitimacy; Ken's brother, Frank, has stated he believed the stoppage was justified, while
others have come down on the opposing side.
Prior to PRIDE's Shockwave 2005 New Year's eve event, Sakuraba strongly petitioned for a match against
Kiyoshi Tamura, even going so far as to publicly request a bout with Tamura. However, with Tamura refusing
to face him, Sakuraba recommended fellow catch-wrestler and professional wrestling proponent, Ikuhisa
Minowa, who refers to himself as a "Real Pro Wrestler." Sakuraba did not request the match due to any
grudge against Minowa, but rather because he believed that he and Minowa would put on a fight worthy of
the Shockwave event. The bout was a competitive one, with Minowa getting the better of Sakuraba striking-
wise and nearly catching him first with a kneebar and then a heel-hook. In the end, Sakuraba managed to
outwrestle Minowa on the ground and catch him in a kimura which, although Minowa would not tap to it,
would nonetheless prompt the referee to halt the contest. The victory would mark his final bout under the
Pride banner; ironically, it also marked one of the few times he was matched against an opponent of his
own size from the 183-pound division and his first bout against a Japanese fighter.
[edit] K-1 & HERO's
On May 3, 2006, Sakuraba surprisingly appeared with HERO's head Akira Maeda at a HERO's event wearing his
street clothes (yellow shirt and blue jeans) and a pro wrestling mask in the style of one of his childhood
heroes, Tiger Mask. He did not reveal himself, but it was apparent that it was a masked Sakuraba and that
he signed with K-1 and FEG. A day later, Sakuraba appeared at a FEG press conference to announce he
would fight in HERO's. His defection to HERO's was a culmination of several signs that suggested he was
leaving PRIDE. It was reported that Sakuraba left Takada Dojo (run by PRIDE's general manager, Nobuhiko
Takada), and conspicuously was not entered into PRIDE's 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix Tournament.
Sakuraba was then scheduled to compete in HERO's Light Heavyweight Tournament. His first opponent was
the 16-5 Lithuanian Kęstutis Smirnovas. Sakuraba opened the fight striking aggressively and even flooring
Smirnovas with a kick. However, as he was coming in to follow up, Smirnovas caught Sakuraba cleanly,
knocking him down to his knees and hands. Sakuraba then turned over, sliding beneath the bottom rope,
where Smirnovas unleashed repeated blows to his head. Sakuraba seemed at this point unable to defend
himself; when the referee stepped between the two fighters, it seemed likely he was moving to put an end
to the contest. However, instead of halting the battle, the referee re-positioned the fighters from
underneath the bottom rope into the ring and resumed the bout. Though the re-starting of fighters who
have found themselves near or outside the ropes is common practice, it was nonetheless controversial.
Following the re-start, Smirnovas picked up where he'd left off, pounding a supine Sakuraba whose only
defense seemed to turtle up. Finally, Sakuraba got to his feet and worked for a single-leg on Smirnovas. The
attempt was thwarted and again Sakuraba found himself beneath the Lithuanian who this time attempted to
work a rear-naked choke. Sakuraba escaped the attempt and returned his feet once again. From this point
on, Sakuraba's earlier cobwebs seemed to have cleared and he began to land combinations upon the
Lithuanian with greater and greater frequency until Smirnovas finally collapsed from the assault. Sakuraba
assumed side-control and swiftly moved into an armbar. Smirnovas fought the technique as long as he could,
but was eventually forced to submit to spare his arm which had been fully extended.
Initially there were some doubts as to whether Sakuraba would be able to make it into the next round of the
HERO's tournament based on the severity of the damage he endured against Smirnovas. However, Sakuraba
reported that a follow-up CAT scan had found no irregularities and was then slated to face one-time Olympic
judoka, Yoshihiro Akiyama in the tournament's semi-finals on October 9th in what K-1 hoped would be a high
revenue match-up. The winner of that bout was to face the victor between Melvin Manhoef and Shungo
Oyama to determine a tournament champion.
However, during a hard sparring session for the upcoming bout Sakuraba began vomiting and fainted. After
being rushed to the hospital he was diagnosed with vertebrobasilar damage that restricted blood circulation
to the head and neck area. The doctors determined the damage was caused from years of untreated head
injuries dating back to his college years.
In spite of this revelation, Sakuraba was--rather than being granted a break to recover and possibly undergo
surgery--scheduled to return to action on December 31st, 2006 against Yoshihiro Akiyama at K-1 Dynamite!!.
The bout ended with Sakuraba struggling to execute a kneebar submission while Akiyama attacked with
ground and pound. Words were exchanged between Sakuraba and referee Yoshinori Umeki prior to the stop,
which was brought on by the sounding of a bell at the behest of Akira Maeda, the event coordinator, the
referee separating the fighters following the bell rather than initiating the stop himself.
Afterwards, the usually soft-spoken Sakuraba surprised many with complaints that Akiyama's body had been
greased. The referee in charge subsequently checked Akiyama's body and gave indication to ringside
officials that he had not found anything unusual. In the aftermath of the fight the controversy escalated
drastically and new accusations of weighed gloves also surfaced. To deal with the growing controversy, K-1
launched an investigation to look into the accusations against Akiyama. Although Akiyama's gloves were
found to be regulation, video-tape revealed Akiyama administering a lotion to his skin. Akiyama--who
attested he was simply treating his dry skin--was found to have been "negligent" and disqualified. The fight
was subsequently declared a no-contest and Akiyama's purse was withheld. A press conference followed,
wherein Akiyama--now heavily maligned by the Japanese sports media--offered a public apology.
Although Sakuraba wore a shirt into the ring against Akiyama which read "K Sakuraba: End of Service", his
experience against Akiyama apparently changed his plans regarding retirement and at Heros 8 he submitted
the winless Yurij Kiseliov by armbar.
Following that win, he would next share the mixed martial arts ring with his fellow catch wrestler and UWFi
alum, Kiyoshi Tamura. Once again donning the guise of his childhood hero, Tiger Mask, as he had to signal
his exodus from Pride Fighting Championships to Heros, Sakuraba this time wore the mask to mark the
occasion of his return to Pride at their final DSE promoted show, Kamikaze. Before the assembled crowd at
the Saitama Super Arena--Pride's most frequented venue--Sakuraba and Tamura publicly voiced their
willingness to meet in a Pride ring, before shaking hands and embracing. A bout between Tamura and
Sakuraba had been one of Pride's most frequently promised match-ups, one that had never been delivered
upon in spite of several efforts to put it together.
On June 2nd, 2007, Sakuraba rematched Royce Gracie in K-1 Dynamite!! USA. The bout itself was fought at a
relatively slow pace; Sakuraba knocked Gracie to the canvas in the opening seconds and finished the bout
searching for an armbar, having taken the back of Gracie. In the intervening time, Sakuraba scored multiple
takedowns while Gracie scored a number of kicks to the legs and face once on bottom. Royce won by a
controversial unanimous decision; Sherdog scored the bout 2 rounds to 1 for Sakuraba, a score agreed upon
by a majority of fans polled on the site[6].
On June 14, 2007, the controversy surrounding the match deepened as the California State Athletic
Commission revealed that Gracie had tested positive for massive amounts of Nandrolone (ten times the
possible natural occurrence of the chemical even at the highest level of athletic training), an anabolic
steroid. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master was fined $2,500 (the maximum penalty the Commission can impose)
and suspended for the remainder of his license, which ends on May 30, 2008.
The California State Athletic Commission's Bill Douglas told MMAWeekly, "Currently, our rules do not support
overturning a decision based off the drug test results. However, Armando Garcia and I are meeting with the
Attorney General next month to begin the process of modifying the existing laws to incorporate those rules
for the future. Should everything move along like I anticipate, I would expect to see the changes in place by
the end of the year."[7]
Sakuraba returned to the ring on September 17, 2007 at K-1 HERO'S 10 against former NJPW pro wrestler
Katsuyori Shibata. Prior to the bout, Shibata's trainer, Masakatsu Funaki--rated by Sherdog as the second-
greatest Japanese mixed martial artist to date behind Sakuraba--had challenged Sakuraba on the basis that
he their styles would make for an entertaining contest. Shibata came out striking aggressively, but was soon
taken to the canvas by Sakuraba's trademark single leg. Shibata unleashed a torrent of blows off his back,
but the more experienced Sakuraba responded with strikes of his own before transitioning into an arm bar
and finishing the bout.
[edit] Sakuraba versus Funaki
Following his victory, Sakuraba praised the fighting spirit of Shibata[8] and accepted Funaki's challenge.
Much like Sakuraba, Funaki was trained in catch wrestling and emerged into the world of mixed martial arts
on the heels of a career in the UWF (the direct predecessor of Sakuraba's UWFi). Both men also held in
common a past history of submission wins over world-class opposition and recognition as two of the top
Japanese mixed martial artists to date. Appropriately, their bout took place in the main event of K-1's year
end Premium Dynamite!! show, which garners more TV viewers each year than any other televised mixed
martial arts event in Japan.
After exchanging professional wrestling-inspired entrances, the submission specialists traded strikes. Funaki's
arsenal of punches and kicks appeared to be quicker and more powerful, but Sakuraba was able to sneak in a
double-leg take down after Funaki committed heavily to a missed right cross. On the ground, Funaki closed
guard around Sakuraba before opening it up to spin for a knee-bar. For a moment, Funaki appeared to secure
Sakuraba's leg only to be thwarted by a combination of Sakuraba's submission acumen and their position
against the ring ropes, which blocked Funaki from rolling with the hold. Sakuraba then maneuvered to
Funaki's back, only for the Pancrase founder to roll back into the guard position. Breaking away from the
grappling contest, Sakuraba stood up and began to assault the still-prone Funaki's legs with a series of kicks.
Funaki answered with a kick of his own, blackening Sakuraba's eye and cutting his face. Sakuraba returned
himself to the ground, where Funaki immediately attempted to sweep him. However, Sakuraba blocked the
attempt and secured a double wristlock, eventually forcing Funaki to submit.
[edit] DREAM
In 2008, it was announced that Kazushi Sakuraba would compete in the Middleweight Grand Prix of the new
MMA promotion, DREAM. On April 29, 2008, Sakuraba defeated Andrews Nakahara in the main event at Dream.
2 Middle Weight Grandprix 2008 1st Round. However, he was knocked out (and thus eliminated from the
tournament) by Melvin Manhoef in the main event of Dream.4 Middle Weight Grandprix 2008 2nd Round.
During the match, Sakuraba suffered an ulnar fracture of the left forearm, which was caused by a kick from
Manhoef
