The Legacy Of Japanese MMA Great Kazushi Sakuraba
The toughest decision a boxer of MMA fighter will face in his career is deciding to hang up the gloves. Boxing history is rife with top notch fighters that hung around too long, and in a sure sign that its matured as a sport MMA is now experiencing the same phenomenon. After his punishing knockout loss to Melvin Manhoef at DREAM 4 it has become apparent that the time has come for Japanese fighting legend Kazushi Sakuraba to retire.
While MMA has exploded in popularity in the United States, there’s not one individual fighter who can be credited with the boom. In Japan, however, Sakuraba is widely acknowledged to have brought the sport to the mainstream of that country’s popular culture. His legendary feud against the Gracie family, highlighted by his epic 90 minute war with Royce Grace at PRIDE’s 2000 GP event, elevated him well past superstar status into the realm of national hero.
Sakuraba’s record definitely justifies the high regard in which he’s held, but the reality is that he’s done nothing to build on his legacy for a number of years. His last really impressive win was over former UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, but he hasn’t even defeated a credible opponent of any sort since his 2003 win over Kevin Randleman.
Boxing pundits frequently speak of a fighter’s age in terms of ‘ring years’. For that reason a younger fighter who has endured a series of grueling fights against high level opponents can be considered ‘old in ring years’, while an older fighter who has taken an easier path is considered ‘young’ by the same metric. Under this evaluation, there’s no doubt that Sakuraba has to be considered old in ‘ring years’. His 90 minute battle with Royce Gracie alone took a significant toll on Sakuraba, and he continued to face high level opponents after that.
Compounding Sakuraba’s ‘ring age’ was his tendency to face much larger superstars–these ‘dream matches’ would sell tickets in Japan, but are the sort of matchup that would never get sanctioned in the better regulated US fight sport industry. The quality of opponent he faced at heavier weights is mind boggling and includes Wanderlei Silva, Mirko Cro Cop, Vitor Belfort and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Unfortunately, the old saying that ‘a good big man will beat a good little man’ was proven true in these matchups with most ending in losses for Sakuraba by brutal KO or stoppage.
Sakuraba has been less active in the past couple of years, but has shown little indication that he’ll formally retire. Hopefully this decision won’t undermine his legacy or more importantly negatively impact his long term mental and physical health.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Northern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
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