|
Senior Moderator
Status:
|
|
The Wikipedia Sakuraba article was recently revamped with alot more info...
Early years
A stand-out amateur wrestler in grade school, Sakuraba went on to wrestle for Chuo University. He won the East Japan Freshman championship in his first year and served thereafter served as Chuo's team captain. In senior year, he took home a fourth place finish in the All-Japan tournament.
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.
UWFi Years
After considering Pancrase--a professional wrestling organization where the matches were unscripted--he ultimately chose the UWFi, a scripted 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 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.
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. Nonetheless ndeterred, 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 disiplayed 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 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.
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 proven 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 Brazillian jiu jitsu practicioners 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.
In an attempt to gain attention for the embattled league, Hiromitsu Kanehara and Yoji Anjoh signed on to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Ultimate Japan tournament. As fate would have it, 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 Brazillian jiu jitsu blackbelt and former Extreme Fighting champion, Marcus Silveira.
Following a barrage of blows by Silveira, Sakuraba dropped for a low-single, 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 Abott, 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 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.
PRIDE Fighting Championships
Entering the PRIDE Fighting Championships on the heels of a defeat by 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 like Sakuraba, Newton was relatively new to the mixed martial arts, he had deposed of the reigning Shooto light heavyweight champion Erik Paulson with a swift armbar victory and had already developed a reputation as a talented grappler. Sakuraba finished the match in the second round, this time with a rolling kneebar. Through out 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.
Eager to capitalize on Sakuraba's catch wrestling prowess to reverse the perception that Japanese professional wrestler's were inferior to Brazillian combatants that was in part perpetuated by his teammates' own defeats, Sakuraba's next three bouts were scheduled against Brazillian jiu jitsu blackbelts Vitor Belfort, Allan Goes and Luta Livre blackbelt Ebeneezer Fontes Braga. Sakuraba 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.
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) and it was also one of his most dominant performances which saw him repeatedly kick the legs of Royler, who, unable to score a takedown, remained on the ground in an effor to bait Sakuraba into a grappling-oriented contest. Eventually, with less than two minutes remaining, Sakuraba finally agreed to engage Royler on the ground, soon catching him in a double wristlock. As Sakuraba wrenched on the submission, the referee intervened with two second 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 nothing that the last Japanese athlete to defeat a Gracie prior to Sakuraba's win against Royler, legendary judoka Masihiko Kimura, had used the very same manuever 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 older 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.
Yet again fighting up in weight against a top-flight 205-pound fighter, Sakuraba advanced to the quarterfinals over former King of Pancrase Guy Mezger. Meanwhile, Royce defeated Nobuhiko Takada by unanimous decision and thus set the stage for their much anticipated showdown.
Royce and Sakuraba battled for an hour and a half. Early in the fight, Sakuraba nearly ended things 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 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 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. As with Royler, Renzo Gracie too fell to the kimura with mere seconds remaining in the bout. Unlike Royler, Renzo had fought on even terms until being caught.
Decline and comeback
Following the win against Renzo, Sakuraba battled Wanderlei Silva to decide Pride's inaugral 205-pound champion. Sakuraba knocked Wanderlei down, but the Brazillian Muay Thai specialist recovered to KO Sakuraba before the close of the first round. This seemed to mark a turning point in Sakuraba's career; though he was unbeaten in his first nine Pride bouts, he thereafter five of his next ten 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. As such, some fans have suggested that Sakuraba either move down to a lower weight class in order to remain competitive or retire from MMA altogether.
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 his brother was unconscious, while have come down on the other side of the debate.
On December 31, 2005, Sakuraba fought a Japanese opponent for the first time in his MMA career at PRIDE's Shockwave 2005 event.
He defeated Ikuhisa Minowa by technical submission due to a kimura lock. 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 from the 183-pound division.
K-1 HERO's
On May 3, 2006, Sakuraba surprisingly appeared with K-1 HERO's head Akira Maeda at a K-1 HERO's event wearing his street clothes (yellow shirt and blue jeans) and a pro wrestling-style 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. A day later, Sakuraba appeared at a K-1 press conference to announce he will fight in K-1 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 K-1 Hero's Light Heavyweight Tournament. His first opponent was the 16-5 Lithuanian Kestutis 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.
In the eyes of many, 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, he re-positioned the fighters outside the ropes and re-started the bout.
Smirnovas picked up where he'd left off, pounding a prone 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 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 Heros tournament based on the severity of the damage he endured against Smirnovas. However, Sakuraba reported that a follow-up CAT scan had found no ireggularities and he is currently slated to face one-time Olympic judoka, Yoshihiro Akiyama in the tournament's semi-finals on October 9th. The winner of that bout will then go on to face the victor betwen Melvin Manhouef and Shungo Oyama.
__________________
Devastator: Puny arm is not enough to stop Devastator!
Optimus: Then its a good thing this arm is holding a gun.
God Bless America and the Gipper.
|
