The Legacy Of Japanese MMA Great Kazushi Sakuraba
Date: Saturday August 28, 2010Posted in: Entertainment
A pro fighter faces the most difficult decision of his life when contemplating the prospect of retirement. Unfortunately, too many hang on well past the time when they can compete at the highest level only serving to diminish their legacy and damage their health. MMA is no different than boxing in this respect, and following his brutal knockout loss to Melvin Manhoef at DREAM 4 Japan’s legendary Kazushi Sakuraba appears to fit the description of a fighter who needs to call it quits but is unwilling to do so.
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.
While Sakruaba’s record in the sport is certainly worthy of this acclaim, the reality is that he hasn’t defeated a credible opponent of any sort since his 2003 win over Kevin Randleman. At this point, he’s doing nothing to enhance his legacy and is putting it at risk by continuing his career well past his competitive prime.
Sakuraba is not only 38 years old, but he’s what fight experts consider an ‘old 38′ based on the number of grueling, physically and emotionally draining battles he’s competed in. His 90 minute classic with Royce Gracie alone took a toll that some suggest that Sakuraba has never recovered from. Despite this, he continued to face the best opponents in the world after that fight.
Furthermore he’d frequently find himself across the ring from much larger superstars, his popularity and fearlessness producing matchups that could never get sanctioned in the US but are commonplace in the wild wild west environment of Japanese fighting. The quality of opposition he faced is staggering”Royce Gracie and several other members of the legendary family, Wanderlei Silva, Mirko Cro Cop, Vitor Belfort, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira stand out as the most impressive names on his record. Unfortunately and not surprisingly, he had difficulty when stepping up in class against heavier fighters and most of these matchups resulted in losses by brutal knockout or other type of stoppage.
Sakuraba, unfortunately, has shown little indication that he’ll retire any time soon. Hopefully his prolonged career won’t undermine his legacy of greatness, or more problematically damage his long term mental or physical well being.
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 Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
