Sakuraba

[Shogunator]

I've noticed he doesn't get much respect here.

Sakuraba is a legend. He belongs on everyone's short list of the most important people in MMA.

-Sakuraba was one of the first fighters to successfully transition from professional wrestling to MMA
-He was pivotal in PRIDE's early success, fighting at PRIDE 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, etc.
-He mostly fought bigger opponents
-He beat Vitor, Randleman, and Rampage
-He was the first man to beat a Gracie in MMA
-In the 2000 OWGP he fought Royce Gracie for 90 minutes before Royce's corner threw in the towel. He was the first man to beat Royce
-He also beat three other Gracies, including Renzo, Royler, and Ryan
-He always tried to put on a show and entertain he crowd
-He had a unique approach to fighting, using uncommon moves. How many people have you seen pass guard with a cartwheel before Saku did it? How often do you see double Mongolian chops used in MMA?
-He is a very cerebral fighter, and is called "The IQ Wrestler" in Japan
-He is/was bigger in Japan than any MMA fighter is/was in the US
-He was one of the first well rounded fighters

Sakuraba vs. Royler. This was the first time a Gracie lost in MMA. Royler didn't tap.
http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/8848/sakuroylernv6.jpg

Sakuraba vs. Royce at the 2000 GP. Saku won after a 90 minute war.
http://www.411mania.com/siteimages/sakuraba-royce_7222.jpg

How to pass guard.
http://goulart.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/imagem.jpg

How to make an entrance.
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/3522/5792.jpg

Sakuraba vs. Renzo at PRIDE 10. Renzo didn't tap but said in an interview that he could hear and feel each tendon snapping.
http://i26.tinypic.com/ezprte.jpg

Sakuraba vs. Rampage
http://i29.tinypic.com/ifd6io.jpg

MBtvfATml1s

[Coach McGuirk]

there are a few reasons he does not get more love

1) people know more about american mma here than japanese.... thats obviously because of exposure... dont get butt hurt :p

2) he had horrible match making.... he fought guys out of his weight class and lost... so that damages his record/image

3) not really a big reason but there have been rumors pride would pay off his opponents (not saying he was aware)

EDIT: i wanted to add that everything you said is true... and people here do consider him a legend FYI... maybe just not as much as you would like :p

[PitbullJR]

Was he the Great Muta back in the WCW days?

[Dmaul]

How many people have you seen pass guard with a cartwheel?

thats a fairly common guard pass actually, but I agree with you 100% saku is a legend for sure

if you started watching mma from the very beginning when nobody knew anything and it was all so new, from that perspective, saku looks great. but if you look back at him now he doesn't look that impressive, that's why newer fans don't appreciate him as much.

[Dmaul]

saku is the original brock lesnar

great collegiate wrestler turned pro wrestler and then gets into mma and dominates

[Shogunator]

thats a fairly common guard pass actually
I should have added "before Saku did it" at the end. In fact, I think I will. Even so, I still wouldn't call it a common guard pass. But anyway, the point was that Saku did a lot of stuff that many other fighters didn't. Double Mongolian chop, anyone?

[Everybody_Poops]

He is a legend, without Pride mma would not be what it is today. With Sakuraba Pride would not have gotten as far as it did. He was one of the first true pioneers of mma. I remember a documentary on Pride and one of the large sections of it was how much Sakuraba did for mma. His first match was against another pro-wrestler and they talked about how important it was for Sakuraba to win. If he didn't then Pride would have been a joke.

[Keith Hackney]

Sakuraba is awesome. He even won a UFC heavyweight tournament, when he weighed about 190lb.

[TheVanillaGorilla]

Alot of people here are tfnoobs and havent a clue what happened in MMA before Forrest.

[Everybody_Poops]

Alot of people here are tfnoobs and havent a clue what happened in MMA before Forrest.
UFC tunnel vision is rampant in the US...

[Black_Spit]

Like they said above... it's not that he doesn't get respect from those who follow the sport closely, or have followed for any length of time, it's just that so many casual fans don't even know who he is.

[Everybody_Poops]

Whenever people list their favorite fighters and such many people have a complete list from the UFC/WEC. Or in the thread about creatine the perfect fighter I saw many lists populated by UFC fighters only, and they throwing in a fedor or filipovic here and there.

[JCham]

saku is the original brock lesnar

great collegiate wrestler turned pro wrestler and then gets into mma and dominates

Sakuraba will never be as big or as strong as Brock. :)

[HardGainer82]

Saku is the ****, but he was used and abused by Pride matchmakers and really should retire before he dies in the ring. :(

[Wcustom]

I always said on here that Sakuraba was the **** and I can't remember who it was.. I think it was Futurama or whatever his name was, he kept bashing Jap fighters.

[bljja05]

is it jus me or did that fight seem shady? Didnt rampage and other fighters say the gangs there would force them to lose or sum ****. I jus cant see rampage losing like that

[Shogunator]

is it jus me or did that fight seem shady? Didnt rampage and other fighters say the gangs there would force them to lose or sum ****. I jus cant see rampage losing like that
Rampage said that they made him cut a lot of weight on short notice and they offered him $2000 to not tap out if he got caught in a sub or TKO.

[Shogunator]

Sakuraba will never be as big or as strong as Brock. :)
And Brock will never be as cool or awesome as Saku. :)

[bljja05]

Fuk, I feel the burn from here. Ouch

[Shogunator]

qUfqa8zLdYg

[deathhand]

you gotta hand it to the guy. he could take allot of punishment

[Wcustom]

Rampage said that they made him cut a lot of weight on short notice and they offered him $2000 to not tap out if he got caught in a sub or TKO.

but he did tap out lol

[Wendel_Clark_17]

Great fighter with a question mark beside his career for the shady dealings and sticking around too long.

[ArmbarTapout]

his reputation is a little tarnished because he shoulda retired a few years ago. but he is still one of my all time favorites. I would give anything to go back in time and do whatever i could to arrange a Sakuraba vs Rickson bout. I dont know why that fight never happened.

also, anybody who is a fan of grappling in mma should definately watch Sakuraba vs Carlos Newton.

[Gomi]

UFC tunnel vision is rampant in the US...

this

[Keith Hackney]

h I would give anything to go back in time and do whatever i could to arrange a Sakuraba vs Rickson bout. I dont know why that fight never happened.



I think it's mostly because Rickson wanted to keep his "undefeated" status.

[PitbullJR]

Was he the great muta in WCW

[ajzoot]

He gets plenty of respect. He's the Gracie killer, and any time there's a favourite fight thread Sakuraba vs Newton comes up pretty consistently.

Him, Enson(sort of), Uno, Musashi, Shoji, Nakamura, Matsui... These Japanese fighters just don't know when to stop.

[usiim-aryt]

I remember a documentary on Pride and one of the large sections of it was how much Sakuraba did for mma. His first match was against another pro-wrestler and they talked about how important it was for Sakuraba to win. If he didn't then Pride would have been a joke.

No, that was Rickson fighting Takada.

[mophatthedamaja]

i love Saku

but the japanese love for the absurd has tarnished his career..had the matchmakers respected his position he would be regarded as one of the greatest of all time...he should be in a hall of fame somewhere

[cgc]

Saku is the ****, but he was used and abused by Pride matchmakers and really should retire before he dies in the ring. :(

This - The guy was great, but over the past year or two if I hear he is fighting, I just kind of cringe...


Was he the Great Muta back in the WCW days?

Was he the great muta in WCW

No, he wasn't - that was Keiji Mutoh.

[Maine]

Who was the first guy to make a Gracie tap in an mma fight?

[Deathstroke]

Was he the Great Muta back in the WCW days?

As said, you are thinking of Keiji Mutoh.

Sakuraba was Yoshihiro Tajiri from ECW and WWE.

[wake_me]

where would Wanderlei be without the beatings he laid on Saku?

[Justin Buchana]

Like they said above... it's not that he doesn't get respect from those who follow the sport closely, or have followed for any length of time, it's just that so many casual fans don't even know who he is.

I still run into fans who act all hardcore UFC that don't even know who Fedor is.......

[wake_me]

I still run into fans who act all hardcore UFC that don't even know who Fedor is.......

Dana's favourite type of fan, no doubt.

[shaihulud]

Water.

Saku is a legend. I wouldn't call people not knowing who he is TUF nut huggers. His prime was well before the UFC explosion, so most people just never really had a chance to watch him.

I love the Saku/Randleman entrance where he dressed up as Mario, lol.

[cgc]

Sakuraba was Yoshihiro Tajiri from ECW and WWE.

No he wasn't and he was never in ECW, WWE(F)...

[Justin Buchana]

No he wasn't and he was never in ECW, WWE(F)...

I'm pretty sure he was JKing by saying that. Kinda making fun of the old stereotype that other races all look the same to ones own race. (no racist)

[Deathstroke]

HELLO! Walking pro wrestling encyclopedia here. Sakuraba was indeed Tajiri in ECW then WWF. However before that he wrestled in Big Japan Pro Wrestling in lighttube and barbwire deathmatches also under the ring name Yoshihiro Tajiri aka The Japanese Buzzsaw.

[mophatthedamaja]

HELLO! Walking pro wrestling encyclopedia here. Sakuraba was indeed Tajiri in ECW then WWF. However before that he wrestled in Big Japan Pro Wrestling in lighttube and barbwire deathmatches also under the ring name Yoshihiro Tajiri aka The Japanese Buzzsaw.

wow

**** just got real

[Deathstroke]

Here he is from his WWE days standing next to Torrie and Chris Benoit:

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2007/06/26/jtchrisbenoit_wideweb__470x301,0.jpg

[cgc]

HELLO! Walking pro wrestling encyclopedia here.

OK, if you think so....
But let me point out a few things...

Notice anything funny about the birth dates and places?
Yoshihiro Tajiri - Born Sept 29th 1970 in Yokohama, Japan.
Kazushi Sakuraba - Born July 14th 1969 in Akita, Japan.

Notice anything funny about the fact that they are on the same program wrestling two different people?

Summer Night Dream | 8/16/96 | VG | 1 Hour | Commercial Tape
Yosuke Kobayashi vs. Masahiko Kochi
Minoru Tanaka vs. Satoshi Yoneyama
Yuichi Taniguchi vs. Satoru Shiga
Kenichi Yamamoto vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
Bruiser Okamoto vs. Hiromichi Fuyuki
Shoji Nakamaki/Ichiro Yaguchi vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri/Seiji Yamakawa
(Piranha Deathmatch) Mitsuhiro Matsunaga vs. Kendo Nagasaki

On top of the above two examples - do you really think they even look alike?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Yoshihiro_Tajiri.jpg
http://i3.iofferphoto.com/img/item/464/166/56/Kazushi-Sakuraba-MMA-Fight-Collection.jpg

If I'm wrong, please correct me....but in double checking myself, I can't find anythihng even coming close to indicating the two are one.

[cgc]

Here he is from his WWE days standing next to Torrie and Chris Benoit:

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2007/06/26/jtchrisbenoit_wideweb__470x301,0.jpg


Dude - look at his ear....sure looks good considering Sakuraba's are so damaged...

[Clark_Kent]

He was also a popular actor.

http://imgs.sfgate.com/g/pictures/2005/11/10/ga_sulu.jpg

[cgc]

He was also a popular actor.

Also one HECK of a cook
http://www.kirtland.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/070411-F-7108Z-018.jpg

[drpurple]

id heard hed died

http://content6.flixster.com/photo/31/19/78/3119780_tml.jpg

[injured44]

HELLO! Walking pro wrestling encyclopedia here. Sakuraba was indeed Tajiri in ECW then WWF. However before that he wrestled in Big Japan Pro Wrestling in lighttube and barbwire deathmatches also under the ring name Yoshihiro Tajiri aka The Japanese Buzzsaw.

wow LOL i actually remember him back in the WWE he actually pulled off some pretty good moves.

he also looked bigger when he was in the WWE i believe

steroids ???

[cgc]

wow LOL i actually remember him back in the WWE he actually pulled off some pretty good moves.

he also looked bigger when he was in the WWE i believe

steroids ???

Yeah, he got them from Brock... :rolleyes:

[cgc]

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just isn't the same,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?

Did you guess which thing was not like the others?
Did you guess which thing just isn't the same?

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc41/Tajiri232/18Tajiri.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b15/brodie1221/saku.jpg
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/tajiri.jpg
http://www.thesweetscience.com/images/10587/img_9010_kazushi_sakuraba_240x230_20070601.jpg
http://th172.photobucket.com/albums/w15/TheWho87EWR/Wrestlers/KyKy/T%20Images/th_Tajiri4.jpg

If you guessed this one is not like the others,
Then you're absolutely...right!

http://www.mma-core.com/images/fighters/full/Kazushi_Sakuraba_1000636.jpg

[mophatthedamaja]

OK, if you think so....
But let me point out a few things...

Notice anything funny about the birth dates and places?
Yoshihiro Tajiri - Born Sept 29th 1970 in Yokohama, Japan.
Kazushi Sakuraba - Born July 14th 1969 in Akita, Japan.

Notice anything funny about the fact that they are on the same program wrestling two different people?

Summer Night Dream | 8/16/96 | VG | 1 Hour | Commercial Tape
Yosuke Kobayashi vs. Masahiko Kochi
Minoru Tanaka vs. Satoshi Yoneyama
Yuichi Taniguchi vs. Satoru Shiga
Kenichi Yamamoto vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
Bruiser Okamoto vs. Hiromichi Fuyuki
Shoji Nakamaki/Ichiro Yaguchi vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri/Seiji Yamakawa
(Piranha Deathmatch) Mitsuhiro Matsunaga vs. Kendo Nagasaki

On top of the above two examples - do you really think they even look alike?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Yoshihiro_Tajiri.jpg
http://i3.iofferphoto.com/img/item/464/166/56/Kazushi-Sakuraba-MMA-Fight-Collection.jpg

If I'm wrong, please correct me....but in double checking myself, I can't find anythihng even coming close to indicating the two are one.

wow

**** just became unreal again

[Deathstroke]

OK, if you think so....
But let me point out a few things...

Notice anything funny about the birth dates and places?
Yoshihiro Tajiri - Born Sept 29th 1970 in Yokohama, Japan.
Kazushi Sakuraba - Born July 14th 1969 in Akita, Japan.

Notice anything funny about the fact that they are on the same program wrestling two different people?

Summer Night Dream | 8/16/96 | VG | 1 Hour | Commercial Tape
Yosuke Kobayashi vs. Masahiko Kochi
Minoru Tanaka vs. Satoshi Yoneyama
Yuichi Taniguchi vs. Satoru Shiga
Kenichi Yamamoto vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
Bruiser Okamoto vs. Hiromichi Fuyuki
Shoji Nakamaki/Ichiro Yaguchi vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri/Seiji Yamakawa
(Piranha Deathmatch) Mitsuhiro Matsunaga vs. Kendo Nagasaki

On top of the above two examples - do you really think they even look alike?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Yoshihiro_Tajiri.jpg
http://i3.iofferphoto.com/img/item/464/166/56/Kazushi-Sakuraba-MMA-Fight-Collection.jpg

If I'm wrong, please correct me....but in double checking myself, I can't find anythihng even coming close to indicating the two are one.

Come on now. Mick Foley and others have worked more than once under more than one name on a single wrestling card. Sure, in most cases, the wrestler would put on a mask and go out and pretend to be someone else. That is funny though, I mean Sakuraba working the same show under two different names without wearing a mask. Perhaps they thought that the fans would not catch on and realise it's the same person. You know they say that wrestling fans are a bit slow. ;)

[cgc]

Come on now. Mick Foley and others have worked more than once under more than one name on a single wrestling card. Sure, in most cases, the wrestler would put on a mask and go out and pretend to be someone else. That is funny though, I mean Sakuraba working the same show under two different names without wearing a mask. Perhaps they thought that the fans would not catch on and realise it's the same person. You know they say that wrestling fans are a bit slow. ;)

OK, so you seriously can not SEE a difference between the two guys?




Seriously?

OK....If you're so sure. Show me proof other than becaus you said so. I've shown you birthdates/locations, a venu they both were at (yes, I'm aware that wrestlers have preformed several times at the same events), and MULTIPLE pictures of the two guys who look nothing alike.

So, seriously....please show me proof that they are the same guy.....as I stated I am more than willing to apologize if you're right.

[Mr Bounce]

Sakuraba was a champ, as they say the "Gracie Killer". Pleased the crowd, but with techniques that weren't just for show. UFC today is so different to what PrideFC was in those days, two different worlds.

[Keith Hackney]

OK, so you seriously can not SEE a difference between the two guys?




Seriously?

OK....If you're so sure. Show me proof other than becaus you said so. I've shown you birthdates/locations, a venu they both were at (yes, I'm aware that wrestlers have preformed several times at the same events), and MULTIPLE pictures of the two guys who look nothing alike.

So, seriously....please show me proof that they are the same guy.....as I stated I am more than willing to apologize if you're right.

Sakuraba also looked like Sakuraba during his pro-wrestling days, and didn't look anything like Tajiri. Also, Sak wasn't anywhere NEAR a big enough name in prowrestling to make it into the WWE. He was basically a jobber. It's quite ironic that many of the big names in Japanese pro wrestling like Takada couldn't fight at all, and somebody pretty far down their ranks became the poster-boy for the discipline.

-QK9c1_4BgI

[HardGainer82]

Masterful work by Deathstroke.

[cenonfrancis]

I remember his cartwheels! those always amazed me. He does catch-wrestling from what I remember.