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Profiling Japan's Mixed Martial Arts Legend 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.
Despite the recent explosion in the sports popularity, the United States MMA scene doesn't really have anyone of comparable status to Sakuraba in Japan. Hes credited for helping the nascent sport of mixed martial arts emerge from Japanese professional wrestling as well as for making MMA a major league sport in Japan. Sakuraba is also considered by many to be pound for pound the greatest Japanese MMA fighter ever, with some suggesting that he transcends the national qualifier and should be regarded as the pound for pound best fighter in the brief history of the sport. A legendary series of matches against various members of the Gracie family further elevated the status of MMA in Japan and in the process made Sakuraba a superstar. In particular the 90 minute long battle against Royce Gracie at PRIDE's 2000 Grand Prix tournament is frequently cited as the greatest match in MMA history. Hes also considered the best box office draw in Japanese fight sports of the past decade, which is part of the reason that hes been persuaded to stick around longer than he should have. Hes not only Japans greatest MMA fighter, but one that still sells tickets.
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.
Boxing experts often evaluate fighters as being young or old for their age. A fighter whose career has been mostly comprised of knockouts or other easy victories against uninspiring opposition would be described as young for his age. Conversely, a competitor that has been through many grueling fights and wars against top notch rivals is often judged to be old for his age. Perhaps the best recent example of a boxer that was old for his age is Erik El Terrible Morales who retired late last year at the age of 30, having fought a series of epic battles with fellow Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera that left him physically and emotionally drained. As a result, boxing commentators often suggest that Morales was an old 30. Evaluated by a similar rubric, there's no doubt that Sakuraba is an old 38. The 90 minute confrontation with Royce Gracie alone likely took a significant physical and emotional toll, and after that Sakuraba continued to fight the best level of opposition in the world.
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.
Author Resource:-
Ross Everett is a widely published widely published 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 a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
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