Fight Archives: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Royler Gracie
In honor of Kazushi Sakuraba’s UFC Hall-of-Fame induction, we look back on his first fight with a member of the Gracie family.
On Thursday, July 6th, the UFC will be inducting Kazushi Sakuraba into its Hall-of-Fame. It is a rightful honor bestowed upon one of the most decorated fighters in the sport’s history.
Now 47 years of age, Sakuraba continues to compete, trying to add more stripes to his already stellar career. It is a professional fighting run that has spanned for 21 years and counting, wherein he has faced countless of notable names.
Along the way, he has earned the nickname “The Gracie Hunter” after defeating one member of the family after another, and he did so in such an impressive manner.
The first name on Sakuraba’s hit list is Royler Gracie, whom he fought at Pride 8 on November 21, 1999 in Tokyo. Entering the fight, Royler held a 3-0 record, and had just begun his professional fighting career three years prior. Sakuraba, meanwhile, already had eight fights under his belt, and had already fought twice in the UFC.
The ending of the fight was a de ja vu of another Brazil vs. Japan classic 48 years prior. The family’s patriarch Helio was placed in the exact same positon against Masahiko Kimura, where he refused to tap, causing his arm to break from what was then called as the Gyaku ude-garami lock.
Now fittingly named the Kimura lock, Royler did the same as his father, refusing to concede to Sakuraba’s hold as his arm bent to a 90-degree angle until the referee stepped into to stop the fight.
Sakuraba, went on to defeat Royce, Renzo and Ryan, further establishing his reputation as the Gracie killer. It was these wins among many others that has placed him into legendary status, and now as part of the esteemed list UFC Hall-of-Famers.
The full video of the fight can be seen here.