- Joined
- Jan 3, 2004
- Messages
- 2,665
- Reaction score
- 273
Mr. Sakuraba, You are by far my all time favorite Mixed Martial Artist in history. In a sport where the word “legend” is overused, You have earned and deserve to be described as such. You are universally acknowledged as having brought MMA to the mainstream of Japanese sports and popular culture.
You revolutionized the sport of MMA with Your unorthodox but highly effective "catch wrestling" technique in the late 90s when one family, the Gracies, still had a mystique of invincibility, single fights were replacing tournaments, and open fingered gloves began to be universally used. You singlehandedly broke what was thought to be a 65 year old unbeaten streak, redefined the boundaries between MMA and entertainment, and was the first one to solve the Gracie Jiu Jitsu puzzle by running through 4 of the their family members.
You then regularly began fighting much heavier fighters outside Your weight class. I 100% respect and admire Your Japanese warrior spirit, the ethos of the Samurai who willingly courts death at the hands of unbeatable odds, but cringe at the many "unnecessary" beatings of which You have been on the receiving end. You made the most of Your box office popularity, demonstrating Your bravery by facing much larger opponents including Wanderlai Silva (3x), Igor Vovchanchyn, Mirko Cro Cop, Ricardo Arona, Jason Miller, & Melvin Manhoef. These physical mismatches would have never been sanctioned in the more tightly regulated US Athletic Commissions, but were big box office in Japan. The result, however, wasn't as favorable for You with most ending with You losing by knockout or submission.
I am asking You, Good Sir, to please consider "retiring" from competitive MMA fighting. I understand (not really, as I have never fought professionally (only grappling tournaments)) the competitive fire that burns within You but at what expense ? You have absolutely NOTHING left to prove. At this point, You're doing nothing to enhance Your legacy and are putting it at risk by continuing Your career well past Your competitive prime. .As hard as it is for me to say, You fit the description of a fighter who needs to call it quits but is unwilling to do so. I am hoping that Your prolonged career won't undermine Your legacy of greatness, or more problematically damage Your long term mental or physical well being.
When fans and analysts talk about a "Pound for Pound" best, we should be looking at fighters who transcend a specific weight class. If that really is a requirement then You, Mr Kazushi Sakuraba, are definitely One of the Greatest that ever lived. You have wins over what were then past and future heavy weight, light heavy weight and welterweight champions. Peace, Much Respect, and Happiness Always, Sir.
Sakuraba vs Aoki
12/29/2015 Rizin Full fight --> http://fightland.vice.com/blog/watch-shinya-aoki-defeat-sakuraba-during-day-1-of-rizin
You revolutionized the sport of MMA with Your unorthodox but highly effective "catch wrestling" technique in the late 90s when one family, the Gracies, still had a mystique of invincibility, single fights were replacing tournaments, and open fingered gloves began to be universally used. You singlehandedly broke what was thought to be a 65 year old unbeaten streak, redefined the boundaries between MMA and entertainment, and was the first one to solve the Gracie Jiu Jitsu puzzle by running through 4 of the their family members.
You then regularly began fighting much heavier fighters outside Your weight class. I 100% respect and admire Your Japanese warrior spirit, the ethos of the Samurai who willingly courts death at the hands of unbeatable odds, but cringe at the many "unnecessary" beatings of which You have been on the receiving end. You made the most of Your box office popularity, demonstrating Your bravery by facing much larger opponents including Wanderlai Silva (3x), Igor Vovchanchyn, Mirko Cro Cop, Ricardo Arona, Jason Miller, & Melvin Manhoef. These physical mismatches would have never been sanctioned in the more tightly regulated US Athletic Commissions, but were big box office in Japan. The result, however, wasn't as favorable for You with most ending with You losing by knockout or submission.
I am asking You, Good Sir, to please consider "retiring" from competitive MMA fighting. I understand (not really, as I have never fought professionally (only grappling tournaments)) the competitive fire that burns within You but at what expense ? You have absolutely NOTHING left to prove. At this point, You're doing nothing to enhance Your legacy and are putting it at risk by continuing Your career well past Your competitive prime. .As hard as it is for me to say, You fit the description of a fighter who needs to call it quits but is unwilling to do so. I am hoping that Your prolonged career won't undermine Your legacy of greatness, or more problematically damage Your long term mental or physical well being.
When fans and analysts talk about a "Pound for Pound" best, we should be looking at fighters who transcend a specific weight class. If that really is a requirement then You, Mr Kazushi Sakuraba, are definitely One of the Greatest that ever lived. You have wins over what were then past and future heavy weight, light heavy weight and welterweight champions. Peace, Much Respect, and Happiness Always, Sir.
Sakuraba vs Aoki
12/29/2015 Rizin Full fight --> http://fightland.vice.com/blog/watch-shinya-aoki-defeat-sakuraba-during-day-1-of-rizin
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