Would Sakuraba have beaten Rickson Gracie?

[Ancient Warrior]

While his 400 win record is likely exaggerated, his grappling legitimacy is not. The greatest bjj guys in the world who've sparred with him have said he is very much is the phenomenon that he is portrayed to be. Rickson treated his body like a temple and believed in maximizing what he had 100%. But even with that genius, he didn't appear to be overly gifted athletically.

Sakuraba on the other hand, seemed more comfortable and fluid on his feet but wasn't exactly any kind of threat there. It looked like even Renzo was good enough to keep it even until the kimura. There's no way a Sak/Rickson bout would be determined by striking imo. It would come down to the grappling.

In that department I have to go with Rickson. If Sakuraba were a KO artist or a gnp specialist, then I'd be concerned, but he wasn't. I think Rickson would play a patient role, with Kazushi experimenting and even controlling parts of the match to a degree with good wrestling and creative striking. In the end though, I think Rickson keeps his cool, catches him out of position and sinks in a choke from the back.

 

[discrawg]

Rickson all the way people

 

[Ancient Warrior]

Every single top bjj guy that has ever rolled with rickson has said he is the absolute best they ever rolled with.

I don't care about the 400 -0 garbage, but we have seen him fight mma, and we have some of the best jiu jitsu guys ever saying he is the best.

I think standing that Saku would have given him problems. However rickson also had good takedowns unlike the other gracies that Saku beat. I think eventually rickson gets him down, and then once they are on the ground I think rickson taps him out.

I'm a huge fan of both guys. I just think that if royce could last 90 minutes with him, without Saku knocking him out or subbing him, that rickson wouldn't get stopped either, and on top of that I'll take rickson over anyone of that era on the ground.

Would have loved to have seen that fight though. Nothing but respect for both of those warriors.

It's funny.

You basically said everything I just wrote.

 

[leto1776]

Rickson is very underrated, mostly because of all the bs and hype that surrounds him. However, it does say a lot when BJJ guys that have no real connection to the Gracie family roll with him, and admit to his greatness.

 

[Rogerdraven]

Rickson would have won. It took Sakuraba 1.5 hours to wear down Royce Gracie enough to stop the fight with kicks and Royce had only fought once in the last 5 years at that point (against Takada). Rickson was much stronger than Royce, has harder strikes and is much more athletic, with at least as much technique. If it was normal time limits Royce actually would have won that fight.

Royce himself said Rickson destroys him when they used to train together. The one advantage Sakuraba had was he is 10 years younger.

 

[cumafish]

No such thing as "Pride rules" when a Gracie gets in the ring.....They want no time limit, Gi allowed, No restanding for stalling, No yellow cards....Did I leave anything out?

No closed hand striking.

 

[arkinso]

The rumor was that Ricksons son had died when he was supposed to face Sakuraba, but i am unsure of this story and how true it is.

Rockson died 3.5 years (!) after Sakuraba fough Royce. This is the reason his death always seems to me like an excuse why Rickson never fought Sakuraba.

 

[laleggenda27]

Rickson was the better grappler, but Saku was a fairly well-rounded MMArtist. It would depend on two things: 1) whether Saku's pride would have tempted him to engage in a grappling match; and 2) if Saku decided NOT to engage in a grappling match, would Rickson be able to secure takedowns. If Saku decided to play with fire and grapple (like the Carlos Newton fight), then Rickson wins. But if Saku decided to keep it standing, I don't see how Rickson wins - Rickson's striking was so primitive that I doubt he'd be able to close the distance and secure takedowns.

People conveniently forget that Rickson was old by the time MMA really gained popularity. He was about 40 when Saku went to Pride. It's not entirely fair to judge Rickson by MMA standards, since his prime was before MMA even existed. The real question is how good would Rickson have been if he were 10 years younger and started training MMA in his 20s. I suspect he would have been a destroyer, but we'll never really know.

 

[bad seed]

unified rules, no gi, 3x5minute rounds = Saku by decision.

 

[arkinso]

While his 400 win record is likely exaggerated, his grappling legitimacy is not. The greatest bjj guys in the world who've sparred with him have said he is very much is the phenomenon that he is portrayed to be. Rickson treated his body like a temple and believed in maximizing what he had 100%. But even with that genius, he didn't appear to be overly gifted athletically..

I have a friend who trains in Tai Chi. Apparently his master is a skinny man who weights about 150 pounds, 20 grown men cannot move him from his spot. I heard other stories about Kung Fu masters who can kill a man with one strike to the chest. I believe it is called Dim Mak.

It is very hard to separate truth from myths, especially when you have to rely on the testimony of devoted disciples who worship their master. I wish there was a sport in which all those claims could be tested, and a man's ability would be measured by his actual achievements rather than myths and legends.

Wait a minute, I think I have a wonderful idea for a new sport, I think I'll call it MMA...

 

[Jack Handy jr]

Done

Thanks homeslice.

 

[MMAsterKillah]

It would have been epic, but would lean towards Saku. I can only imagine what his legacy would be like if he had fought where he belonged (170 pounds), against competition that made sense.

Rickson was incredible, too... obviously, and hearing great BJJ guys speak so highly of his skills is astounding.

 

[Jack Handy jr]

400-1

Seriously, who knows how that would've gone.

Ron Tripp is no prime sakuraba sooo

 

[Jack Handy jr]

It would have been epic, but would lean towards Saku. I can only imagine what his legacy would be like if he had fought where he belonged (170 pounds), against competition that made sense.

Rickson was incredible, too... obviously, and hearing great BJJ guys speak so highly of his skills is astounding.

Yeah ex WEC champ Paulo Filho said Rickson did things to him that made him rethink life or something

 

[lecter]

Sakuraba had much better kickboxing. Rickson really only had a leg kick, and basic punches. He used to overwhelm his opponents with his athleticism, and of course Jiu Jitsu.

Rickson, the first A-level athlete in MMA.

 

[Jack Handy jr]

Every single top bjj guy that has ever rolled with rickson has said he is the absolute best they ever rolled with.

I don't care about the 400 -0 garbage, but we have seen him fight mma, and we have some of the best jiu jitsu guys ever saying he is the best.

I think standing that Saku would have given him problems. However rickson also had good takedowns unlike the other gracies that Saku beat. I think eventually rickson gets him down, and then once they are on the ground I think rickson taps him out.

I'm a huge fan of both guys. I just think that if royce could last 90 minutes with him, without Saku knocking him out or subbing him, that rickson wouldn't get stopped either, and on top of that I'll take rickson over anyone of that era on the ground.

Would have loved to have seen that fight though. Nothing but respect for both of those warriors.

Yeah i too have read a lot of high level guys in the competitive bjj circuit say Rickson made them re evaluate everything they thought they knew about BJJ after rolling with him.

I haven't heard the same about Marcelo Garcia, Braulio Estima, Roger Gracie, or Jacare....only Rickson..so if it hit the mat it would be very interesting to see if Saku wouldve survived

I think a modern equivalent would be like maybe a Ryan Hall vs a Shinya Aoki or something.

 

[erg0n]

Saku is more of a complete fighter than Hickson

 

[bad seed]

I haven't heard the same about Marcelo Garcia, Braulio Estima, Roger Gracie, or Jacare....only Rickson..so if it hit the mat it would be very interesting to see if Saku wouldve survived

probably due to closer parity now between athletes at the highest levels, whereas Rickson stood alone at the top in his prime.

 

[Todd498]

This fight should have happened! What a shame. Rickson v.s Wallid after Ismail chocked out Royce would have been awesome too. MMA or BJJ match

 

[Jack Handy jr]

This fight should have happened! What a shame. Rickson v.s Wallid after Ismail chocked out Royce would have been awesome too. MMA or BJJ match

Your AV bro. Geesh