Of all the MMA fighters who have competed well past their prime, there have been few tales more woeful than that of Kazushi Sakuraba. One of the true legends of the sport, Sakuraba first started competing professionally back in 1996, compiling nearly 50 matches against a who’s who of the sport in the time since. And not a one of his fights — not his 26 wins, nor his 17 losses, two draws, and one No Contest — came easily.
There are few fighters, nay, human beings on this Earth who can claim to have absorbed as much punishment as Kazushi Sakuraba has, and as is so often the case, the years are clearly starting to wear on “The Gracie Hunter” to increasingly distressing results.