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The story behind Kazushi Sakuraba’s first and only night in the UFC

Kazushi Sakuraba was a UFC fighter for only one night, winning one of the weirdest tournaments in the history of the promotion.

Sakuraba will be honored during the 2017 International Fight Week in Las Vegas on July 6 with his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame. “The Gracie Killer” is arguably the most important figure in MMA history in Japan, and he scored his first-ever victory at the UFC 15.5 card at the Yokohama Arena on Dec. 21, 1997.

The four-man, one-night heavyweight tournament also included Tank Abbott, Marcus "Conan" Silveira and Yoji Anjo, and featured Sakuraba as a late-replacement addition.