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In the glory days of Japan's over-the-top MMA events, Kazushi Sakuraba embodied the samurai spirit of PRIDE Fighting Championship. Athletes, personalities and "The Gracie Hunter" himself tell how a pro wrestler became a superstar in the PRIDE ring.
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No one will ever forget the legend of the Gracie hunter
Many new fans don't know him, shit's sad man
@@isaacmendes1926 better say "casuals" don't know who he is
Only old school fans know him 90’s 2000’s
@@stephenevilboythompsonthed9711 i started following mma 5 years ago and i know him because he is a legend
@@yeeeaaahmayneee3808 Can't blame people for being born in a different generation? I know all about the Pride guys only after the fact. My first mma exposure was Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz in UFC.
This man is a pure legend imagine fighting someone for over an hour and then go on and fight someone else in the same fucking night
Dude followed real bushido shit. Insane
Actually it was hour and half, it's more than 3 times the most long time mma fighters can fighting today. Also he fought without weight limit. imagine welterweights fighting heavyweights this days.
ya and then to go on to have a long career after doing that... into his late 40s! and he's still doing grappling tourneys in his 50s. who else is he even comparable to? i'm trying to think here...
@Paul, see i didn't even know that! that makes it even crazier. a welterweight that fights for hours in a single night vs heavyweights, wins and goes on to have a career that spans decades... oh and btw he smoked and drank! unreal, man
@@erisonerison2820 who is that bro
Imagine being a natural welterweight and beating genetic freaks of nature like Kevin Randleman, Vitor Belfort and Rampage Jackson all while smoking cigs and getting plastered like your racially insensitive uncle. That was Kazushi Sakuraba, one of the greatest natural talents in the history of mma.
That is talent, watching him fight is so entertaining
@@Joseph-rh7yu He was. Although his striking wasn't as impressive as his grappling he did do alot of unique things that wouldn't be a staple in mma striking until a good 10 year's later such as cutting off the ring with a turning sidekick to the body and throwing a lead hook faint into a left body shot. Stipe would famously dismantle DCs entire game in thier second fight using this technique alone. He would go on to finish a natural HW Like Ken Shamrock in pride with strikes alone which was fairly impressive.
And fighting those guys back to back in one night...
U forgot the gracies 😭
Genetic freaks that are juiced to the gills
Bas Rutten did an incredible job here. Imagine him commentating some ufc events too like the old pride days 🏆
As he always does
Rutten commentary is the best.
mauro and bas had some great commetary. KEVIN RANDLEMAN HAS JUST KNOCKED OUT MIRCO CRO COP!!!
Id even take Bas over Rogan.
Anik/DC/Bas for the best commentating team ever made
Pride was the greatest MMA promotion ever. Love the soundtrack, the rules, the show, the crowd.
The corruption the fixing
@@keithcalvosa5894 you will get that in any fight business.
@@SS-lw8iv but definitely not as corrupted as pride with the yakuza being involved and everything.
@@archfiendkaguya6213 It still does the best in the entertainment industry, which mma is part of.
...my father used to take me to Lucha Libre events when I was a child, but he believed boxing to be the best martial art...when he saw the Gracies, his whole world changed...it wasn't until I told him that Royce Gracie had been beat that he asked me by whom and with what martial art..."Lucha, Pa...Lucha Libre Japonesa!"...
Legend. Essentially a welterweight who fought mostly LHW's and HW's. Madness. A true warrior.
@@hardassteel definitely not. But it was a different era. MMA was the wild west back in Saku's day.
Sakuraba is a legit hall-of-famer. Come on, UFC, this documentary is uncomplete. 😎👍
Greatest Japanese MMA fighter of all time
One of the greatest mma fighters period
Saku is one of the best people this sport has seen. Dude was a natural welterweight and fought heavyweights and won. What a legend
The Gracie Hunter!! Dude was on some real life bushido shit. Legend.
He's a legend.
@eddy dry nuts you are eddy dry NUTS
stink
@@user-un5ui7ht7j ?
@@bestgirl2500 E 🙀🙀🙀
Fought killers all his life and threw shade on the Gracies. Real G.
Legend.
Kazushi Sakuraba was one of the best fighters of his time. Kazushi Sakuraba is a legend.
My favorite story is Gary Goodridge I think, after he was done with his match he was walking back to the locker room, and stumbled on Sakuraba having a cigarette outside. Pretty sure he was fighting that night too lol
If this guy was a samurai, he would rule through out Japan.
Legend !!!
Very true
We need a Pride mode in UFC 4 and maybe add Mirko Cro Cop and Sakuraba in the game
Been saying pride mode for years!
CRO COP, FEDOR, SAKURABA, should be in the game
Even tournaments
all the OG’s from pride like UFC undisputed3
And what will the old men do? To get some injuries? 🤷🏻♂️
Sakuraba is the most beautiful mma fighter ever.
Damn good comment
Can't argue that
I hope they will make Pride mode in UFC 4
I wish honestly
That would be awesome
The pride mood wont happen they are propably stalling it for ufc 5
Still play ufc 3 from time to time just to play pride mode
@@husainlethal213 same dude
Man I miss Pride. Saku will always be a legend.
My favorite fighter. If I like MMA, Kazushi Sakuraba, you are the reason. Sympathy + Charisma + Technique + Style = Kazushi Sakuraba
He is truly the number one MMA legend by far. Insane the giants he beat.
True OG of the sport “The Gracie Hunter” had no fear and would fight anyone. LEGEND
He fought before I was born/was a kid & I didn't even know he existed until last week as a casual mma fan. But after watching alot of his fights here on youtube I really can't stress enough just how much I love this dude. What an absolute freaking LEGEND
just curious, how did you find about Saku?
Sakuraba= Gracie killer. Thank you ufc for acknowledging a pride legend & also inducting him in the ufc hall of fame🇮🇳🇯🇵...
Hell yeah!! It’s great seeing someone giving sakuraba some well deserved love. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
He's in the hall of fame so I'm pretty sure he's getting what he deserves
His story is one that will be told for many years to come. Truly legendary.
Sakuraba was a Pro Wrestler that happened to do MMA. His entire ideology & approach to mixed martial arts is the foundation of Pro Wrestling.
The legend is totally real! This man's contribution to MMA is irreplaceable, one of the OG legends forever 💯💪🙏
Rickson Gracie feared this Man. Ran from having to fight him lol
he fought and beat a lot of gracies
they called him the gracie killer.
Like he did when the improved bas Rutten called him out
Rickson (The GOAT of The Gracies) vs. Saku might be #1 Missed Fight in the sport's history. (That or Fedor v. Brock)
@@alec1115 agree
Why would they end it like that. Ohh he fought 4 Gracies. He kicked their ass eh. Dude is a monster had to put lead in his shoes just to make weight
it's a preview :P
Almost every pride fight was fixed by the yakuza, the person that lost always got paid more
@@Doorito_ Not all of the fights were fixed. Not even half the fights.
@@imafraidicantdothat.9203 I'm just going off what the fighters said. the fights might not ALL be fixed but the the yakuza made money from every single fight
@James Franko Money, it's always for more money
The glory days! Watching PRIDE events live was just so mesmerizing. Everything from the opening, entrances, the crowd roaring when something significant happens and the legendary matchups they made. It was something else entirely. Many of the best PRIDE fighters ended up coming to the UFC and won titles such as Shogun, Anderson, Rampage & Nogueira. Everyone knew PRIDE had such talented fighters. I just wish I could’ve attended a live event...#prideforever
@@giovanniinnavoig5422 lol I’ve been following MMA for 17 years, competed for 5 and have trained with fighters who were signed to PRIDE and UFC. Want photos for proof? Not sure why you sound so bitter and negative towards someone you don’t even know but that’s what you can expect from a typical keyboard warrior ;)
Pride fc and k1 for kickboxing it was golden era
Yeah kickboxing in general is not what it was anymore even glory is not as good as 90’s 2000’s k1
K1 is not the same owner Kazuyuki Ishii did some prison for non paid taxes or stuff like that (Japan doesn’t joke on that) and after jail, he worked on a manga . He is still the creator of k1 (and seidokaikan) and had great influence on kickboxing . miss the time with Andy hug, hoost, aerts, crocop , bernardo , cikatic etc...) Btw Jimmy crute is trained by Sam Greco and there is another ufc fighter trained by ray sefo I believe. Currently fedor’s student Vadim nemkov is bellator light heavyweight champ glad to see the student avenge the master.
@James Franko Kickboxing is way deeper now, K1 in the 90s was true Style VS Style. Buakaw's run was the last great one. ONE kickboxing is alright, they use small MMA gloves.
What a beast. What a pleasure to see and hear him talk.
Sakuraba is a real savage. What a legend
He deserves his own Anime, he's a hero!
"What he really built his name on was fighting 4 members of the Legendary Gracie Family" Renzo: *CUT!!!*
Renzo is a huge fan of his.
@@tchlin Yeah, I know. Renzo told me yesterday when we've talked
The Gracie Hunter, respect legend 🙏
sakuraba is a fans fighter
People's champ
@@justineluizpedrina2503exactly
@@justineluizpedrina2503 , agree. People champ!
Wish they would make more of these Fightlore episodes. These are great.
Man I miss them old Pride days. Saku was so dope in his prime. So entertaining. The Gracie killer.
One of my favorite fighters. The reason I started watching mma. I still remember watching these with my dad on vhs from my local Japanese video rental shop.
The living legend
Nice for saku to get some recognition from the UFC. The guy is a legend.
“They aren’t lions, or tigers, or bears.” 9 year old Khabib: 👀
He forgot to mention eagles 😂
Im surprised that there isnt a "Khabib would destroy Sakuraba" comment here
Lets be honest, that baby bear wasn’t gonna do shit lmao
@@Ilikemenunironicallyuwu I like Khabib but he wouldn't stand a chance against Sakuraba in his prime.
@@firecrackerjack68 Khabib is a lightweight and never fought higher.
For the first time I watched his fight when he got interviewed by journalists before his fight against Rampage I thought he was just going to die but he proved what the true fighter should do.
The guy pay homage to the legacy of his past life is just beautiful. Wore masks like Super Strong Machine, Keiji Muto, Hayabusa (?), Blue Demon and get up like Road Warrior. Respect he wore, respect he gets
Straight up legend and one of the greatest fighters to ever grace a ring
This is awesome. Please make more!
Damn I watched almost all of his pride fights live. There was nothing like it. Pride fc was honestly the best ppv to watch back then even over ufc. Crazy how times change.
I really wish that the UFC would just upload this series to their KZhead channel
Thank you for doing these.
Please make more of these, these are awesome
Saku was and is still my favorite fighter. Such a legend and I'm glad I lived through it and saw every fight.
Saku the Gracie Hunter!! for the new generation this is the OG superstar in MMA, I grew up watching him fight and enjoy his antics!!
LOVE these fightlore videos
Beautifully put together 🙏
Hats of to production team for showing in a best way as always 🙏🏼❤️🔥
きました！日本の誇り！未だに世界的に愛されていて凄い！
Please continue to make videos just like this. 👋 loved the editing
Really enjoyed this especially the funny animations
Awesome content. Saku will always be a legend
What a great man ! And a wonderful video, it seemed like it was going to continue. Is there more to this video? Thanks
These animations are hilarious! 😂 Growing up on the Sherdog forums (pre KZhead), Saku was my favorite fighter.
Now we have RIZIN in Japan, but Pride is forever...
Rizin is great concerning some weight class they have killers but it is not as good as pride fc Pride fc was like real men stuff not normal sport wannabe.
And ONE FC all over Asia
I love these segments... 👍👍
This series is legendary.
Old school Pride FC days. Nothing comes close to it, will always be missed
You never watched it!!!
One of my favorite fighters!!
im so glad people revere Sakuraba that man is an absolute legend! Time to give Genki Sudo the same treatment! Dude has his own music, dance choreography and the most exciting fighting style
The Gracie Hunter ain't a Pride FC Legend. He's an MMA Legend... damn dana 😒
Finally,a video about sakuraba
Saku's Quintet is my favorite live event on Fightpass
Absolute legend.
One of my favorite fighters of all time!!
You know it would be awesome if there is someone who could continue Sakuraba's legend. Not many Japanese UFC fighter makes big name these days
Still remember how Kazushi Sakuraba destroyed the Garcie Family...Good O'l Days
Wow that was amazing. I learned a lot (watched the full version on Fight Pass).
He was known as the Gracie Hunter..
8:32 CORRECTION: he fought five Gracies, not four!! 1 - Royce. 2 - Royler. 3 - Renzo. 4 - Ralek. 5 - Ryan.
I need an hour of this
Possibly the most underrated mma fighters of all time. He beat heavyweights (most clearly on ped’s) whilst weighing less than usman and fighting multiple opponents the same night! All while being respectful and never making excuses, man’s a legend
The Pride days were one of the best times for MMA. I miss the chaos, the fun intros and the spetacular fights.
the gracie hunterrrrrr!
I feel sorry for the MMA fans that only know the UFC and missed this era of the sport. Man those events were insane.
I always love Pride because they have fighters all around the world and Sakuraba is a true warrior and a legend! He had broken ribs, slit ear, broken nose,... all kind of shits but he never quit! A true war warrior!
桜庭氏BIG respect
Amazing video
Stephen “The Fight Professor” Quadros is missing in this...How do you leave him out...? Also...Back then...Friday nights was U.F.C. & Saturday nights was Pride... I miss those times. Namaste'
And New Year’s Eve was for SHOCKWAVE!
Old school pride f and k1 kickboxing Best ever glory is shit ufc is ok but hummm .
LEGEND
The Gracie Hunter himself. 🔥👏🏽
Of course he's one of the absolutely best and a complete package for any promotion;skills, heart, will, and a top tier entertainer. But man I gotta say, though it was short, I'm really diggin this video! The whole setup is super dope!
Legend i got to see him in his prime wow os!
One of my personal favourites 💪🏼
Sakuraba , eu te amo , brasil sabe que vc faz parte da historia das grandes lutas , gracies hunter
Isso mesmo irmão
an true legend for sure !!!
Legend
The Gracie Hunter 👊love this guy
Legend...
absolute legend