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A pro fighter faces the most difficult decision of his life when contemplating the prospect of retirement. Unfortunately, too many hang on well past the time when they can compete at the highest level only serving to diminish their legacy and damage their health. MMA is no different than boxing in this respect, and following his brutal knockout loss to Melvin Manhoef at DREAM 4 Japan's legendary Kazushi Sakuraba appears to fit the description of a fighter who needs to call it quits but is unwilling to do so.
While MMA has exploded in popularity in the United States, there's not one individual fighter who can be credited with the boom. In Japan, however, Sakuraba is widely acknowledged to have brought the sport to the mainstream of that country's popular culture. His legendary feud against the Gracie family, highlighted by his epic 90 minute war with Royce Grace at PRIDE's 2000 GP event, elevated him well past superstar status into the realm of national hero.
Sakuraba's record definitely justifies the high regard in which he's held, but the reality is that he's done nothing to build on his legacy for a number of years. His last really impressive win was over former UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, but he hasn't even defeated a credible opponent of any sort since his 2003 win over Kevin Randleman.
Boxing experts often evaluate fighters as being young or old for their age. A fighter whose career has been mostly comprised of knockouts or other easy victories against uninspiring opposition would be described as young for his age. Conversely, a competitor that has been through many grueling fights and wars against top notch rivals is often judged to be old for his age. Perhaps the best recent example of a boxer that was old for his age is Erik El Terrible Morales who retired late last year at the age of 30, having fought a series of epic battles with fellow Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera that left him physically and emotionally drained. As a result, boxing commentators often suggest that Morales was an old 30. Evaluated by a similar rubric, theres no doubt that Sakuraba is an old 38. The 90 minute confrontation with Royce Gracie alone likely took a significant physical and emotional toll, and after that Sakuraba continued to fight the best level of opposition in the world.
Furthermore hed frequently find himself across the ring from much larger superstars, his popularity and fearlessness producing matchups that could never get sanctioned in the US but are commonplace in the wild wild west environment of Japanese fighting. The quality of opposition he faced is staggering"Royce Gracie and several other members of the legendary family, Wanderlei Silva, Mirko Cro Cop, Vitor Belfort, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira stand out as the most impressive names on his record. Unfortunately and not surprisingly, he had difficulty when stepping up in class against heavier fighters and most of these matchups resulted in losses by brutal knockout or other type of stoppage.
Sakuraba, unfortunately, has shown little indication that he'll retire any time soon. Hopefully his prolonged career won't undermine his legacy of greatness, or more problematically damage his long term mental or physical well being.
While MMA has exploded in popularity in the United States, there's not one individual fighter who can be credited with the boom. In Japan, however, Sakuraba is widely acknowledged to have brought the sport to the mainstream of that country's popular culture. His legendary feud against the Gracie family, highlighted by his epic 90 minute war with Royce Grace at PRIDE's 2000 GP event, elevated him well past superstar status into the realm of national hero.
Sakuraba's record definitely justifies the high regard in which he's held, but the reality is that he's done nothing to build on his legacy for a number of years. His last really impressive win was over former UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, but he hasn't even defeated a credible opponent of any sort since his 2003 win over Kevin Randleman.
Boxing experts often evaluate fighters as being young or old for their age. A fighter whose career has been mostly comprised of knockouts or other easy victories against uninspiring opposition would be described as young for his age. Conversely, a competitor that has been through many grueling fights and wars against top notch rivals is often judged to be old for his age. Perhaps the best recent example of a boxer that was old for his age is Erik El Terrible Morales who retired late last year at the age of 30, having fought a series of epic battles with fellow Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera that left him physically and emotionally drained. As a result, boxing commentators often suggest that Morales was an old 30. Evaluated by a similar rubric, theres no doubt that Sakuraba is an old 38. The 90 minute confrontation with Royce Gracie alone likely took a significant physical and emotional toll, and after that Sakuraba continued to fight the best level of opposition in the world.
Furthermore hed frequently find himself across the ring from much larger superstars, his popularity and fearlessness producing matchups that could never get sanctioned in the US but are commonplace in the wild wild west environment of Japanese fighting. The quality of opposition he faced is staggering"Royce Gracie and several other members of the legendary family, Wanderlei Silva, Mirko Cro Cop, Vitor Belfort, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira stand out as the most impressive names on his record. Unfortunately and not surprisingly, he had difficulty when stepping up in class against heavier fighters and most of these matchups resulted in losses by brutal knockout or other type of stoppage.
Sakuraba, unfortunately, has shown little indication that he'll retire any time soon. Hopefully his prolonged career won't undermine his legacy of greatness, or more problematically damage his long term mental or physical well being.
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