Sherdog’s Top 10: Japanese Fighters

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1. Kazushi Sakuraba

Sakuraba is MMA royalty, not just in his native Japan but across the globe. His overall record may lack some shine, but he was willing to fight anyone at any time. No other fighter from Japan has had more of an impact on mixed martial arts than Sakuraba, a man who paired immense talent with an inhuman ability to withstand punishment.

He embodied courage and embraced his role as a torchbearer for an entire country. Sakuraba’s resume is filled with dozens of high-profile victories, including wins over Vitor Belfort, Carlos Newton, Guy Mezger, Kevin Randleman and Ken Shamrock. Still, his most iconic triumphs came at the expense of MMA’s First Family: the Gracies. From his 90-minute marathon with Royce Gracie to successful encounters with Royler Gracie, Renzo Gracie and Ryan Gracie, his nickname, “The Gracie Hunter,” was well-earned.

Sakuraba’s career also included a failed trilogy with Wanderlei Silva, along with memorable battles against men who were much larger: Igor Vovchanchyn, Mirko Filipovic, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona. Like many fighters, Sakuraba held on for too long, but his end-of-career collapse could do nothing to tarnish his reputation as one of the all-time greats.