What if, instead of regularly competing against larger men, he'd just fought at 185 (or 170, a better weight for him)? His legend would not be the same, but he'd probably have had a longer prime.
Sakuraba was one of the greatest p4p fighters in the history of NHB & MMA.... he weighed an average of 183 lbs & regularly beat men at 200 lbs. Thats the reason I rank him 2nd to only Fedor in all MMA history. The fighters he beat in his prime is nothing short of astonishing & he finished the majority of them by submission. He seems a bit underrated among the young fans of today that have this misconception that things have evolved so much that Sakuraba couldnt be as dominant as he was then.... of course he could because he would be a 185 lb fighter (MW) & like Dan Henderson, had that rare skillset to enable him to fight & win in at a higher weight. A true legend that would be special in ANY era.
Sakuraba could have fought at lightweight. He was soft at 183. His style was a nightmare for JJ guys at the time and he held some advantages over strikers. But in todays MMA, he would get beat by a few fighters. He has to be considered top 10 ATG though.
Saku at 185lbs would of been amazing. He was aked to fight at that weight more then enough times but refused. Fighting spirit!! Remember Sakuraba lied about his weight to enter the UFC HW tournament in Japan and won. His words after victory were "Pro-wrestling is strong"
What Sakuraba fights would you guys recommend to someone who wasn't familiar with him? I know he was known as the Gracie Killer, but I've never actually seen him fight. Sounds amazing.
