7 Fights That Defined Mixed Martial Arts
3. Gracie Vs. Sakuraba (2000)
As mentioned earlier, 1951 would not be last the time a Japanese wrestler skilled with the Kimura lock would prove to be the bane of the Gracie family’s existence.
An expert catch-wrestler, Kasushi Sakuraba proved to be a natural on his transition to MMA, winning the UFC Japan tournament in just his third fight. He would then go on to be one of the early stars of the Japanese promotion PRIDE. It was in PRIDE that Sakuraba became the first man to hand a member of the Gracie family a loss in MMA for several years when he defeated Royler Gracie by Kimura. Royler Gracie had been the posterchild for the Gracie family in MMA up to that point, going undefeated in the UFC winning many of the early tournaments.
The family were hungry for redemption, and after returning from a long hiatus to fight in the 2000 PRIDE Grand Prix, Royce Gracie matched Sakuraba in the quarter-finals and had the opportunity to avenge his brother’s loss.
The fight was notable due to the special rules, with the Gracies demanding that the contest have an unlimited number of 15-minute rounds, no judges, and the only ways to win being corner stoppage, knockout, or submission. As the action commenced both men battled with Sakuraba trying in vain to secure a Kimura, but still managing to consistently land with a variety of strikes. After 90 minutes of action, with Gracie suffering from a broken femur from successive leg kicks, Rorion Gracie threw in the towelm, handing victory to Sakuraba in what is, to this day, the longest MMA fight of all time.