Kazushi Sakuraba
Kazushi Sakuraba (Japanese: 桜庭 和志, Sakuraba Kazushi, born July 14, 1969) is a Japanese professional wrestler, submission wrestler and former mixed martial artist, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he was formerly one-half of the former GHC Tag Team Champions with Takashi Sugiura. He has also competed in traditional puroresu for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and shoot-style competition for UWFi and Kingdom Pro Wrestling (KPW). He has fought in MMA competition in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride Fighting Championships, Hero's, Dream and most recently Rizin Fighting Federation. He is known as the Gracie Hunter or the Gracie Killer due to his wins over four members of the famed Gracie family: Royler Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Ryan Gracie, and Royce Gracie. Sakuraba is famous for beating 15 champions of different top MMA organizations; opponents who were often many weight-classes above him.
| Kazushi Sakuraba | |
|---|---|
Sakuraba in 2015 | |
| Born | July 14, 1969 Shōwa, Akita, Japan (now Katagami, Akita, Japan) |
| Other names | The Gracie Hunter |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 75.75kg (167 lb; 11st 13 lb) |
| Division | Welterweight Middleweight Light Heavyweight Openweight |
| Reach | 73+1⁄2 in (187 cm) |
| Style | Catch Wrestling Shoot Wrestling |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Team | Takada Dojo Laughter7 |
| Teacher(s) | Nobuhiko Takada Yoji Anjo Billy Robinson |
| Years active | 1996–2011, 2015 (MMA) 1993- present (Wrestling) |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 46 |
| Wins | 26 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 19 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 17 |
| By knockout | 10 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Last updated on: May 18, 2010 | |
Known for his excellent skills in catch wrestling and unorthodox fighting style, he is considered to be one of the greatest mixed martial art fighters of all time, and also holds notable victories over 7 UFC champions, 3 Pancrase Champions, a DREAM champion, a King of the Cage champion and Battlecade Extreme Fighting champion; former Welterweight Champion Carlos Newton, two former Light heavyweight champions Vitor Belfort and Quinton Jackson, former Heavyweight Champion Kevin Randleman, 3-time UFC Tournament champion Royce Gracie, former Superfight champion and King of Pancrase Ken Shamrock, former King of Pancrase Masakatsu Funaki, DREAM Super Hulk Tournament Champion Ikuhisa Minowa, former King of the Cage Light Heavyweight champion Vernon White, and former Battlecade Extreme Fighting champion Marcus Silveira. He is also the first of only two Japanese champions in UFC history. Sakuraba's Pride fights routinely draw more than 20 million viewers in Japan. Sakuraba is the founder of the submission wrestling promotion Quintet, where he has competed since 2018.