Kazushi Sakuraba joins UFC Hall of Fame class of 2017
"The Gracie Hunter" is being immortalized.
PRIDE FC legend Kazushi Sakuraba will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame during July's International Fight Week, the promotion announced during Saturday's broadcast of UFC 212.
The Japanese luminary isn't being enshrined for his exploits in the Octagon so much as his contributions to mixed martial arts, as his sole UFC appearance came 20 years ago in his home country, where he submitted Marcus Silveira to win the promotion's heavyweight tournament.
A crafty catch wrestler and lovable showman, Sakuraba cemented himself as MMA royalty with wins over multiple members of the legendary Gracie family, including Royler, Ryan, Renzo, and most notably, Royce Gracie. The wily Sakuraba tangled with Royce for a whopping 90 minutes at the PRIDE openweight grand prix in 2000, an all-time classic he took by stoppage.
The latter half of his career didn't yield as many triumphs, although he continued to steal the hearts of his countrymen by taking on the world's best under the PRIDE FC banner, collecting coveted scalps in Vitor Belfort, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, and former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman along the way.
The 47-year-old last fought in December 2015 for Rizin FF, falling to Shinya Aoki by first-round TKO. He joins fellow fighters Urijah Faber and Maurice Smith, as well as former matchmaker Joe Silva in this year's Hall of Fame class with a professional record of 26-17-1.