Normally, any chance I get to write about mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Kazushi Sakuraba, I’d be thrilled.
But when it has to do with the longtime great competing at 46 years of age with his best years behind him, the elation quickly goes south. And according to Rizin Fighting Federation CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara, “Saku” will continue doing just that.
In his conversation with ESPN, Sakikabara — the former head of PRIDE FC — says he doesn’t believe Kazushi’s time in the sport is over, as he envisions him competing for his promotion moving forward.
Even if it means creating an age division for athletes over 40 years of age.
“As far as him fighting again, we have to discuss. We’ve talked about a class of 40-year-olds and over. It’s not over for Sakuraba in my mind,” said Sakakibara.
Of course, the decision to move forward is Sakuraba’s to make, as the Rizin head cheese admitted that his most recent loss to Shinya Aoki was a “brutal reality” for the legend.
While one can’t help but to admire Sakuraba’s drive to compete, the last five years haven’t been so great for one of the old posterboys for PRIDE. Including his first-round loss to Aoki at Rizin’s inaugural show last month (recap), Kazushi has lost five in a row dating back to 2010, four of those via stoppage.
When you take into consideration the fact that he’s been fighting since 1996 and already endured years of punishment and injuries over that time span — thanks to brutal bouts inside the PRIDE ring — fighting, at this point, seems like a bad idea.
Then again, how about a geriatric rematch with the winner of this bout?