Royce I started jiujitsu because of you but dude that was along time ago:
Gracie-Sakuraba Rematch Among Key Bouts on Star-Studded Dynamite!! USA Fight Card
Submitted by:ADCC NEWS
Posted on : 5/9/2007
Gracie seeks to exact revenge for legendary 90-minute bout seven years ago;
Full card features MMA favorites and crossover curiosities
Los Angeles, May 8, 2007 - MMA legends Royce Gracie and Kasuzshi Sakuraba, who fought an exhausting 90-minute battle seven years ago, will meet once again, this time as the co-main event at "Softbank presents Dynamite!! USA in association with ProElite" in the Los Angeles Coliseum on June 2 (live SHOWTIME® PPV, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT).
Gracie (roycegracie.proelite.com), considered the godfather of modern-day mixed martial arts, will face the imposing Sakuraba (sakuraba.proelite.com), nicknamed "The Gracie Hunter" for his well-documented victories over four members of the Gracie family, including the dramatic victory over Royce in 2000.
The rematch will be part of an extraordinary main fight card that includes 7-foot-2 South Korean Hong Man Choi, former WWE champ Brock Lesnar, NFL star Johnnie Morton, Ray Sefo (New Zealand), Antonio Silva (Brazil) and J.Z. Calvan (Brazil). The complete fight card is as follows:
SHOWTIME® PPV (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT)
Brock Lesnar (USA) VS Hong Man Choi (Korea)
Royce Gracie (Brazil) VS Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan)
Mighty Mo (USA) VS Mu Bae Choi (Korea)
Melvin Manhoef (Netherlands) VS Dong Sik Yoon (Korea)
Live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT)
Jake Shields (USA) VS Ido Pariente (Israel)
Gina Carano (USA) VS Jan Finney (USA)
Live Stadium Only (5 p.m. PT)
Javier Vasquez (USA) VS Katsuhiko Nagata (Japan)
Brad Pickett (UK) VS Hideo Tokoro (Japan)
The Gracie-Sakuraba story is rich in history, as the Gracie family, represented by Royce, Ryan, Renzo and Royler have come after Sakuraba four times and all four times have fallen short of victory. The final and longest of those matches took place on May 1, 2000, in the second round of the Pride Grand Prix Open Weight Tournament, when Royce faced Sakuraba for the first time.
The fight, a no-time-limit match, was scheduled for 15 minute rounds until a winner was declared. The match lasted for 90 minutes (7 rounds at 15 minutes each), and both fighters demonstrated remarkable heart and determination, especially because the winner was expected to face his next opponent on the same night. In the 4th round, Gracie injured his leg due to repeated kicks from Sakuraba and remained hobbled for another 45 minutes, until the beginning of the 8th round, when his corner threw in the towel, stopping the fight.
"I've been waiting for this fight for close to a decade, it's been something that I've struggled to live with for some time," said Gracie. "We both have mutual respect for each other, but June 2 is circled on my calendar as the date I plan to avenge my family's legacy from Sakruraba."