Sherdog’s Top 10: MMA Rivalries

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1. Kazushi Sakuraba-The Gracie Family

The Rundown: Sakuraba had plenty of notable victories in his mixed martial arts career: Ken Shamrock, Quinton Jackson, Ikuhisa Minowa, Vitor Belfort, Kevin Randleman and Carlos Newton, to name a few. However, with some fighters, the nickname says it all, and perhaps nothing defines Sakuraba’s legacy better than his “Gracie Hunter” moniker.

It was during one memorable 13-month stretch from November 1999 to December 2000 that Sakuraba began methodically picking off members of MMA’s First Family one by one: first Royler Gracie, then Royce, then Renzo and, finally, Ryan.

It was the Japanese star’s victory over Royler that set the stage for one of the sport’s most legendary bouts. Sakuraba, possessing a significant size advantage, handed Royler a stunning defeat with a kimura, enraging the Gracies because they claimed Royler never actually tapped to the submission.

Enter Royce, who set out to avenge his older brother’s defeat and restore honor to the family name. As part of a 16-man Pride grand prix, the Gracies requested that no time limits or referee stoppages tarnish a potential showdown between Royce and Sakuraba.

Sakuraba, displaying a sense of humor regarding the stipulations, showed up to a press conference wearing a diaper to illustrate the point that bathroom breaks would be limited in such a fight. What followed was 90 minutes of history inside the Tokyo Dome, with Sakuraba assuming the role of court jester and Royce playing the part of traditional martial artist. With Royce barely able to walk after six 15-minute rounds, Rorion Gracie finally threw in the towel, giving Sakuraba a career-defining triumph.

Christened “The Gracie Hunter” by the Japanese media, Sakuraba would add victories over Renzo and Ryan later that year.

Royce would exact his revenge in 2007, winning a unanimous decision against his old rival at a K-1’s notorious “Dynamite! USA” event. The victory was marred when the Brazilian legend failed a post-fight drug test -- an anticlimactic conclusion to what was a thrilling rivalry a decade ago.