9. Kazushi Sakuraba
Any discussion of an MMA Mount Rushmore includes Sakuraba. Beloved not only in his native Japan but across the globe, he was willing to fight anyone at any time. A protégé of Nobuhiko Takada and Billy Robinson, no other fighter from Japan has had more of an impact on mixed martial arts than Sakuraba, a man who paired immense talent and an indomitable spirit with an inhuman ability to withstand punishment. Sakuraba lost his pro debut to Kimo Leopoldo on July 14, 1996 and did not feel the sting of defeat again for nearly four years. He compiled a 7-1-1 record in the 1990s, with wins over Royler Gracie, Vitor Belfort and Carlos Newton. Sakuraba competed in seven of the first Pride Fighting Championships events and went on to participate in some of the sport’s most revered rivalries, as he battled several members of the Gracie Family -- he became known as “The Gracie Hunter” -- and engaged the great Wanderlei Silva in a trilogy. He embodied courage and embraced his role as a torchbearer for an entire people.
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