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2. Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Royce Gracie
Pride “Pride Grand Prix 2000: Finals”
May 1, 2000 | Tokyo

No, this fight was not an all-action free-for-all. Rather, it was a slow-burning candle that seemed to last forever. In actuality, Gracie and Sakuraba fought and grappled for 90 minutes in a landmark battle before more than 38,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome. Gracie wore his traditional gi, but it wound up working against him in his match with Sakuraba in the 2000 Pride open weight grand prix quarterfinals.

Sakuraba almost nailed a kneebar at the end of the first round, but the Brazilian dodged the bullet. Gracie ran into tremendous difficulty trying to take down Sakuraba, and when he succeeded in doing so, the Japanese legend’s wrestling and positioning wore down the future UFC hall of famer. Finally, after six grueling 15-minute rounds of clinching, grappling, sporadic submission attacks and Sakuraba’s crippling leg kicks, Gracie’s brother, Rorion Gracie, threw in the towel. It remains one of the most-talked-about fights in Pride’s entire history, its historical significance off the charts.

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