PRIDE Grand Prix 2004: Critical Countdown

Kazushi "The Gracie Hunter" Sakuraba vs. Antonio "Elvis" Schembri

KAZUSHI SAKURABA: Japanese Submission Wrestler; often referred to as "The Gracie Hunter"; UWFi Japanese Professional Wrestling veteran; Team Kingdom Submission Wrestling veteran; UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion; trains with Hiromitsu Kanehara, Daijiro Matsui, Minoru Toyonaga, Yusuke Imamura and members of the Nobuhiko Takada Dojo; first fighter to defeat four members of the prestigious Gracie family in MMA competition; with a record of 14-8-2 (1 NC) in MMA; making his 23rd appearance (13-7-1) (1 NC) in the ring of the PFC.

HISTORY: Like many Japanese fighters in Pride, Sakuraba started out as a professional wrestler. Kazushi, along with stablemates Nobuhiko Takada, Hiromitsu Kanehara and Daijiro Matsui all "fought" as members of Team Kingdom in the UWF and UFWi. These were predominantly worked bouts that looked like real fights. They even fought at an event against members of Tank Abbott's camp including Paul Herrera and Eddie Ruiz. UFC veterans Pat Smith, Mark Hall and Kimo Leopoldo also had matches there. Sakuraba beat Paul Herrera days before the first UFC Japan event. As you may know, Sak and Tank could've met in that tournament but Tank broke his hand facing Yoji Anjo and the controversial stoppage to the Sakuraba/"Conan" Silveira fight prompted an immediate rematch in the final. He moved from there to the PFC and has remained a fixture since Pride 2 in 1998, having defeated four members of the Gracie family along the way. Sakuraba lost just in Pride prior to 2000 to Igor Vovchanchyn and that was due to exhaustion after his 90-minute bout with Royce Gracie. It wasn't until Pride 13 and his meeting with Wanderlei Silva that we saw serious cracks in the armor. Sakuraba was dealt a crushing defeat at the hands (and knees) of Vanderlei Silva at Pride 13. He returned to vanquish rising star Quinton Jackson at Pride 15 but just eight months after , their initial meeting, Kazushi was back in the ring with "The Axe Murderer" and met with similar results. Sakuraba was back against K-1 kickboxer Mirco "Cro Cop" Filipovic at the Pride Shockwave show and was left with serious injuries to his face. Next, Sakuraba took on unknown French grappler Gilles Arsene in what looked more like an exhibition than an actual contest and mercifully submitted him via armbar in the third round. Kazushi was KO'd twice in a row. He fought Antonio Schembri at Pride 25 and then lost to Silva a third time at the Total Elimination 2003 show. Sakuraba beat Kevin Randleman by submission and then lost at the Shock Wave 2003 New Year's Eve show to Rogerio Nogueira by , decision.

Sakuraba/Allan Goes: This was Sak's most difficult challenge early on and many consider it a loss. Goes frustrated Sakuraba for the length, ,, of the bout gave a clinic on kicking from the mat. It was a draw and a rematch was speculated but this was the day when absolutely no one could get a rematch with Sakuraba.

Sakuraba/Royler Gracie: Their bout ended in controversy. Kazushi was on the verge of dislocating Royler's shoulder when the referee stepped in and awarded the victory to Sakuraba. Although the hold looked virtually inescapable, Gracie never tapped out.

Sakuraba/Guy Mezger: We were left with questions to be answered after the bout with the Lion's Den fighter. Mezger was doing very well but some miscommunication between Ken Shamrock and the Pride governing bodies as to the duration of the match forced Shamrock to vanquish Mezger from the ring and give Sakuraba the win by forfeit.

Sakuraba/Royce Gracie: At the Pride GP Final, Kazushi faced UFC legend Royce Gracie and after 90 minutes of fighting, Gracie's corner was forced to throw in the towel between rounds. Royce could not continue and Sakuraba's legend was still growing. In the second round of the GP, an exhausted Sakuraba also had to submit to fatigue, allowing Igor Vovchanchyn to advance to the final.

Sakuraba/Wanderlei Silva: They fought three times and the weight difference was blatantly obvious with the naked eye, yet they still felt these two should compete for the same title. It was always ugly. No one had completely destroyed Sakuraba like Silva did. The second bout was the most competitive but Silva's non-stop aggression and relentless attack was too much.

Sakuraba/Mirko Filipovic: After a nine-month rest Sakuraba was back facing another seemingly insurmountable challenge against K-1 kickboxer Mirco "Cro Cop" Filipovic. The bones in Sak's face were broken and it is highly unlikely they have healed completely in less than three months. More than just the loss, a serious eye injury sustained in the match hindered Sakuraba's recovery and he's still not 100-percent healthy.

Sakuraba/Kevin Randleman: Discussed under Kevin Randleman bio.

Sakuraba/Antonio Schembri: Discussed under Antonio Schembri bio.

Also worthy of note: Sakuraba battled Mark Hall (win/submission), Paul Herrera (win/submission), Marcus Silveira (no contest-win/armlock), Vernon White (win/armbar), Carlos Newton (win/kneebar), Ebenezer Braga (win/armlock), Igor Vovchanchyn (loss/TKO), Renzo Gracie (win/Kimura), Ryan Gracie (win/decision) and Rogerio Nogueira (loss/decision).

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES: Kazushi Sakuraba is a submission master. He honed his craft through years of professional wrestling in Japan and developed a stage persona as well. He's the consummate showman. The thing about Sakuraba is some guys say they are thinking two or three moves ahead like chess players so they sound skillful but Kazushi really is always thinking two and three moves ahead. And it shows. He appears totally relaxed on the ground and rarely gets caught in a submission move he can't transition out of. His greatest weakness would be his stand-up game but some might say it would also be his undying determination. He's taken some fights he probably shouldn't have. His hands have improved but he is not a striker by nature.

HOW HE CAN BEAT SCHEMBRI: Standing up. Sak was taking it to Schembri on the feet the last time. He got caught and wasn't able to recover. He had shown improved stand-up in the bout with Silva, throwing knees to the body and more aggressive striking. It has been six months since Sakuraba's last fight and hopefully he will come in at full strength to finish someone he should've beaten more than a year ago.

ANTONIO SCHEMBRI: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner; black belt under Carlos "Carlinhos" Gracie Jr.; two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion; two-time Pan American Champion; has trained with Renzo and Ralph Gracie; currently trains under Rudjimar Frederico and Rafael Cordeiro with current PFC Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva, Murilo Rua, Assuerio Silva, Jorge Patino, Cristiano Marcelo and members of the Chute Boxe Academy; with a record of 3-1 in MMA, making his 5th appearance (3-1) in the ring of the PFC.

HISTORY: Antonio "Nino", "Twister", "Elvis" (pick one) Schembri, has worked with both Renzo and Ralph Gracie and with Carlos Gracie Jr. at Gracie Barra. He still trains at Gracie Barra and teaches jiu-jitsu at the Gracie Sao Paulo. "Elvis" as he's known, due to his love for "The King," began training jiu-jitsu with Silvio Behring and moved on to train with Rickson Gracie student Jorge Pereira. He has also been training Muay Thai with Vagner Kohler from Brazil. He defeated John Machado at UFC veteran Joe Moreira's tournament in his first tourney as a black belt. He competed in the Abu Dhabi Combat Championships for two years and took 3rd place at the 2001 tournament. There he lost to Saulo Ribeiro on points in the semis and beat Egan Inoue for 3rd Place. Antonio won the "most technical fighter" award in the 2001 ADCC tournament as well. At Pride 14: Clash of the Titans he faced Luta Livre practitioner Johil de Oliveira and tapped the fellow Brazilian with an armbar. At the Pride The Best: Vol 2 last July, Schembri went 10 minutes with Pride/Pancrase/UFC veteran Daiju Takase. He beat PFC legend Kazushi Sakuraba by flash KO and would later be dominated by Takada Dojo fighter Kazuhiro Hamanaka.

Schembri/Johil de Oliveira: It was the classic BJJ/Luta Livre rivalry. It took Schembri some time to get de Oliveira to the mat but once there, he stayed in half mount and worked to better his position. Antonio was actively moving on the ground but he was more concerned with position than striking. He always dominated the ground war against the fellow Brazilian and with just over seven minutes gone he tapped Johil with an armbar.

Schembri/Kazushi Sakuraba: Schembri stunned the Japanese crowd by exploding all over Sakuraba late in the first round. Sporting "Wolverine" sideburns, Antonio was kicked and punched by Sak for the first few minutes. "Elvis" landed a right hand and jumped to a standing guard but the doctors had to have a look at his nose which was bleeding heavily. Once they resumed, Sak continued striking with his hands and feet and seemed determined to end this bout standing. Schembri looked tense and his legs started to swell up with welts. Kazushi was punishing him in the corner, landing at will, and then he got sloppy. Call it luck or simply seizing the opportunity but Schembri clutched Sakuraba's head and drove a knee in. He followed it with two more in rapid succession and had Kazushi on "queer street." "Elvis" flailed his hands, wildly mimicking strikes on the downed Sakuraba but the damage had been done. Antonio landed a few kicks to Kazushi's head when he was down, probably mentally dedicating them to his Gracie cousins who had fallen to Sak before him. Elvis won by TKO from knee strikes but few could honestly say he didn't get away with one here.

Schembri/Kazuhiro Hamanaka: Hamanaka comes out swinging and a flopping Schembri is kicked on the mat. Schembri eventually stands and falls back to the guard bringing Hamanaka with him. From Schembri's guard, "Elvis" attempts his famous "Gomo Plata" (half Omo Plata and half guillotine choke) but Hamanaka pounds out of it. Schembri is forced to stand and Schembri flops again. Another stand-up gives Antonio the opportunity to show some of his striking including a roundhouse kick to the head and a knee to the face (like he used against Sakuraba). Schembri is in control and when on the mat, Antonio attempts another "Gomo Plata." Hamanaka continues to push the pace while Schembri continues to kick at the body and head. They trade strikes and Schembri finds himself on the mat again. Hamanaka avoids all submission attempts and forces a stand up. "Elvis" jumps to guard and kicks up from the mat but the round ends with both fighters trading on the feet. In round two, Hamanaka comes out swinging and is brought down quickly. Schembri fights from guard, attempting submission after submission and Kazuhiro strikes freely on the mat. Hamanaka is punishing Schembri on the canvas and Antonio still focuses only on submission. Hamanaka dominates round three, pounding the Brazilian fighter and easily takes the unanimous decision victory.

Also worthy of note: Schembri battled Daiju Takase (win/decision).

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES: Antonio is a methodical fighter who focuses on positioning on the mat and looks at striking as secondary. He can be described as something of a jiu-jitsu wizard. His stand-up, although developing nicely under the direction of Chute Boxe, is still a major weakness.

HOW HE CAN BEAT SAKURABA: By submission. It doesn't happen often but it isn't impossible to think of Sakuraba being submitted. It would take a submission wizard like Schembri to do it. If Sak stays on the mat and catches a knee or elbow, he may fall into one of Schembri's ground specialties.

MY PICK: Sakuraba. Schembri may have joined Wanderlei's team but he doesn't instantly become as aggressive as a homegrown member of Chute Boxe. He was getting schooled on the feet before and I think Sak can do it again, especially given the time he has had to prepare for him. I feel it will be Sakuraba by TKO from strikes in the second round.