“Wow, it is a fairly skilled opponent.” That was how Taisei Sakuraba, son of legendary Japanese fighter Kazushi Sakuraba, reacted when RIZIN booked his debut struggle for Dec. 31 in opposition to Yusuke Tachi, a veteran of 41 MMA bouts.
Trying again at his father’s profession, all of it is smart.
“Saku Jr.” grew up competing in judo and watching his father shine within the PRIDE ring. He entered the mat for grappling contests in more moderen years earlier than asserting his transition to blended martial arts however wasn’t anticipating to face such an skilled foe proper off the bat.
Sakuraba, now 55, has confronted the who’s who of the game as one of many stars of PRIDE in Japan, sharing the ring with a lot heavier opponents like Wanderlei Silva, Mirko Cro Cop, “Rampage” Jackson, Igor Vovchanchyn and Vitor Belfort. For his son, it’s a matter of future to go down that very same highway. Not a lot when it comes to dimension, as each Sakuraba and Yachi are lightweights, however the hole experience-wise is simply huge.
“I used to be pondering perhaps it was an excessive amount of of a shortcut in a method,” Sakuraba instructed MMA Combating by a translator. “However as soon as it was confirmed, I type of thought of it I simply type of got here to my sense and mentioned, hey, I bought to do it. You know the way there are specific facets with a view to turn out to be a star, and a type of facets are profitable fights that folks assume that you just’re going to lose.”
Yachi holds a file of 27-14 in MMA after profitable 4 of his previous 5. He’s a former Shooto and PXC featherweight champion and has challenged Roberto Satoshi for the RIZIN light-weight throne in 2021.
“For my debut struggle, I feel it’s going to be undoubtedly a problem for me,” Sakuraba mentioned of Yachi, “however I feel if I can beat this opponent if I come out as a winner after this struggle, individuals are going to essentially assume totally different about me. It’s undoubtedly going to place my identify on the map. So in that sense, I’m very excited to see how a lot I can do. And as soon as I beat my opponent, I’m very excited to see how everybody’s gonna react.
“Saku Jr. mentioned that my father made his identify preventing worldwide fighters, going in opposition to larger opponents, so I feel I want to tackle that legacy. It is going to be particular to problem himself in opposition to ‘larger and stronger worldwide opponents,’ so Yachi is a wonderful option to get issues began at RIZIN Decade.
“I come from a aggressive judo background, and in judo, outcomes matter. You win or lose, it’s a giant distinction,” Sakuraba mentioned. “Particularly in the event you wanna make it to the Olympics, all that stuff, it’s a must to win, and it’s a must to earn your factors with a view to make it to the Olympics. I used to be going by a really aggressive side, however relating to preventing, I feel it’s a bit of totally different.”
“Clearly, outcomes do matter, but it surely’s the way you carry out and the way you struggle,” he continued. “There’s a giant side of that in preventing. There’s a giant that means to that. Going in opposition to challenges, going in opposition to the chances, going into the ring because the underdog, meaning lots. There’s a variety of drama. There’s much more to inform through the struggle with fights like that. I feel in preventing, it’s crucial to to struggle to encourage individuals, to maneuver individuals’s feelings, that’s one factor that’s required as knowledgeable fighter.
“As soon as the Yachi struggle was confirmed, I assumed that Yachi could be a a lot better opponent than no one that has the identical quantity of expertise that I do. It’s simply an instantaneous problem for me; I’m stepping into because the underdog, and every part is ready. The stage is ready for me to encourage, go in there, and encourage the followers. I feel that’s one factor {that a} fighter is required to do, to maneuver individuals’s feelings and encourage individuals.”
Yachi scored greater than half his RIZIN wins by way of stoppage, together with a submission over PRIDE and UFC legend Takanori Gomi and knockouts in opposition to veterans Satoru Kitaoka and Daron Cruickshank. Ultimately, nonetheless, Sakuraba believes that being inexperienced might assist him on Dec. 31.
“I feel skilled fighters, veterans, they’ve a option to struggle. They’ve their strategies all arrange,” Sakuraba mentioned. “However for me, I feel the factor that he’s most likely not gonna anticipate is my grittiness. I don’t have a technique. I don’t have my method of preventing. I’ve no selection however to go in there and do my best possible, the best way I can. I don’t care the way it appears to be like, I’m simply going to go in there and do my finest. My grittiness, my willingness to not quit and simply proceed to struggle and attempt to present myself, is what’s most likely going to shock him, that he’s most likely not used to at this stage of his profession. The grittiness of somebody like me who’s coming into the game.”
