Pioneers of MMA: Kazushi Sakuraba (2015)
Overview
Considered by UFC President Dana White to be one of the greatest talents of all time, the legend of Kazushi Sakuraba began at UFC Ultimate Japan in 1997, where the 183lbs puroresu (traditional Japanese pro-wrestler) entered the heavyweight tournament on short notice only to win the four man event outright. Fighting almost exclusively in Japan and the PRIDE FC organization, “Saku” became a national icon by defeating six UFC champions and routing the legendary Gracie family. Featuring exclusive interviews and rare archival footage, this FIGHT PASS Original is the definitive retrospective of Sakuraba, Japan’s most celebrated mixed martial artist.
Production Companies
Additional Info
| Budget | $0.00 |
|---|---|
| Revenue | $0.00 |
| Original Language | en |
| Popularity | 0.518 |
Directed By
Crew
TOP CAST
Kazushi Sakuraba
Himself
Renzo Gracie
Himself
Similar Movies
Fight Mom
A documentary that follows Michelle "The Karate Hottie" Waterson as she balances life as a mother and professional MMA fighter.
Eddie Bravo Invitational 8
Eddie Bravo Invitational 8: The Middleweights was a submission-only grappling tournament of 16 middleweight (185 lb) male entrants. The event took place on 11th September 2015, and included a special super-fight between UFC veteran Liz Carmouche and Maria Henderson.
Mexican Fighter
The historical impact of Mexican fighters in mixed martial arts.
Eddie Bravo Invitational 7
The seventh EBI submission, and grappling event shown on 16 July 2016 at The Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles, the second Invitational event to be streamed live on UFC FIGHT PASS. This time around, it's the featherweights turn to take center stage. This seventh edition of the Eddie Bravo Invitational will be crowning the promotion’s featherweight (145lbs / 65kg) division champion, a title currently held by Eddie Cummings. Although the open weight tournament (EBI 6) included big names of jiu jitsu’s international circuit, this featherweight event will have the popular tournament return to its origins in a recipe that rose the attention of the sport’s fans in previous showings, a mix of veteran grapplers, fairly unknown talent and rising stars of the submission only movement.
Takedown: The DNA of GSP
A look at the life and career of Ultimate Fighting Champion's welterweight world champ Georges St-Pierre, also known as "GSP".
UFC: Best of 2011
A look back at the best moments from 2011 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, featuring 30 matches in total. Among the fighters whose exploits captured the imagination of UFC viewers in 2011 were Junior dos Santos, Frankie Edgar, Tito Ortiz, Wanderlei Silva and Minotauro Nogueira, while, for many, the encounter between Dan Henderson and Shogun Rua stands as the most memorable fight of the decade.
UFC: Best of 2014
With upsets, blowouts, submissions, a new weight class and one spinning-elbow knockout, UFC Best of 2014 recaps the year in 90 spellbinding minutes. Look back at defining moments from dominant titleholders including Jon Jones and Ronda Rousey, newly crowned champions including Carla Esparza and T.J. Dillashaw and white-hot stars on the rise like Conor McGregor. Plus, nearly four hours of bonus fights bring you all the action from signature performances by stars such as Johnny Hendricks, Robbie Lawler, Chris Weidman, Dan Henderson and more.
Fight Church
A documentary about the confluence of Christianity and mixed martial arts, including ministries which train fighters. The film follows several pastors and popular fighters in their quest to reconcile their faith with a sport that many consider violent and barbaric. Faith is tried and questions are raised. Can you really love your neighbor as yourself and then punch him in the face?
The Smashing Machine
A stunning and provocative look at Mark Kerr's career from late '99 through the 2000 Pride Grand Prix, fighting with his own personal demons that rival the men he encounters in the ring.
UFC on ABC 5: Emmett vs. Topuria
UFC on ABC 5: Emmett vs. Topuria was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 24, 2023 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. A featherweight bout between former interim UFC Featherweight Championship challenger Josh Emmett and Ilia Topuria headlined this event.
Choke
Welcome to the world of no-holds-barred freestyle fighting...the fastest growing "sport" in the United States, Brazil, and Japan. CHOKE follows undisputed World Freestyle Fighting Champion Rickson Gracie as he prepares to defend his title in a one-night, single elimination tournament where the winner will fight 3 separate fights over five hours. The World Cup finals of hand-to-hand combat.
Conor McGregor: Notorious
Conor McGregor is the biggest star in the history of Mixed Martial Arts. Filmed over the course of 4 years, Notorious is the exclusive, all-access account of Conor’s meteoric rise from claiming benefits and living in his parents' spare room in Dublin to claiming multiple championship UFC belts and seven figure pay-packets in Las Vegas.
Frank Shamrock: Bound by Blood
Shamrock: Bound by Blood, a gripping 65-minute documentary that airs Thursday on Spike (11 p.m. ET), stirs up a few ghosts still haunting the MMA personality. There's a lot of story to tell (Spike producers said they bandied the fighter's 2012 memoirs around the office to begin), but wisely, Shamrock focuses mostly on Frank's deteriorated relationship with his iconic brother Ken. Frank and Ken, a weathered UFC Hall of Famer still trying to ply his trade at age 49, haven't spoken in nearly 15 years. ... For MMA enthusiasts, Shamrock will be an enlightening hour. It also takes a more serious tone than Spike's previous MMA programming. But at its heart, Shamrock is not about MMA. It's about love and hurt, and finding forgiveness and acceptance in the face of dysfunction. For Frank, on his own road of self-improvement, it was about finding peace.
Fight Life
Chronicles the daily lives of professional MMA fighters from all different levels over the course of one year.
Invincible
A dynamic and emotional story of fighting, passion and sacrifice. From 2016 to 2018, the filmmakers accompanied Joanna Jedrzejczyk, a multiple UFC champion, who at her time conquered the world of female MMA. To stay on top, the Polish fighter has to constantly confront her opponents and her own body, which is forced to make superhuman efforts over and over again. "Invincible" reveals the behind-the-scenes fights of modern gladiators, bluntly showing the blood, sweat, tears and overwhelming loneliness that are the price of the road to success in sports on a global scale.
Attila
This sports documentary goes behind the scenes in the world of mixed martial arts while chronicling the life story of MMA champion Attila Végh.
The Notorious
In the world's fastest growing sport, an Irishman from Crumlin stands on the threshold of becoming its next global superstar. This special documentary enters the high-stakes world of the UFC as it follows 'The Notorious' Conor McGregor over the most important six months of his fighting career.
The Panther
El Pantera is a documentary film that chronicles the rise of Mexican UFC star Yair Rodriguez as he strives to become the first ever Mexican born UFC champion.