I'm the last first... is that worth anything?

[Guest J*ingus]

YOU FEAR POGO.  My new avatar rules.  

 

And just to make it an actual post, uh, what do you guys think of, hmmm, howbout Sakuraba, yeah, Kazushi Sakuraba?  Is he mostly a showman, or does he bring the real skills?  I've seen him murdering one Gracie (Renzo) and laying seige to another (Royce), so I'm assuming he's no slacker, but I was wondering where he rates in, say, the Top 20 MMA fighters.

[Guest Tomato Can]

Sakuraba is the #1 middleweight in the world, IMO.  He has lost to Valderlei Silva twice, but Silva has about 20 pounds on him and is the #2 fighter in the weight division above Sak, so I'm not too worried.  He's currently recovering from a broken collar bone, but I'm confident he'll still be one of the best upon his return.

[Guest Miami Beach Bad Boy]

Sakuraba is definetely the real deal - it's just that he got beaten by someone better (Silva). I don't think weight was too much of a factor in Silva/Sak II - strength, yes, but not weight.