Kazushi Sakuraba is a Japanese professional wrestler, submission wrestler and former mixed martial artist, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he was formerly one-half of the former GHC Tag Team Champions with Takashi Sugiura. He has also competed in traditional puroresu for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and shoot-style competition for UWFi and Kingdom Pro Wrestling (KPW). He has fought in MMA competition in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride Fighting Championships, Hero's, Dream and most recently Rizin Fighting Federation. He is known as the Gracie Hunter or the Gracie Killer due to his wins over four members of the famed Gracie family: Royler Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Ryan Gracie, and Royce Gracie. Sakuraba is famous for beating 15 champions of different top MMA organizations; opponents who were often many weight-classes above him.
Sakuraba in 2015
Sakuraba in November 2013
Sakuraba in June 2013.
Sakuraba in January 2023 at The Great Muta Final "Bye-Bye"
GHC Tag Team Championship
The Global Honored Crown (GHC) Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah. It was created on October 19, 2001, when Scorpio and Vader defeated Jun Akiyama and Akitoshi Saito in a tournament final. Though it is typically contested among heavyweights, some junior heavyweights such as Naomichi Marufuji and Yoshinari Ogawa have held it in the past. It is currently one of two tag team titles in Noah, along with the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.
Record nine-time champion as individual, Takashi Sugiura.