Taisei Sakuraba opens up on decision to face 41-fight veteran in RIZIN debut: “It’s going to be definitely a challenge”
Taisei Sakuraba hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps at RIZIN: Decade later this week.
The young ‘Saku Jr.’ will make his MMA debut on RIZIN’s end-of-the-year show later this week. The bout will be Taisei Sakuraba’s first in the ring, but he’s no stranger to combat sports. His father is the legendary PRIDE fighter and UFC Hall of Famer, Kazushi Sakuraba. ‘The Gracie Hunter’ fought anyone and everyone, often accepting fights against opponents larger, and more experienced than himself.
Well, it seems that Taisei Sakuraba plans to follow in his father’s footsteps. The 26-year-old will make his first walk to the ring, to face the experienced Yusuke Yachi this week. The lightweight has challenged for RIZIN gold in the past and enters the bout holding wins over the likes of Takanori Gomi, Daron Cruickshank, and Koji Takeda.
Taisei Sakuraba is well aware of the challenge that he’s going to have to deal with at RIZIN 49. Speaking in a recent interview with MMA Fighting, ‘Saku Jr.’ opened up on his upcoming bout against Yachi. There, Sakuraba admitted that he thought the bout might be a bit too much for his debut. However, he’s glad he accepted the fight.
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Taisei Sakuraba opens up ahead of MMA debut at RIZIN: Decade against Yusuke Yachi
A longtime grappler, Taisei Sakuraba believes the bout will help put his name on the map. A heavy betting underdog, the 26-year-old hopes to shock fans later this week against Yachi. While Sakuraba knows the fight won’t be easy, he believes it’s the best path to stardom.
“I was thinking maybe it was too much of a shortcut in a way.” Taisei Sakuraba stated in the interview through a translator. “But once it was confirmed, I kind of thought about it. I just kind of came to my sense and said hey, I got to do it. You know how there are certain aspects in order to become a star, and one of those aspects are winning fights that people think that you’re going to lose.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
He continued, “For my debut fight, I think it’s going to definitely be a challenge for me. But, I think if I can beat this opponent if I come out as a winner after this fight, people are going to really think different about me. It’s definitely going to put my name on the map. So in that sense, I’m very excited to see how much I can do.”
What do you make of these comments from Taisei Sakuraba? Are you excited for his RIZIN debut?
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
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