Biography(references)Sakurai began training in judo during middle school, gaining several championships and then also began training in karate. During high school, he became friends with fellow combat sportsmen Michihiro Omigawa and Kazuyuki Miyata. He later became interested in shootboxing and joined Caesar Takeshi's dojo, competing for his promotion during years. In 1996, he wandered in mixed martial arts and entered Kiguchi Dojo, where he trained with Noriaki Kiguchi and Satoru Sayama's apprentice Noboru Asahi. At the end, he ended joining the Shooto organization along with a young Takanori Gomi.
Combat ApproachOn the stand-up, he favored grinding low kicks and technical boxing along with a wide usage of knee strikes, including flying knees. Finally, his grappling technique was one of his biggest strengths, using his shoot wrestling expertise to great effect. He was the only user of this discipline in reaching the ADCC finals both in his weight and absolute division, defeating heavier and more decorated grapplers like Ricco Rodriguez and Vinny Magalhães.
Awards & Accolades
DREAM: 2009 DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix Semifinalist
PRIDE Fighting Championships: 2005 PRIDE Lightweight Grand Prix Runner-Up
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