The will may still be there for MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba, but his body continues to fail him.
Facing Lithuanian striker and DREAM welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis, Sakuraba entered the ring with his legs wrapped from mid-thigh to the bottom of his calf, and there were additional bandages over the base of his neck. He would leave with even more.
With the champion looking the quicker and more accurate fighter from the onset, an early Zaromskis hook blasted Sakuraba and burst open his cauliflowered right ear. There was a brief timeout while the wound was cleaned, but it would only get worse on the restart.
As blood continued to stream from the ear, Sakuraba shot in for his primary weapon, a single-leg takedown. But as Zaromskis defended, his hand grazed the ear, which immediately tore partially away from the side of Sakuraba's head. He cupped it immediately as he returned to his corner, and the fight was quickly waved off.
Doctors worked quickly to heavily bandage the head of the 41-year-old "Gracie Hunter," who apologized to the crowd before leaving the ring.
With the TKO stoppage, Zaromskis (14-5) wins for the first time in four 2010 outings, while Sakuraba (26-15-1) has now dropped three straight fights and will certainly face calls for his retirement, which should come with no shame to the MMA pioneer.
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