Just rewatched Royce verses Sak on DVD

[Maxximus]

Technically speaking, Sakuraba is a poor striker. He can't punch very well. His kicks are alright, but there are plenty who kick much better. There are many great strikers in the sport whom if royce had charged at with the same sloppy, weak punch rushes would have knocked him silly with counter punching. Sak is not a great stand up toe to toe striker...bottom line. I don't think it is very fair to say that Sak could've taken Royce out that early. If he could've then he would've. No fighter at that level is stupid enough to give up easy opportunities when they appear. Sak simply took way to much time to feel Royce out. For the most part he played an extremely conservative and strategic game against Royce. He is a very different type of fighter from guys like Vanderlei who charge at you hard and beat on you relentlessly as soon as they smell a little blood. Royce was very much the aggressor in the early rounds. I think it was pretty even early on. Royce kept on the attack and although it was weak and Sak nullified it pretty easily, Sak was not putting up enough of a successful offense to be clearly in the dominant position. But later on, once he established a feel for Royce and began picking things apart, it looked pathetic for Royce. Nevertheless it took Sak more than long enough to warm up to the task. A quick knockout artist Sak is not. Sak is great but he's not perfect.

I respect Royce a lot for coming out aggressively as he did. He was out to win, no doubt about it. But some of his tactics were just laughable. His punch rushes were ridiculous, his kicks were all for show and had no power whatsoever (more like point fighting karate tap kicks than real power kicks)...and what the hell was that funny little drop down on your a$$ scissor kick that he kept doing??? He looked like he was trying to imitate a bad chop socky flick. And in this day and age, going into such a high level MMA competition without knowing how to defend thai leg kicks is extremely stupid. Royce has got a lot of heart but if he doesn't start backing it with ability, then his day will truly be done. I was much more impressed with Ken Shamrock's return than I was with Royce's.

BTW, I apologize if any feels that I am reflecting upon and covering ground that has been gone over a long time ago. I only saw the Pride GP finals in its entirety yesterday! I had to say something on it...if I'm boring you with old news well I don't really care

[Newbie]

Human Fly

"I have to agree with Aloha, you are talking sheet. Your arguments do not even merit a response."

How could I possibly argue with such convincing logic as that. I feel truly saddened that I will be deprived of the privillege of having you explain to me in intricate detail the evidence supporting the opinion that Sakuraba could have finished Royce Gracie early in the fight and intentionally allowed the fight to continue for 90 minutes and exactly how he would have done so.

Maxximus

"I don't think it is very fair to say that Sak could've taken Royce out that early."

I also find it amusing that the only evidence that I have ever seen presented is people's hypotehtical explanations of Sakuraba's supposed motives. Never mind the fact that Sakuraba has NEVER KO'd an opponent early in the fight. With the exception if his TKO of Royce, which took 90 minutes, Sakuraba has NEVER actually even finished a fight with strikes given the entire length of the fight, let alone quickly.

[Hawk]

Aloha,
Frankly, I don't read this forum as much as I'd like to anymore because we've been busy getting ready for trial and a number of tournaments.
This topic is old news to me, so why would I be embarrased to answer it. As far as anyone bothering with you,Why? Are you important? Not to me or to Royce. You're just another CJJ (Computer Jiu-Jitsu) kid. Like you, they're a dime a dozen. You won't come to Texas or you'd have already done it. However,
if by chance you are ever in Silsbee, TX my school is on Business 96 right next to Kam's Dance Studio. Come see me.
By the way, where do you work out at, who are you and if I'm ever your way I'll try to get by.
Hawk

[Mr. Miyagi]

I used to be a huge Royce fan when I saw him in the early UFC's, party because he was winning all the time, partly because he was smaller than the other guys, and party because he won without hurting his opponents. I'm still a fan but less of one now after training juijitsu for a while and getting more into it I've read his interviews and they have been such a turnoff. You can say that he is provoked by interviewers and is a nice guy in real life but some of his comments are really over the top. If he had been more humble and didn't put down other martial artists so much then I would have continued to be a huge fan even through his recent defeats. Oleg Taktarov said that if it weren't for his family that Royce wouldn't even be a fighter because he's not that type of person. Maybe Rorion puts Royce up to saying some this very unclassy stuff but Royce is an adult and responsible for what comes out of his mouth. Hawk, you have to respect my point of view as I respect your loyalty to Royce.

[TV Set]

Originally posted by Hawk
Aloha,
Frankly, I don't read this forum as much as I'd like to anymore because we've been busy getting ready for trial and a number of tournaments.
This topic is old news to me, so why would I be embarrased to answer it. As far as anyone bothering with you,Why? Are you important? Not to me or to Royce. You're just another CJJ (Computer Jiu-Jitsu) kid. Like you, they're a dime a dozen. You won't come to Texas or you'd have already done it. However,
if by chance you are ever in Silsbee, TX my school is on Business 96 right next to Kam's Dance Studio. Come see me.
By the way, where do you work out at, who are you and if I'm ever your way I'll try to get by.
Hawk

Hey Hawk,

I know who Aloha is. He trains with Ralph in Mountain View and is known as "Big Dave" I think. I think he's a purple belt, FWIW, he's pretty tough.

[Hawk]

Mr. Miyagi,
I do respect your point of view and will be the first to say and have been the first to say Royce interviews worse then anyone except Mikey or Coleman. Anyone that knows Royce sees him in a very different light then he comes across in interviews. Oleg is 100% correct. Royce doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He's a real nice guy. Just before UFC 3, even his mother sent him a message that he needed to be tougher on his opponents. I think the fact that he's looked at as such a nice guy bothers him in some ways which makes him easy to provoke in interviews and makes him come across a lot different then he is. IMO Royce wasn't a born fighter although he was born into a family of fighters. IMO he is the best representative of just how good a Martial Art GJJ/BJJ is, mainly because if it'll enable a slim, passive kid they Royce to defeat people like Shamrock, Severn, and Gordeau then GJJ/BJJ must be an excellent art.
TV Set,
Big Dave is what's on Aloha's e-mail, however I know some Ralph guys from Mountain View and they don't know him. However, I have heard he's from Honahoohoo.
Hawk

[TV Set]

Originally posted by Hawk

TV Set,
Big Dave is what's on Aloha's e-mail, however I know some Ralph guys from Mountain View and they don't know him. However, I have heard he's from Honahoohoo.
Hawk

LOL. Well that's what he told me, I only know him through email.

[Tony10]

Yawn.

Gee I wonder who it could be for real.

"Big Dave" the purple. LOL.

[vortrex]

"big dave" is an instructor at the SF, CA ralph gracie academy. I highly doubt this is that person, as I have been around him before and didn't come off this way in the least. not to mention, big dave isn't a 14 year old boy like aloha appears to be.

[Hawk]

Vortrex,
The Mountain View or former Mountain View guy I talked to said the only Big Dave was one of the Camarillo brothers, who actually isn't big in size, but huge in ability. I think Dave is a Brown Belt now. Is that who you're talking about? No way he's Alohoe.
Hawk

[hounddog]

here's big dave

i was curious so i had to sniff it out. its in my blood.

http://www.ralphgracie.com/bigdave_bio.html

[vortrex]

hounddog has it right. the "big dave" is the one pictured above. he is a purple belt instructor at ralphs in SF. as you can see, he is an older guy, and not prone to make stupid comments like aloha. I am sure ralph would slap him silly if he were making comments like this online anways.

[TV Set]

Well, I guess we'll never know. Goddess had Aloha banned. I guess free speech has its limits on this forum .

[Hawk]

Thanks for posting Hounddog,
No way that's Alohoe.
Hawk

[bobby_steeles]

hey hawk, what's this obsession with aloha really about? do you wanna kick his butt just because of some talk on the internet? it seems a little immature for a guy your age and of your position as a d.a. to be carrying on like this, wouldn't you say? the rest of us are young, we're allowed to act like goofballs, heh heh.