Before he was one of the biggest wrestling stars in the WWE, Shinsuke Nakamura wrestled MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
At the time, Nakamura was one of the most popular wrestlers in all of Japan, while Sakuraba was one of the most respected MMA fighters to ever come out of Japan.
During their match, which can be seen below, Nakamura goes for a takedown but eats a brutal knee from Sakuraba. After getting hit with the knee, Nakamura was briefly knocked unconscious.
Once Nakamura regained his composure, he finished the match and went on to defeat the MMA legend.
After the match, Nakamura and Sakuraba would later team up as a part of the Chaos faction in NJPW.
17 years ago, Sakuraba rose to MMA superstardom when he defeated numerous members of the legendary Gracie family. These wins earned him the nickname of “The Gracie Hunter”.
