Royce Gracie Wins as Small Underdog

Royce Gracie got some sweet revenge as the +120 underdog against the so-called "Gracie Killer" Kazushi Sakuraba.

Kazushi Sakuraba is often referred to as "The Gracie Hunter" for his victories over the famed Gracie family of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practicioners.

An epic bout between the two fighters ended seven years ago with the legendary Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter suffering a rare loss to one of Japan's top all-time wrestlers.

Gracie, in top shape, would run five miles on the hot beaches of Playa Tambor, Costa Rica, while filming for the Bodog Fight Seasons Three and Four

After three rounds of grappling and counter moves the judges scored it 30-27, 29-28 twice for Brazil’s legendary fighter Gracie, according to TheSweetScience.com

That website also reported more than 15,000 attended the first MMA event at the Los Angeles Coliseum that was promoted by Fight Entertainment Group, ProElite and Showtime. But attendance fell far below an expected sold out crowd that was televised by pay-per-view.

Last week's UFC 71 was among the most watched Mixed Martial Arts events ever and certainly the most heavily bet on.  Record MMA traffic was registered last weekend on the Sports911.com website, which covered the betting odds on UFC 71 and its many upsets extensively throughout the day Saturday and into the early morning hours of Sunday.

(see Betting on UFC 72)

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Christopher Costigan, Sports911.com

Originally published June 3, 2007 2:15 am ET