Bear in mind that when Rickson faced takada at Pride 1 he was already 39 years of age. By the time Saku challenged him he was in his 40's. I'm sure if he was 10 years younger and in his prime he would have met that challenge. Whether he won or not we will never know. This new sport began to grow but his era had already come and gone.

For a full detailed account of the early years and what and why things happened as they did I would recommend Clyde Gentry's No Holds Barred book. Brilliant book