Standing at six feet five inches and weighing 140kg with 8% body fat, he is larger than life in every sense of the term. Grappler, kick-boxer, MMA legend and movie star, the American, now 52, will captain Team Bangtao in the innovative QUINTET format in which teams of five fighters compete in a tag team elimination format.
Sapp made his name in PRIDE FC, a Japanese organization that for a time was the leading MMA team in the world. Now he and fellow PRIDE legends Renzo Gracie, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira and QUINTET founder Kazushi Sakuraba will reunite as they lead the four teams that will compete at Coca-Cola Arena on October 23.
“It’s like this nostalgia persists,” Sapp said. “So when I see the guys, I’m happy to see them, but then you have that pause and the competitive spirit and competition comes up and I evaluate them and say, ‘Hmm, can my team beat them?'”
Sapp is used to competing on the big stage, but this week he will be firmly on the sidelines. When he was competing, his size (he weighed over 200kg when he competed) and height made him a superstar in Japan, with television numbers to match.
“I was fortunate enough to take an organization from 300,000 to 300 million views in eight months. I was on the cover of Time magazine, the Wall Street Journal, and currently have the most popular televised fight in history with 54 million views.”
Team Bangtao consists of Kemoy Anderson, Lucas Barbosa, Alex Schild, Dong Hyun Kim and PJ Barch, and Sapp is confident that they will be able to see the challenges of Team Sakuraba, Team Gracie and Team Nogueira.
“Team Bangtao is a team forged in fire.
“There’s a group of fighters that came together in the gym and have been through a lot together. These guys have been through the trenches together. They’ve seen what it’s like to be that fighter that fights. They understand what it’s like to have to get up in the morning and work. They’re all here to get a big win.”
In addition to the tag team matches, QUINTET will also feature a series of individual super fights in a night unlike anything seen before in Dubai. QUINTET 5 will take place at Coca-Cola Arena on Thursday, October 23. Tickets are available at https://coca-cola-arena.com/
