Royce Gracie enacted revenge of sort against Japan’s “Gracie Hunter” Kazushi Sakuraba at the Los Angeles Coliseum, but the fight fell short of expectations, just like the crowds at the mammoth stadium.

Gracie, 40, and Sakuraba showed ability in the three-round contest, which was applauded loudly by one side of the stadium but not appreciated by the other.

“I’m satisfied with the fight," Gracie said. "Sakuraba is still dangerous, he’s still strong and still on top. This is the largest fight in America for MMA. We were part of history.”

Not quite.

Though promoters cited attendance at more than 54,000 fans, the crowd looked much smaller. Many were allowed in for free. The Coliseum holds 90,000. Parking was a ridiculous $25.

A possible paid attendance of more than 15,000 (the California State Athletic Commission has not released the actual number of paid tickets) does not point toward declining interest in MMA, but it does prove that attempts to garner the Los Angeles market will be a chore. The mecca of the entertainment industry provides too many distractions and has long been a stronghold for professional boxing.

L.A. fans want punches, not clinches.

As Gracie and Sakuraba dueled with grips and reverse chokeholds, the crowd's reaction was split. A large congregation of mostly Asian fans, dressed in red shirts and outfitted with red thunder sticks, cheered and clapped. On the other side, where mostly Latinos sat, there were boos throughout the match.

“It was boring,” said Joe Rivas, a 27-year-old from near Los Angeles. “I liked it better when they were punching each other. That other stuff is boring.”

Comparing MMA to boxing is a lesson in futility. Each sport has its quirks, subtleties and fans, of course. And whenever Gracie fights, it’s almost mandatory that the fight go to the ground for the jujitsu master.

But that was lost on half the crowd.

Sakuraba, the former Japanese pro wrestler, looked much healthier than rumored. He amazed with his ability to work through entanglements and improvise in split-second fashion.

The 15-minute limit for the match also hurt Gracie and Sakuraba. A match between the MMA masters needed more time.

Time is something else MMA needs in Los Angeles. It was the second attempt by a major MMA organization to garner interest. The first took place last year, when Matt Hughes of Ultimate Fighting Championship locked horns with Gracie at the Staples Center. That event did not fare very well, with many empty seats.

Strangely, in April 2006a few months earlier in Orange County, UFC staged its first fight card at the Honda Center in Anaheim and sold out. Not a seat was left for Tito Ortiz’s skirmish with Forrest Griffin in April 2006.

A variety of reasons hold the key to the difference in attendance: Orange County has more middle-class residents who attend or have attended martial arts classes; the county has fewer distractions, with Disneyland and Angel Stadium being the only major entertainment distractions in town; having Ortiz, from nearby Huntington Beach, in the main event was master matchmaking and knowledge of fan interests.

Other bouts in L.A. Coliseum
Wrestlers prevailed most of the night against punchers, and Lesnar was no different in winning his first pro MMA bout by submission due to strikes at 1:09 of the first round against Korea’s Min Soo Kim (2-6).

“All my preparation is due to my amateur wrestling,” said Lesnar, who jumped on top of Kim and forced him to quit by pounding his face with left hands. “I was disappointed I couldn’t fight the big-headed guy.”

Kim was a replacement for Hong Man Choi (the person referred to by Lesnar) who failed medical examinations and was prohibited from fighting by the commission.

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In a heavyweight bout, Mighty Mo beat big Ruben Villareal by technical knockout at 1:33 of the first round. Mo, whose real name is Siala Siliga, traded punches in the opening seconds of the fight. Both landed, but Villareal decided to  and take the fight to the ground. He was unsuccessful.

Korea’s Dong Sik Yoon (1-4), a judo expert, lost mini battles inside the ring to Melvin Manhoef  (16-4-1) of the Netherlands. But in the second round Yoon, whose right eye was completely closed from punches, caught Manhoef on the ground and worked his way to an arm bar that forced the Dutch fighter to tap out at 1:17 of the second round.

Fast-rising fighter Jake Shields had planned to show off his standup skills, but Israel’s Ido Pariente (4-3) struggled and was choked out from behind at 2:06 of the first round.

“I wanted to show I’m No. 1 in the world,” said Shields (19-4-1).

Jonathan Wiezorek (12-1) mounted Tim Persey (8-2) from behind and pummeled him until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight for a technical knockout at 50 seconds of the second round.

Brazil’s JZ Calvancanti (12-1-1) overwhelmed Nam Pham (12-4) in 26 seconds and pummeled him with punches for a technical knockout in a lightweight bout.

Japan’s Hideo Tokoro (18-11-2) faced Great Britain’s Brad Pickett (10-4) in another match pitting a submission specialist against a puncher. Once again, the submission artist prevailed as he rolled on the ground with Pickett, grabbing an arm and forcing the British fighter to submit at 2:41 of the first round. 

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