Kazushi Sakuraba might not be competing at Quintet 5 himself, but he’s brought together an excellent lineup of 5 elite grapplers to form Team Saku 39 and he’ll be acting as their coach. The event goes down on October 23rd, 2025 and it will be the first time that the promotion has ever visited Dubai, bringing its trademark format to a whole new region. There will be 4 teams competing as always and although the other 3 lineups are still yet to be confirmed, the coaches who are putting the teams together have already been revealed. Alongside Sakuraba; Renzo Gracie and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira are leading their own teams and Bob Sapp is coaching for Bangtao.
Sakuraba’s team has some serious threats involved and they may end up being one of the top contenders, largely down to the two very talented heavyweights he’s brought in. His long-time friend Haisam Rida will be returning to the Quintet mats and his fast-paced, aggressive style often catches people off-guard. He’s got the constant threat of submission too, making him a great choice under the Quintet format. The team’s second heavyweight is Igor Tanabe and although he hasn’t been as active in submission grappling while focusing on his MMA career over the last few years, he’s still one of the top competitors in his weight class.
Then Sakuraba’s own son, Taisei Sakuraba, will also be representing Team Saku 39 and he’s shown a lot of skill in the handful of appearances he’s had so far. He isn’t the only unproven competitor on the team either, as recently-promoted BJJ brown belt Sousuke Oshima will be looking to make the most of this opportunity to face some of the best in the world. The final member of the team is also the most experienced, as Japanese MMA and grappling legend Daisuke Nakamura is making yet another appearance at Quintet. Nakamura has been a professional fighter for over two decades and this will be his 7th time on the Quintet mats.
Quintet MENA announced Kazushi Sakuraba and the full Team Saku 39 lineup for Quintet 5 in a recent post to their official Instagram account:
