In the third edition of MMA Roots, Sherdog Brazilian correspondent Marcelo Alonso recalls the history of Japanese Samurai Yuki Nakai, the 150-pound fighter who in a single night defeated two heavyweights and marched forward after suffering permanent vision loss to face Rickson Gracie in the final of 1995’s Vale Tudo Japan tournament.

Being blinded in one eye, Nakai retired from combat but dedicated his life to bringing jiu-jitsu back to Japan. In the video Alonso, who followed his saga since Nakai’s first trip to Brazil, brings some interesting details about the Japanese icon’s martial arts journey.