Oh my god...that was fucking incredible!     
When I started grappling in '01/'02 the "grainy pride highlights" were a HUGE inspiration to me.   I was in grad school, and I was supposed to be studying.  But instead, I was like a crack addict watching those things in slow motion and dissecting every move Sakuraba, Sperry, and Minotauro were making.   BJJ Scout is right:  they were Heros then...not athletes.
Makes me weep for the death of Pride.