Augusto Sakai (born May 19, 1991) is a Brazilian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who formerly competed in Bellator MMA and is now competing in the Heavyweight division of the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Sakai made his professional MMA debut in October 2011 in his native Brazil. In the first two years of his career, he amassed a record of six wins and no losses with all but one of his wins coming via knockout.

Bellator MMA

Sakai made his debut for Bellator MMA in March 2013, defeating Rob Horton by knockout due to a knee. Sakai returned to the promotion in 2015 with bouts against Daniel Gallemore and Alex Huddleston. He won both fights via TKO. Sakai faced Dan Charles at Bellator 155 on May 20, 2016. The bout ended in a majority draw. Sakai faced

Cheick Kongo Cheick Kongo is a French heavyweight Mixed Martial artist and former Kickboxer who fights in Bellator MMA. A professional MMA competitor since 2001, he has also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of May 10, 2022, he is #4 in the ...

at Bellator 179 on May 19, 2017. He lost the fight via split decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Sakai made his promotional debut against

Chase Sherman Chase Sherman (born November 16, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former bare-knuckle boxer. A professional MMA competitor since 2014, he has competed for the UFC and Titan FC. Background Born and raised in D'Ibervill ...

on September 22, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 137. He won the fight via TKO in the third round. Sakai faced

Andrei Arlovski Andrei Arlovski (born 4 February 1979) is a Belarusian-American professional mixed martial artist, actor and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and ho ...

on April 27, 2019 at UFC Fight Night: Jacaré vs. Hermansson. He won the fight via split decision. In his third fight for the promotion, Sakai faced

Marcin Tybura Marcin Tybura (born November 9, 1985) is a Polish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, Tybura previously fought fo ...

on September 14, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 158. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. Subsequently, Sakai signed a new, six-fight contract with the UFC. Sakai was scheduled to face

Blagoy Ivanov Blagoy Ivanov ( bg, Благой Александров Иванов; born October 9, 1986) is a Bulgarian mixed martial artist and Sambo (martial art), Sambo practitioner. He is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UF ...

on May 9, 2020 at then UFC 250. Due to the event being relocated to the United States, Sakai being unable to compete due to visa issues. However, on April 9,

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed and the eventually the bout took place on May 30, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns. He won the fight via a split decision. Sakai faced

Alistair Overeem Alistair Cees Overeem (born 17 May 1980) is a Dutch professional heavyweight mixed martial artist and kickboxer, currently competing in the heavyweight division of Glory. He is a former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Dream Heavyweight Cha ...

on September 5, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 176 ''UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Sakai'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 176'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 34'' and ''UFC Vegas 9'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 5, 2020 at the UFC ...

. Despite his early success, he was eventually dominated by the veteran and lost the fight via technical knockout in the fifth round. Sakai was expected to face

Shamil Abdurakhimov Shamil Gentovich Abdurakhimov (born September 2, 1981) is a Russian mixed martial artist, who is currently fighting in the heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of December 13, 2022, he is #14 in the UFC heavywe ...

on May 1, 2021 at UFC on ESPN 23. However Abdurakhimov pulled out of the bout with visa issues, and Sakai instead faced

Jairzinho Rozenstruik Jairzinho Rozenstruik (born 17 March 1988) is a Surinamese mixed martial artist and former kickboxer, who currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He currently holds the record for second fast ...

on June 5, 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai. He lost the fight via knockout with one second left in the first round. Sakai was expected to face

Tai Tuivasa Tai Anthony Tuivasa (born 16 March 1993) is an Australian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of December 6, 2022, he is #5 in the UFC heavyweight ...

on November 20, 2021 at

UFC Fight Night 198 ''UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN+ 56'', ''UFC Vegas 43'' and ''UFC Fight Night 198'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 20, 2021 at the UFC ...

. However due to visa issues for Tuivasa, the bout was scrapped. The pair was rescheduled and met on December 11, 2021 at

UFC 269 ''UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 11, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United State ...

. Sakai lost the fight via knockout in the second round. Sakai faced Sergey Spivak on August 6, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 40. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round two. Sakai is scheduled to face

Don'Tale Mayes Don'Tale O'Neil Mayes (born January 16, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Born and raised in Kentucky, Mayes begun tr ...

on February 25, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 220 ''UFC Fight Night: Muniz vs. Allen'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 220, UFC on ESPN+ 78'' and ''UFC Vegas 70'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 25, 2023, at the UFC Ape ...

Personal life

Sakai is the grandson of Japanese immigrants to Brazil and he works at an aquarium store between fights.

Mixed martial arts record

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

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, United States , , - , Loss , style="text-align:center" , 15–3–1 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , style="text-align:center" , 15–2–1 ,

, TKO (elbows and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Sakai , , style="text-align:center" , 5 , style="text-align:center" , 0:26 ,

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 15–1–1 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 14–1–1 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Gaethje , , style="text-align:center" , 1 , style="text-align:center" , 0:59 ,

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

, Canada , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 13–1–1 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Jacaré vs. Hermansson , , style="text-align:center" , 3 , style="text-align:center" , 5:00 , Sunrise, Florida, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 12–1–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Anders , , style="text-align:center" , 3 , style="text-align:center" , 4:03 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 11–1–1 , Marcos Conrado , TKO (punches) , Dana White's Contender Series Brazil 1 , , style="text-align:center" , 2 , style="text-align:center" , 3:09 ,

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , , Tiago Cardoso , TKO (punches) , Imortal FC 7 , , style="text-align:center" , 1 , style="text-align:center" , 2:17 ,

São José dos Pinhais São José dos Pinhais () is a municipality in the state of Paraná in Brazil. It is a part of the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba. Etymology With geographical and religious origins the city's name is a homage to São José (Saint Joseph) and ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , style="text-align:center" , 9–1–1 ,

, Decision (split) , Bellator 179 , , style="text-align:center" , 3 , style="text-align:center" , 5:00 ,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England , , - , Draw , style="text-align:center" , 9–0–1 , Dan Charles , Draw (majority) , Bellator 155 , , style="text-align:center" , 3 , style="text-align:center" , 5:00 ,

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown ar ...

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 9–0 , Alex Huddleston , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 145 , , style="text-align:center" , 3 , style="text-align:center" , 5:00 ,

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 8–0 , Daniel Gallemore , TKO (retirement) , Bellator 139 , , style="text-align:center" , 2 , style="text-align:center" , 5:00 ,

Mulvane, Kansas Mulvane is a city in Sedgwick and Sumner counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,286. History Mulvane was laid out in 1879 at the junction of five Santa Fe rail lines. It is named for ...

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 7–0 , Matt Frembling , TKO (knees and punches) , Bellator 122 , , style="text-align:center" , 3 , style="text-align:center" , 3:32 ,

Temecula, California Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and was Municipal corporation, i ...

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 6–0 , Edison Lopes , Decision (unanimous) , Golden Fighters 8 , , style="text-align:center" , 3 , style="text-align:center" , 5:00 ,

Novo Hamburgo Novo Hamburgo (Portuguese for ''New Hamburg''; german: Neu-Hamburg) is a municipality in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, located in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, the state capital. As of 2020, its population was 247, ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 5–0 , Rob Horton , KO (knee) ,

Bellator 94 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

, , style="text-align:center" , 2 , style="text-align:center" , 4:01 ,

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 4–0 , Arley Simetti , KO (knee) , Samurai FC 9: Water vs. Fire , , style="text-align:center" , 1 , style="text-align:center" , 2:04 ,

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in Brazil's South Region. The Curitiba Metropolitan area ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 3–0 , Dayvisson Daniel , TKO (punches) , Evolution Fight Combat 3 , , style="text-align:center" , 1 , style="text-align:center" , 0:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 2–0 , Marcio Fernando , TKO (punches) , Power Fight Extreme 6 , , style="text-align:center" , 1 , style="text-align:center" , 0:35 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 1–0 , Cesar Alberto , KO (punches) , Adventure Fighters Tournament , , style="text-align:center" , 1 , style="text-align:center" , 1:54 ,

, Brazil , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sakai, Augusto 1991 births Brazilian male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian people of Japanese descent Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people Sportspeople from Curitiba Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters