also known as , born August 24, 1975, is a Japanese

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 ...

. A professional competitor since 1996, he has formerly competed for 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 ...

PRIDE Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

DREAM A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

Shooto Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the ''Shooto Association'' and the ''International Shooto Commission''. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 198 ...

Vale Tudo Japan is an annual mixed martial arts competition held in Japan. Originally arranged by promoter and former professional wrestler Satoru Sayama, he had previously created a hybrid martial art organization named Shooto in 1985. He arranged VTJ in 1994 w ...

DEEP Deep or The Deep may refer to: Places United States * Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia * Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah * Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania * Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary), ...

, and participated in the

Yarennoka! ''Yarennoka!'' () was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event that took place on December 31, 2007 at the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The event was promoted by the Yarennoka! Executive Committee, composed of former Pride Fighting Championships ...

Dynamite!! 2008 ''Dynamite!! 2008'' was the annual kickboxing and mixed martial arts event held by K-1 & DREAM on New Year's Eve, Wednesday, December 31, 2008, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. It featured eleven DREAM mixed martial arts rules fights ...

Dynamite!! 2009 ''Dynamite!! 2009'' was a mixed martial arts and kickboxing events promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group, held in the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on December 31, 2009. The event included bouts that encompass the DREAM, Sengoku R ...

Dynamite!! 2010 ''Dynamite!! 2010'' was a mixed martial arts and kickboxing event in the annual New Year's Eve event promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group that took place on December 31, 2010 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event include ...

, and Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 events. Sakurai finished second (Silver) in the Absolute Class (no weight limit)

ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship The ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship, is an international submission wrestling, submission grappling competition, organised by the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC). The inaugural tournament was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE in 1998. It has been ...

in 1999 at just under 77 kg. During the height of his career in 2000 and 2001 he was considered to be one of the top

pound for pound Pound for pound is a ranking used in combat sports, such as boxing, wrestling, or mixed martial arts, of who the better fighters are irrespective of their weight, i.e. adjusted to compensate for weight class. As these fighters do not compete direc ...

fighters in MMA. He is the former Shooto Middleweight Champion. His nickname, " Mach", pronounced ''ma-ha'' in Japanese was taken as a tribute to his childhood

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

hero, Higo Shigehisashi better known as Mach Hayato, the first Japanese

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

to completely embrace the Mexican style of

lucha libre Lucha libre (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term used in Latin America for professional wrestling. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form ...

and was also among the group of

s who made the transition to

shoot wrestling Shoot wrestling is a combat sport that originated in Japan's professional wrestling circuit of the 1970s. Professional wrestlers of that era attempted to use more realistic or even "full contact" moves in their matches to increase their exciteme ...

as part of the original UWF movement. He holds notable victories over

Daiju Takase is a Japanese mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He has fought as a middleweight and welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and PRIDE Fighting Championship. He is noted for being the second to defeat, and first to finish, former U ...

and Luciano Azevedo, who in turn hold victories against

Anderson Silva Anderson da Silva (; born 14 April 1975) is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and boxer. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 an ...

and

Jose Aldo Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean ...

respectively.

Background

Sakurai began training in

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

during middle school, gaining several championships and then also began training in

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

. During high school, he became friends with fellow combat sportsmen

Michihiro Omigawa is a retrired Japanese mixed martial artist, judoka and submission grappler, who mainly competed in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, Omigawa competed in the UFC, PRIDE, Cage Rage, World Victory Road, D ...

and

Kazuyuki Miyata Kazuyuki Miyata ( ''Miyata Kazuyuki'') is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of Rizin. A professional competitor since 2004, Miyata has competed for DREAM, K-1 HERO'S, DEEP, RINGS, and made an app ...

. He later became interested in shootboxing and joined Caesar Takeshi's

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...

, competing for his promotion during years. In 1996, he wandered in

mixed martial arts 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, inc ...

and entered Kiguchi Dojo, where he trained with Noriaki Kiguchi and

Satoru Sayama (born November 27, 1957) is a Japanese professional wrestling, Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, MMA and wrestling promoter and writer, best known as the original Tiger Mask (professional wrestling), Tige ...

's apprentice

Noboru Asahi is a Japanese retired mixed martial artist, a designer, and an owner of MMA gym. He was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan on January 5, 1968, as . Mixed martial arts career A former amateur wrestler, Asahi was trained in Satoru Sayama's Super ...

. At the end, he ended joining the

organization along with a young

Takanori Gomi is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist who gained international fame in Pride Fighting Championships. Later in his career, Gomi also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Gomi is the only Pride FC Lightweight Champion in th ...

Mixed martial arts career

Shooto

Joining Naoki Sakurada's Gutsman team, Sakurai made his professional debut in Shooto on October 4, 1996 by submitting

Caol Uno (born May 8, 1975) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He is the Co-Champion of the UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament and a former Shooto Lightweight Champion. As one of the early Ultimate Fighting Championship's ...

. Over the next five years he would go undefeated in eighteen bouts, representing the promotion in three consecutive victories at the renowned

event, as well as French MMA promotion Golden Trophy 1999. Hayato would also win that organization's Shooto Middleweight Champion from Jutaro Nakao, which he defended before

Tetsuji Kato is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competed in the welterweight and lightweight divisions in Shooto, Strikeforce and DEEP. He was the SuperBrawl 7 Light Heavyweight Tournament winner, defeating Ben Hernandez in the finals. __TOC__ Champ ...

. In a less official light, he contended with Rumina Sato for the fastest victory at the time, knocking out Ademir Oliveira with a spectacular flying knee in 0:34 seconds moments before Sato beat him with a flying armbar in 0:08 against Charles Diaz. During his final times on the company, Sakurai also faced future UFC challenger

Frank Trigg Dewey Franklin Trigg III (born May 7, 1972) is an American retired mixed martial artist, color commentator, pro wrestler, MMA referee and TV host. Trigg is a veteran of the UFC, Pride Fighting Championships, Rumble on the Rock, Icon Sport-(Icon ...

in an exciting battle. The two brawled in the clinch, with Trigg landing knees while Hayato threw punches and kicks to the body and leg; at one instance, Trigg almost knocked out Sakurai, stunning him and landing multiple undefended punches both standing and on the ground which drew blood. Trigg continued dominating through the second round, until Sakurai finally came back knocking him down with a left hook, and he managed to finish the fight with multiple knee strikes to the face, winning by KO. In August 2001, Sakurai was finally defeated by future longtime UFC Middleweight Champion

, losing his championship title. After the loss, and subsequent to a severe car accident, Sakurai stopped fighting for Shooto full-time.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On March 22, 2002, Sakurai stepped into

Ultimate Fighting Championship 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 ...

to fight the

UFC Welterweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

Matt Hughes at

UFC 36 ''UFC 36: Worlds Collide'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 22, 2002. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later released on ...

. Hughes started the match taking down Sakurai repeatedly, but Sakurai worked submission attempts from the bottom and managed to capture Hughes's back. The second round saw Hayato landing a solid left hand and a knee to the head, which Hughes got back on the third by slamming Sakurai hard on the mat with a takedown and landing several strikes on the ground. The fourth would see the final action, with Hughes managing to knock down Sakurai and perform ground and pound until the referee stopped the fight as a TKO in favor of Hughes.

PRIDE

After losing to Hughes, Sakurai fought periodically in Shooto and

before joining PRIDE Fighting Championships, Japan's largest MMA organization. During this time he was inconsistent in his performances, often losing to much lower-ranked opponents. He also attempted to fight at ., but it was clear that his frame was far too small for that weight, and his performances suffered. Some speculated Sakurai's seeming loss of spirit and mental focus came from his infamous car accident he suffered after fighting Silva. Sakurai made an underwhelming debut before Daiju Takase in PRIDE Shockwave 2003. Takase controlled a part of the first round, taking down Sakurai and bloodying his nose with punches. At this point, however, Mach started coming back, hijacking the standing segments with superior striking and negating Takase's submission attempts in order to do damage through his guard. The Shooto fighter ended the fight taking down Takase several times and controlling the action, which gained him a unanimous decision. In his next apparitions for PRIDE Bushido, Sakurai would face two members of the

Gracie family The Gracie Family () are a prominent martial arts family originally from Belém, state of Pará, Brazil whose ancestors came from Paisley, Scotland. They are known for creating the self-defense martial arts system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also kno ...

Rodrigo Rodrigo is a Spanish, Portuguese and Italian name derived from the Germanic name ''Roderick'' (Gothic ''*Hroþareiks'', via Latinized ''Rodericus'' or ''Rudericus''), given specifically in reference to either King Roderic (d. 712), the last Vis ...

and Crosley, but he was unsuccessful in both ventures. He fought an uneventful match against the former, stopping him from passing guard for the first round and being stopped himself from passing guard in the second, before receiving some knees to the head which gained Gracie the decision; and he then lost by submission to the latter, despite him showing a better performance until the last minutes. In 2005 Sakurai regained focus and went to the US to train with legendary

Pancrase Pancrase Inc. is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. The name was based on pankration, a fighting sport in the Ancient Olympic Games. Suzuki and Funaki pr ...

coach

Matt Hume Matt Hume (born July 14, 1966) is an American mixed martial arts trainer and businessman. He is the founder and head trainer at AMC Pankration in Kirkland, WA, home to former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and ONE bantamweight champi ...

. It was announced that he would drop down to . in order to participate in the PRIDE Lightweight Grand Prix. Despite his revered and legendary early career some questioned if Sakurai could make an impact in the division. Sakurai silenced his critics when he defeated former

UFC Lightweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

Jens Pulver Jens Johnnie Pulver (born December 6, 1974) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist and undefeated boxer and kickboxer. Pulver was the inaugural UFC Lightweight Champion in addition to serving as the head coach on '' The Ultim ...

and former Shooto Lightweight Champion Joachim Hansen on the same night to advance to the tournament finals. The match with Pulver was specially acclaimed, as it featured high speed and an exciting give and take. Sakurai peppered his opponent with strikes and kicks before receiving a left hand which seemed to put him down. He recovered and injured Pulver's eye with a combo, only to immediately land a front kick directly to the same eye, but then Hayato received another sudden left hook, which anticipated a possible finish. However, for a second time, Sakurai came back and pressed action, finally bringing him down with a body shot and a knee strike for the TKO. The bout was called "awesome" and "Fight of the Year Contender-level" by analyst Scott Newman. Similarly back and forth would be the fight against Hansen: the two fighters exchanged strikes, hip throws and leglocks through the entire bout, while Sakurai landed spinning back kicks and a close armbar attempt. Sakurai got the decision win, and it set off a match in the finals against

, Sakurai's former colleague and training partner. On December 31, 2005 Sakurai fought Gomi for the first ever PRIDE Fighting Championships championship of the world. Although fighting with a torn ACL he suffered in training just three weeks prior to the fight, though this was not known outside of his coaching circle at the time, Sakurai initially had the upper-hand, pounding Gomi with brutal inside-leg kicks. A few minutes into the round Sakurai attempted a judo throw, but the ring ropes got in the way and caused him to crash head first on the mat with Gomi taking his back. Takanori capitalized and rained down punches on him, and although Sakurai was able to return to his feet, he was overwhelmed and knocked out with a punching combo. Despite the loss to Gomi, Sakurai would continue to impress with his performances. At Bushido 11 he scored a brutal knockout over WEC veteran Olaf Alfonso. On August 26, 2006, Mach fought Brazilian Luciano Azevedo at Bushido 12. After several minutes of attempted

ground and pound 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, incorp ...

by Azevedo, the fighters were stood back up. Mach then consistently stuffed Azevedo's takedowns, and landed a fight-ending knee on Azevedo over his left eye. The fight was stopped, TKO by cut. Sakurai fought against former King of the Cage Lightweight Champion and future The Ultimate Fighter 6 Winner

Mac Danzig Mac Danzig (born January 2, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist, who competed as a lightweight in several MMA promotions, most notably the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter season six. Background Da ...

at PRIDE 33. Sakurai won the fight via

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

in the second round. Sakurai was then defeated by David Baron by submission in the first round. Sakurai then defeated

Kuniyoshi Hironaka is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. He has formerly competed for the UFC, Shooto, DREAM, and Pancrase. Mixed martial arts career Early career Hironaka made his professional mixed martial arts debut in ...

via unanimous decision. Sakurai then went on to defeat

Katsuyori Shibata is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and professional wrestling trainer. In professional wrestling, he is known for his hard hitting offense. He is currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is a f ...

by TKO at

. In a shocking start, Shibata charged across the ring and almost fell through the ropes when Sakurai dodged him, and then unloaded all his offensive with the intention to end the fight early, but Hayato took him down and punished him methodically until the stoppage.

DREAM

After PRIDE's folding, Sakurai joined its offshoot promotion

, in whose Welterweight Grand Prix he took part. He faced top-ranked lightweight

Shinya Aoki is a Japanese mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and grappler currently competing in ONE Championship's and Rizin Fighting Federation's Welterweight division. He also competes in DDT Pro-Wrestling where he is a former three-time DDT E ...

DREAM 8 ''Dream.8: Welter Weight Grand Prix 2009 First Round'' was a mixed martial arts event promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group's mixed martial arts promotion Dream on April 5, 2009. Unlike Dream's past tournaments, the Welter Weight Grand Pr ...

in a match with revenge overtones, as Sakurai had defeated Aoki back in Shooto in what was called a controversial decision. This time, Sakurai won in impressive fashion, sweeping over a charging Aoki and delivering knees to the head and punches for a KO at 0:27. He then lost at

DREAM 10 ''Dream.10: Welter Weight Grand Prix 2009 Final Round'' was a mixed martial arts event promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group's mixed martial arts promotion Dream on July 20, 2009. Dream's welterweight division has a weight limit. The ev ...

in the semi-final of the tournament to eventual winner

Marius Zaromskis Marius may refer to: People *Gaius Marius (157 BC-86 BC), Roman statesman, seven times consul. Arts and entertainment * ''Marius'' (play), a 1929 play by Marcel Pagnol * "Marius" (short story), a 1957 story by Poul Anderson * ''Marius'' (193 ...

in a huge upset, conceding the loss via

from a head kick and punches. At

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

show in Saitama, Sakurai fought against another Shooto legend,

Akihiro Gono (born October 7, 1974) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 1994, he is best known for his clever and deceptive fighting style, and for his flashy ring entrances. Gon ...

. Sakurai controlled the fight early on, outstriking Gono both standing and from the

half guard Half guard (or half mount) is a ground grappling position where one combatant is lying on the other, with the bottom combatant having one leg entangled. Sometimes the bottom combatant is said to be in half guard, while the top combatant is in ...

, but eventually lost via

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, pr ...

submission in the second round. He fought

Nick Diaz Nickolas Robert Diaz (born August 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Diaz is a former Strikeforce, WEC and IFC welterweight champion ...

DREAM 14 ''Dream 14'' was a mixed martial arts event held by Fighting and Entertainment Group's mixed martial arts promotion Dream. The event took place on May 29, 2010 in Japan. The event aired live in North America on HDNet. Background This event was o ...

and was caught in an

submission again. After this fight he has speculated on retiring saying that he was good physically, but not mentally. Sakurai was to have a rematch against

Marius Žaromskis Marius Žaromskis (born July 30, 1980) is a Lithuanian professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2000, Zaromskis has formerly competed for Strikeforce, Cage Rage, Bell ...

in DREAM 17 a non-title fight. However, he injured his leg which has forced off of the DREAM 17 card and was replaced by Eiji Ishikawa. Sakurai returned at Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 where he faced

Ryo Chonan is a retired Japanese professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2001–2013, Chonan competed for the UFC, PRIDE, DEEP, DREAM, Pancrase, and World Victory Road. Chonan is the former DEEP Middleweight Champion and the fo ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. He then faced

Phil Baroni Philip George Baroni (April 16, 1976) is a retired American mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and former kickboxer. A professional MMA competitor since 2000, Baroni has competed for the UFC, PRIDE, Strikeforce, Cage Rage, DREAM, Elit ...

at the subsequent New Year's card by Dream,

DREAM 18 2012 is the first year in the history of the Glory, an international kickboxing event. 2012 starts with Glory 1: Stockholm, and ends with Dream 18 & Glory 4: Tokyo. The events are broadcasts through television agreements with regional channels a ...

, defeating him via unanimous decision.

Post-DREAM

Almost a year later, Sakurai returned to face Jae Suk Lim at Mach Dojo / Gladiator: Mach Festival. Sakurai lost by TKO in the first round. He competed in the Tokyo International Jiu-Jitsu Open Championship 2009, ranking himself as a

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

black belt for his grappling expertise. He opened the first round against Akira Uemura, but was eliminated.

Rizin FF

After not competing in over three years, Sakurai made his MMA return for Rizin Fighting Federation. He faced

Wataru Sakata is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Career A former Kyokushin karateka, Sakata trained in professional wrestling at Animal Hamaguchi's gym and joined Akira Maeda's Fighting Network RINGS immediately after. F ...

at Rizin World Grand-Prix 2016: Final Round on December 31, 2016 and won the fight via TKO in the second round.

Fighting style

Sakurai was renowned for his well rounded set of skills, excelling on every field of the MMA game. On the stand-up, he favored grinding

low kick A low kick (also known as a leg kick) is a kick in which the attacker uses their leg to strike the opponent's lower body (thigh or calf) with the shinbone or foot. This type of kick, under different names, is utilized in numerous full-contact ma ...

s and technical

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

along with a wide usage of knee strikes, including flying knees.Snowden, Jonathan. ''MMA Encyclopedia'', ECW Press, 2010 A prolific

clinch Clinch may refer to: * Nail (fastener) or device to hold in this way * Clinching, in metalworking * Clinch fighting or the clinch, a grappling position in boxing or wrestling, a stand-up embrace * Clinch County, Georgia, USA * Clinch River, near T ...

user, although he is not a high level judoka, Sakurai excelled in performing hip throws during his matches, favouring

o goshi is one of the original 40 throws of Judo as compiled by Jigoro Kano. It belongs to the of the , of Kodokan Judo. It is also part of the current 67 Throws of Kodokan Judo. It is classified as a . Technique description ''O-goshi's'' classifica ...

uki goshi is one of the original 40 throws of Judo as developed by Jigoro Kano. It belongs to the first group, Dai Ikkyo, of the traditional throwing list, Gokyo (no waza), of Kodokan Judo. It is also part of the current 67 Throws of Kodokan Judo. It is ...

and ippon seoi nage. Finally, his grappling technique was one of his biggest strengths, using his

expertise to great effect. He was the only user of this discipline in reaching the ADCC finals both in his weight and absolute division, defeating heavier and more decorated grapplers like

Ricco Rodriguez Ricco Rodriguez (born August 19, 1977) is an American semi-retired mixed martial artist currently competing in the heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 1999, he has competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, EliteXC, I ...

and

Vinny Magalhães Vinicius "Vinny" de Magalhães (; born July 2, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Light heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he was a finalist in '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mi ...

Championships and accomplishments

* DREAM ** 2009 DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix Semifinalist * PRIDE Fighting Championships ** 2005 PRIDE Lightweight Grand Prix Runner-Up *

** Shooto Welterweight Championship (One Time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 38–13–2 ,

, TKO (punches) , Rizin World Grand-Prix 2016: Final Round , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 12:37 ,

Saitama, Japan is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. Being in the Greater Tokyo Area and lying ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 37–13–2 , Jae Suk Lim , TKO (punches) , Mach Dojo / Gladiator: Mach Festival , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:21 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 37–12–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 36–12–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 35–12–2 ,

Jason High Jason High (born October 12, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Lightweight division of the Professional Fighters League. A professional competitor since 2005, High has also competed for Strikeforce, Aff ...

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 35–11–2 ,

, Submission (armbar) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:54 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 35–10–2 ,

, Submission (armbar) , Dynamite!! The Power of Courage 2009 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:56 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 35–9–2 ,

, KO (head kick) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:03 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 35–8–2 ,

, KO (knees & punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:27 ,

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 34–8–2 ,

, TKO (punches) , Fields Dynamite!! 2008 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 7:01 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 33–8–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Dream 6: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 32–8–2 , David Baron , Submission (guillotine choke) , Shooto: Shooto Tradition 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:50 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 32–7–2 ,

Hidetaka Monma Hidetaka Monma () (October 23, 1973), is a Japanese mixed martial artist who last competed in 2014. A professional since 2001, he competed for Pancrase, DREAM, DEEP, RINGS, and K-1 HERO'S. Background Monma began training in jujutsu at age of 13 ...

, TKO (punches) , Dream 1: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 First Round , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:12 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 31–7–2 , Hidehiko Hasegawa , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 30–7–2 ,

, KO (punch) , PRIDE 33 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:01 ,

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 Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 29–7–2 , Luciano Azevedo , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Pride - Bushido 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:35 , Nagoya, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 28–7–2 , Olaf Alfonso , KO (punch) , Pride - Bushido 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:54 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 27–7–2 ,

, KO (punches) , Pride FC: Shockwave 2005 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:56 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 27–6–2 , Joachim Hansen , Decision (unanimous) , Pride: Bushido 9 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 26–6–2 ,

, TKO (punches) , Pride: Bushido 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:56 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 25–6–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Alive Road , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 24–6–2 ,

Milton Vieira Milton Vieira (born October 10, 1978) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing as a Featherweight. Vieira is widely credited as the inventor of the anaconda choke. Vieira is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Murilo Bustamante ...

, Decision (split) , Pride: Bushido 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–6–2 , Crosley Gracie , Submission (armbar) ,

PRIDE Bushido 5 The year 2004 is the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The followi ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:02 ,

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 23–5–2 , Brady Fink , Submission (guillotine choke) ,

PRIDE Bushido 4 The year 2004 is the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The followi ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:08 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–5–2 ,

Rodrigo Gracie Rodrigo Gracie (born March 11, 1974) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A member of the famous Gracie family, Rodrigo is a 6th Degree Black Belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and a Gold Medalist in t ...

, Decision (unanimous) ,

PRIDE Bushido 2 The year 2004 is the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The followi ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Yokohama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 22–4–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

PRIDE Shockwave 2003 The year 2003 is the 7th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2003 had 6 events beginning with, ''Pride 25 - Body Blow''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The follow ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–4–2 ,

, TKO (cut) , Deep - 12th Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:10 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 21–3–2 ,

Dave Menne David Jeremy Menne (born July 29, 1974) is an American mixed martial artist. He was the first ever UFC Middleweight Champion and has also competed for Cage Rage, Bellator, Shooto, ADCC and RINGS. Background Menne was born in Minneapolis, Mi ...

, TKO (cut) , DEEP: 10th Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:02 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 20–3–2 , Ryuki Ueyama , Decision (unanimous) , Deep - 8th Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–3–2 ,

Jake Shields Jake Sequoyah Shields (born January 9, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist and submission grappler. He was the last Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Champion, the only Elite XC Welterweight Champion, a former Shooto Welterweight ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Year End Show 2002 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–2–2 , Matt Hughes , TKO (strikes) ,

, , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:01 , Las Vegas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–1–2 , Dan Gilbert , Submission (heel hook) , Shooto: To The Top Final Act , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:52 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–1–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: To The Top 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 18–0–2 , Jean Louis Alberch , Decision , GT: Golden Trophy 2001 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:00 , France , , - , Win , align=center, 17–0–2 ,

, KO (knees) , Shooto: R.E.A.D. Final , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:25 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 16–0–2 ,

Luiz Azeredo Luiz Azeredo (born 10 June 1976) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He fought in the PRIDE Fighting Championships and Cage Rage. Mixed martial arts career On 22 November 2008 he participated in Shoot Boxing World Tournament 2008, whe ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: R.E.A.D. 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–0–2 ,

, Decision (split) , Shooto: R.E.A.D. 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14–0–2 , Haroldo Bunn , TKO (punches) , VTJ 1999: Vale Tudo Japan 1999 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:31 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–0–2 , Brad Aird , Submission (armbar) , Shooto: Renaxis 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:37 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–0–2 , Marcelo Aguiar , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: 10th Anniversary Event , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Yokohama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0–2 , Jean Louis Alberch , Submission (armbar) , GT: Golden Trophy 1999 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 , France , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0–2 , Damien Riccio , Decision , GT: Golden Trophy 1999 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 , France , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0–2 , James Schiavo , Submission (toe hold) , GT: Golden Trophy 1999 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:26 , France , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0–2 , Ademir Oliveira , KO (flying knee) , Shooto: Devilock Fighters , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:34 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0–2 , Sergei Bytchkov , Submission (armbar) , VTJ 1998: Vale Tudo Japan 1998 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:59 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0–2 ,

Ronny Rivano Ronny Rivano is a Dutch mixed martial artist. He competed in the Welterweight division. Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center , 13-13-3 , Chico Martinez , KO (punches) , Bushido Europe: Rotterdam Rumble , , align=center ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Shooto: Las Grandes Viajes 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:10 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0–2 , Jutaro Nakao , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Las Grandes Viajes 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 4–0–2 , Marcelo Aguiar , Draw , VTJ 1997: Vale Tudo Japan 1997 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 8:00 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0–1 , Alex Cook , Submission (rear naked choke) , Shooto: Reconquista 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:09 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0–1 , Ali Elias , Submission (armbar) , Shooto: Reconquista 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:23 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0–1 ,

Hiroyuki Kojima Hiroyuki Kojima is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Welterweight division. Mixed martial arts record , - , Draw , align=center, 4-4-1 , Takaharu Murahama , Draw , Shooto: Shooter's Ambition , , align=center, ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Gig , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 1–0–1 ,

Takuya Kuwabara Takuya Kuwabara is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Lightweight division. Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center, 8-3-4 , Rumina Sato , Technical Decision (unanimous) , Shooto - R.E.A.D. 9 , , a ...

, Draw , Shooto: Reconquista 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 ,

, Submission (armbar) , Shooto: Let's Get Lost , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:52 , Tokyo, Japan , ''Legend'':

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Draw , align=center, 0-0-1 , Rumina Sato , Technical Draw , World＆Wild 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , -

Kickboxing record

, - , , Win , align=left, Jani Lax , Shootboxing Battle Summit Ground Zero Tokyo 2007 , Tokyo, Japan , Decision (unanimous) , 3 , 3:00 , 1-0 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

Submission grappling record

KO PUNCHES , - style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;" , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Result , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Opponent , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Method , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Event , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Date , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Round , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Time , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Notes , - , Loss, , Israel Alburquerque , , Points , , ADCC 2000 –77 kg, , 2000, , 1, , , , , - , Loss, , Roberto Traven , , Points , , ADCC 1999 Absolute, , 1999, , , , 20:00, , , - , Win, ,

, , Points , , ADCC 1999 Absolute, , 1999, , , , 10:00, , , - , Win, , Vinicius Magalhaes , , Points , , ADCC 1999 Absolute, , 1999, , , , 15:00, , , - , Win, , Eddie Ruiz , , Submission , , ADCC 1999 –77 kg, , 1999, , 1, , 00:17, , , - , Loss, , Jean-Jacques Machado , , Submission , , ADCC 1999 –77 kg, , 1999, , 1, , 5:09, , , - , Win, , Fabiano Iha , , Points , , ADCC 1999 –77 kg, , 1999, , , , 10:00, , , - , Win, , Andre Pederneiras , , , , ADCC 1999 –77 kg, , 1999, , , , 15:00, , , -

References

External links

*
Official blog
*

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sakurai, Hayato 1975 births Living people Japanese male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing shootfighting Mixed martial artists utilizing shootboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing catch wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Japanese practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Welterweight mixed martial artists Japanese male kickboxers Middleweight kickboxers Japanese submission wrestlers Sportspeople from Ibaraki Prefecture Japanese male judoka Japanese catch wrestlers Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters