5 Things You Need to Know About Augusto Sakai

Augusto Sakai is set to fight UFC heavyweight star Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai. Their fight will decide who rises in the official rankings of the heavyweight division, and a win for either of them would do wonders for their title prospects.

Ahead of this fight, take a look at the five things you need to know about Augusto Sakai.

He was born in Curitiba, Brazil

Augusto dos Santos Sakai was born on May 19, 1991 in the city of Curitiba. Curitiba is the capital and largest city in the Brazilian State of Parana. He’s currently 30 years old now. He also started his fighting career in Curitiba, winning his first four fights via knockout in the first round. Bellator picked him up soon after.

Augusto Sakai has Japanese ancestors

Augusto Sakai is a Japanese Brazilian. Japanese Brazilians are people of Japanese ancestry or Japanese immigrants living in Brazil. The first Japanese immigrants arrived in Brazil in 1908. Brazil is home to the largest Japanese population outside Japan. His grandparents were some of those select few who moved to Brazil.

He trains with the Gile Ribeiro Team.

He is currently training in the Gile Riveiro team in Curitiba. Gile Riveiro is the head coach of the Jiu-Jitsu gym, and his subordinate coaches are Thiago Frasson, Diego Marlon and Julio Migliorini. The gym also features other prominent fighters like UFC bantamweight Rogerio Bontorin and UFC middleweight Wellington Turman.

He worked in an aquarium between fights

Sakai turned pro in 2011, soon after his 20th birthday. He was a longtime martial arts enthusiast, but his fighting career still didn’t always pay all the bills. He worked at a local aquarium for a while. Afterward, the Brazilian started putting his own fish tank together at home. However, he has traded this hobby for go-karting now.

Augusto Sakai has no wins or losses via submission

Augusto Sakai has a record of 15-2-1 after 18 fights. His two losses have come via knockout and a split decision. However, his wins have been really impressive. The Brazilian has won 11 of his 15 fights via knockout, while the other four wins have come via decision. Impressively, none of his fights have ended in a submission attempt, and it doesn’t seem like happening anytime soon.

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