Nearly 1,000 days have passed since
Augusto
Sakai last experienced getting his hand raised. Such prolonged
adversity forced the two-time
Ultimate Fighting Championship
headliner to look in the mirror
like never before.
Sakai will attempt to snap a career-worst four-fight losing streak
when he takes on
Don’Tale
Mayes in a
UFC Fight Night 220 heavyweight showcase on Saturday at the UFC
Apex in Las Vegas. The 31-year-old Brazilian understands the doubt
surrounding him.
“It’s unfortunate, but the most recent results don’t define who I
am,” Sakai told Sherdog.com. “That’s all behind me now. What
happened over the last four fights I used as learning experiences.
I’m working at getting better every day, and I’m getting better
every day. I was very happy and thankful for this additional chance
the UFC is giving me. I love fighting and being in the UFC. It was
always my dream. Now I’m coming back at full force. We’ll get this
win and remain in the UFC.”
All four of Sakai’s defeats during his current drought have
resulted in finishes. He last competed at UFC on ESPN 40, where he
succumbed to punches from
Sergey
Spivak in the second round of their Aug. 6 encounter. Sakai
believes he has rectified some of the issues that were plaguing
him, as a move to
American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, facilitated
change.
“Several things were corrected,” Sakai said. “I’m evolving every
day. We’re headed back to my winning ways. I’ve been training with
all the heavyweights here. I can also count on the support of all
the coaches. It’s been great. I’m getting better with each training
session. We’re ready to make a comeback.”
A physical specimen at 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, Mayes has delivered
five of his nine victories by knockout or technical knockout. He
has not fought since he dropped a contentious split decision to
Hamdy
Abdelwahab at UFC 277 in July. The result was later changed to
a no contest after Abdelwahab tested positive for an anabolic
steroid.
“Mayes likes to fight at distance,” Sakai said. “He has good
strikes when he fights at his distance. Without a doubt, we found
some holes in his game. I expect to win by knockout. I’ll look for
a knockout at every chance, but we’ll be ready to go all three
rounds.”
Sakai knows he has the tools to succeed at the UFC level, as he
rattled off four straight wins—he defeated
Chase
Sherman,
Andrei
Arlovski,
Marcin
Tybura and
Blagoy
Ivanov in succession—after arriving in the promotion in 2018.
Though his place on the roster has grown tenuous, beating Mayes
would represent a first step toward alleviating some of the
pressure and uncertainty associated with his current situation.
“My future plans are simply to win this fight and to remain in the
UFC,” he said. “Then I plan to start another great winning streak,
same as I did when I first joined the promotion.”