Augusto Sakai projects big victory over Overeem to reach the belt: 'It's my focus now'

A. Sakai in victory for the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc

Undefeated in Ultimate and in a great phase in his career, Augusto Sakai is close to his biggest challenge in MMA to date. This Saturday (5), the Brazilian exchanges forces against alistair overeem, in the main fight of the UFC Las Vegas 9, and knows that a great result puts him in a prominent position for a future fight for the heavyweight belt (up to 120,2kg.). In an exclusive interview with SUPER FIGHTS, the man from Paraná spoke about his expectations for the confrontation.

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“A victory puts me in the top 5 and, suddenly, one more fight, I can fight for the title and that is my focus now”, said the Brazilian.

Biggest fight of his career

A professional in MMA since 2011, this weekend, Sakai will be face to face with an athlete who contributed greatly to the dissemination of the sport. The duel against the veteran, then, means a lot to the Paraná native, who is having his first main fight since his debut in Ultimate.

“This fight represents another step in my career, my space that I am conquering. It’s definitely the most important fight… and it won’t be the last (laughs)”, said Augusto.

Lightning Ascension

Hired by the UFC after his participation in 'Dana White's Contender Series', Sakai officially debuted for the organization in September last year. With four appearances and no defeats, Augusto is now among the 10 best fighters in the group led by Stipe Miocic. The Paraná native then commented on whether his rapid rise surprised him.

"I expected. It's two years of work, four consecutive victories. So, I knew that, one time or another, I was going to come out with an important fight like this. I think we did a job well done and our time has come,” he said.

Change or ground: prepared for anything

Known for his quality in stand-up fighting, Overeem last year surprised many with his performance against Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Although he lost with a brutal knockout in the final seconds of the final round, the Dutchman dominated most of the match using wrestling. Augusto then spoke about preparing for possible scenarios in the duel.

“The preparation was good. We fight MMA, so we train everything, besides Muay Thai. It's going to be a good fight. Of course, he can use wrestling to try to nullify my game, but we had a good training session. Good defenses and good attacks to be able to surprise too, if necessary”, explained the Brazilian.

Perfect ending

Faced with the current number six in the heavyweight category, Augusto knows that an impeccable and outstanding performance can propel him towards a fight for the title. In this way, the Paraná native spoke about the dream outcome for the confrontation against the Dutchman.

“The perfect scenario would be a big knockout (laughs). If the knockout happens, it should be as soon as possible and he will be rewarded with this (performance) bonus”, he concluded.

At 29 years old, Sakai will reach the mark of 18 appearances as a professional in MMA. The fighter today has 15 wins (11 by knockout), one defeat and one draw.

Overeem, 40, has 65 fights under his belt. The Dutchman has 46 positive results, 18 setbacks and one duel without result.