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UFC heavyweight Augusto Sakai is all set to return to action this Saturday. The 31-year-old will take on Don'Tale Mayes in a heavyweight showdown at UFC Fight Night 220. The event will take place at the UFC Apex Facility in Paradise, Nevada, and will be headlined by a light heavyweight clash between Nikita Krylov and Ryan Spann.
The co-main event will feature a middleweight clash between Andre Muniz and Brendan Allen.
The upcoming fight is a must-win situation for Augusto Sakai as the Brazilian is currently going through a rough patch in the UFC. Not only has Sakai failed to secure a victory in his last four outings, he has been on the receiving end of brutal knockouts in those four encounters.
So, the 31-year-old would desperately need a win come fight night. Otherwise, the Brazilian might have to part ways with the promotion.
The fight on Saturday may not turn out to be a walk in the park for Sakai, as his opponent Mayes is undefeated in his last three outings.
'Kong' is currently 9-4-1 in his professional MMA career. Mayes has scored finishes in seven (five knockouts and two submissions) of his nine victories. So, the Louisville native poses a legitimate threat to Sakai and the Brazilian will have to be at his best to score a victory on February 25.
A look at Augusto Sakai's career in the UFC
Augusto Sakai started his UFC career on a great note. With an impressive professional record of 10-1-1, the 31-year-old made an appearance in Dana White's Contender Series in August 2018. Sakai took on Marcos Conrado that night and knocked him out in the second round of the fight.
The Brazilian then went on to win his next four fights in the organization. This streak included knockout victories over Chase Sherman and Marcin Tybura and decision wins over Andrei Arlovski and Blagoy Ivanov.
But things took a different turn as Sakai suffered four consecutive knockout losses against Alistair Overeem, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Tai Tuivasa and Serghei Spivac.
Sakai's last fight took place in August 2022. So, the Brazilian has taken a reasonable break from fighting. During that period, the 31-year-old may have fully recovered and made the necessary adjustments to emerge victorious on February 25.
