As mentioned above, Sakai is 4-0 in the UFC, which ties him with Francis Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes for the longest active winning streak in the division. While those other two men have faced superior competition and are closer to title contention, the Brazilian’s accomplishments should not be overlooked, as he’s climbed the competitive ladder with each successive victory. After making quick work of Marcin Tybura last fall in Vancouver, Sakai landed on the happy side of a split decision verdict last time out against Blagoy Ivanov, maintaining his current pattern of following up each UFC finish with a split decision win.
If the pattern holds, he’s on track to stop Overeem on Saturday night, which would surely force more people to start paying closer attention to the streaking 29-year-old big man.
Other heavyweights have made a greater splash and had faster ascents up the rankings in recent years, including Jairzinho Rozenstruik last year, which has obscured Sakai’s slow-and-steady progress, but while “Bigi Boy” burst out of the gate and has since settled into place in the Top 10, the first time headliner has just been chipping away, alternating between flashing devastating potential and grinding out tough victories, both of which are crucial pieces to becoming a legitimate title challenger.
There is nothing flashy about the soft-spoken Sakai, but his results thus far speak volumes about his talents, and if he can maintain his winning ways through this weekend, he’ll become someone a lot more people are talking about going forward.
