Hayato Sakurai Biography: Hayato Sakurai, popularly known as Mach, is a Japanese MMA fighter. He has been a professional competitor since 1996, and has previously competed for the UFC, PRIDE, DREAM, Shooto, Vale Tudo Japan, DEEP, and Yarennoka!, Dynamite!! Dynamite in 2008!! Dynamite in 2009!!
Hayato Sakurai Biography
Hayato Sakurai Biography: Hayato Sakurai was born on August 24, 1975, in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Sakurai began training in judo in middle school, winning multiple competitions, and then moved on to karate. During high school, he met fellow combat athletes Michihiro Omigawa and Kazuyuki Miyata. Later, he became interested in shoot boxing and joined Caesar Takeshi’s dojo, where he competed for his promotion for several years. In 1996, he became interested in MMA and joined the Kiguchi Dojo, where he trained under Noriaki Kiguchi and Satoru Sayama’s apprentice Noboru Asahi. Finally, he joined the Shooto group alongside a young Takanori Gomi.
Hayato Sakurai Wiki
| Name | Hayato Sakurai |
| Date Of Birth | August 24, 1975 |
| Birth Place | Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan |
| Height | 5ft 7inch |
| Weight | 76Kg |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Profession | Mixed Martial Artist |
| Net Worth | $5 million |
| Car Collection | N/A |
What is Hayato Sakurai Net Worth?
According to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider, Hayato Sakurai’s net worth is $5 million.
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Hayato Sakurai Career
Sakurai made his professional debut in Shooto on October 4, 1996, as a Naoki Sakurada’s Gutsman team member, submitting Caol Uno. He would go undefeated in eighteen fights over the following five years. He represented the company in three straight victories at the prestigious Vale Tudo Japan event and the French MMA organization Golden Trophy 1999. Hayato would also capture the Shooto Middleweight Championship from Jutaro Nakao, which he would defend against Tetsuji Kato.
In a less formal sense, he competed with Rumina Sato for the fastest victory at the time, knocking out Ademir Oliveira with a fantastic flying knee in 0:34 seconds, just minutes before Sato beat him with a flying armbar in 0:08 against Charles Diaz.
Sakurai also met future UFC competitor Frank Trigg in an enjoyable encounter during his last days with the organization. Trigg hit his knees as Hayato put punches and kicks to the torso and leg; at one point, Trigg nearly knocked out Sakurai, shocking him and giving him many undefended hits both standing and on the ground, drawing blood. Trigg continued to dominate in the second round until Sakurai knocked him down with a left hook and finished the fight with numerous knee hits to the face, winning by KO.
Sakurai was ultimately beaten by future UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva in August 2001, losing his championship title. After the loss and a severe car accident, Sakurai ceased fighting for Shooto full-time.
Hayato Sakurai UFC Career
Sakurai fought Matt Hughes for the UFC Welterweight Championship on March 22, 2002, at UFC 36. Hughes began the match by repeatedly bringing down Sakurai, but Sakurai worked submission attempts from the bottom and captured Hughes’ back.
Hayato hit a mighty left hand and knee to the head in the second round, but Hughes responded in the third by operating Sakurai to the mat with a takedown and landing several ground strikes. Hughes managed to take down Sakurai and perform ground and pound until the referee stopped the fight due to a TKO victory for Hughes in the fourth round.
After losing to Hughes, Sakurai fought intermittently in Shooto and DEEP before joining Japan’s largest MMA promotion, PRIDE Fighting Championships. During this period, his performances could have been more consistent, and he frequently lost to opponents with much lower rankings. His performance suffered when he attempted to compete at 183 lb (83 kg), as it was evident that his height was far too small for that weight. Some theorized that Sakurai’s apparent lack of spirit and mental understanding was due to the infamous car accident he experienced after fighting Silva.
Sakurai made an underwhelming debut before Daiju Takase in PRIDE Shockwave 2003. Takase dominated part of the first round, dragging Sakurai to the ground and breaking his nose with strikes. At this point, however, Mach began to make a comeback, taking control of the vertical segments with superior strikes and defeating Takase’s submission attempts to cause damage through his guard. The Shooto fighter won unanimously after repeatedly beating Takase while keeping control of the action.
