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Hayato Sakurai
Born	August 24, 1975 (1975-08-24) (age 34) Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
Other names	Mach
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Weight	76 kg (170 lb; 12.0 st)
Division	170
Style	Wrestling, Kickboxing, Judo
Fighting out of
Team	Mach Dojo[1]
MMA record
Total	47
Wins	35
By knockout	11
By submission	10
Losses	10
Draws	2
No contests	0
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (桜井 速人, Sakurai Hayato ^?, マッハ Mahha, born August 24, 1975) is a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter. He was born in Ibaraki Prefecture^[1], Japan. He has a professional MMA record of 35-9-2^[2] as of April 5, 2009^[3]. Sakurai has been fighting in mixed martial arts since October 1996 and was at one time considered pound for pound one of the greatest fighters^[4]. He holds notable victories over Frank Trigg, Jens Pulver, Dave Menne, former Shooto 154 lb (70 kg) Champion Joachim Hansen, Shinya Aoki, Mac Danzig, Caol Uno, and Luiz Azeredo^[5]. Sakurai finished 2nd in the Absolute Class (no weight limit) Abu Dhabi Combat Club submission wrestling annual competition in 1999.

His nickname, "Mach", pronounced ma-ha in Japanese, was taken as a tribute to his childhood pro wrestling hero, Higo Shigehisashi better known as Mach Hayato, the first Japanese professional wrestler to completely embrace the Mexican style of Lucha Libre and was also among the group of professional wrestlers who made the transition to shoot wrestling as part of the original UWF movement.

In December 2008, it was reported in Japan that a sex tape involving Sakurai had been leaked on to the internet. ^[2] There was widespread speculation as to how this incident might effect Sakurai's career, as he is a married to another woman.

Shooto

Sakurai made his professional debut in the Shooto organization on October 4, 1996 by submitting Caol Uno. Over the next five years he would go undefeated in twenty bouts and would win that organization's middleweight (167 lbs.) title. Sakurai was finally defeated in August 2001 by Brazilian ace and future UFC middleweight (185 lbs.) champion Anderson Silva. After the loss, and subsequent to a severe car accident, Sakurai traveled to the United States to fight the UFC's welterweight champion Matt Hughes, losing by TKO in the fourth round.

PRIDE FC and comeback

After losing to Hughes, Sakurai fought periodically in Shooto and Deep before joining PRIDE Fighting Championships, Japan's largest MMA organization. During this time he was inconsistent in his performances, often losing to much lower ranked opponents. He also attempted to fight at 183 lb (83 kg)., but it was clear that his frame was far too small for that weight, and his performances suffered. Some speculated Sakurai's seeming loss of spirit and mental focus came from a car accident he suffered after fighting Silva. However, in 2005 Sakurai regained focus and went to the US to train with legendary coach Matt Hume and AMC Pankration before rattling off 4 impressive wins against tough competition. It was announced that he would drop down to 160 lb (73 kg). in order to participate in Pride's Lightweight Grand Prix. Despite his revered and legendary early career some questioned if Sakurai could make an impact in the division. Sakurai silenced his critics when he defeated former UFC champion Jens Pulver and former Shooto champion Joachim Hansen on the same night to advance to the tournament finals. On December 31, 2005 Sakurai fought mixed martial arts superstar Takanori Gomi for the first ever PRIDE Fighting Championships 160 lb (73 kg) championship of the world. Although fighting with a torn ACL he suffered in training just three weeks prior to the fight, though this was not known outside of his coaching circle at the time, Sakurai initially had the upper-hand, pounding Gomi with brutal inside-leg kicks. A few minutes into the round, Sakurai attempted a throw, which landed Gomi upon the ropes of the ring. Gomi was able to take Sakurai's back and rain down strikes upon him. Seconds after both fighters stood back up, Sakurai was knocked out at the 3:56 mark of the first round. Despite the loss to Gomi, Sakurai would continue to impress with his performances. At Bushido 11 he scored a brutal KO over Olaf Alfonso.^[3] On August 26, 2006, Mach fought Luciano Azevedo at Bushido 12. After several minutes of attempted ground-and-pound by Azevedo, the fighters were stood back up. Mach then consistently stuffed Azevedo's takedowns, and landed a fight-ending knee on Azevedo over his left eye. The fight was stopped, TKO by cut.

Sakurai fought against former King of the Cage lightweight champion and futureThe Ultimate Fighter 6 winner Mac Danzig at PRIDE 33. Sakurai won the fight via knockout in the second round. Sakurai was then defeated by David Baron by submission in the first round. Sakurai then defeated Kuniyoshi Hironaka via Unanimous Decision. Sakurai then went on to defeat Katsuyori Shibata by TKO at K-1 Dynamite! 2008. Next, he competed in the Dream Welterweight Grand Prix, facing top ranked lightweight Shinya Aoki at Dream 8. Sakurai won in impressive fashion by knocking Aoki out in 27 seconds with knees to the head and punches. He then lost at Dream.10 in the semi-final of the tournament to eventual winner Marius Zaromskis in a huge upset, conceding the loss via knockout from a head kick and punches. His most recent fight was against Akihiro Gono at the Dynamite! 2009 New Years Eve show in Saitama, Japan. Sakurai controlled the fight early on, but eventually lost via armbar in the second round.

Mixed martial arts record

As of July 2009, Mach Sakurai has compiled a professional record of 35 wins, 10 losses, and 2 draws, with 11 wins by knockout, and 10 submissions.^[4]

Record	Result	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
35-10-2	Loss	Akihiro_GonoAkihiro Gono	Submission (Armbar)	Dynamite!! 2009	02009-12-31 December 31, 2009	2	3:56	Saitama, Japan
35–9–2	Loss	Marius_ZaromskisMarius Zaromskis	KO (Head Kick)	DREAM.10 Welter Weight Grand Prix 2009 Final Round	02009-07-20 July 20, 2009	1	4:03	Saitama, Japan	DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix Semifinal Round
35–8–2	Win	Shinya_AokiShinya Aoki	KO (Strikes)	DREAM.8 Welter Weight Grand Prix 2009 First Round	02009-04-05 April 5, 2009	1	0:27	Nagoya, Japan	DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix Opening Round
34–8–2	Win	Katsuyori_ShibataKatsuyori Shibata	TKO (Punches)	Dynamite!! 2008	02008-12-31 December 31, 2008	1	7:01	Saitama, Japan
33–8–2	Win	HironakaKuniyoshi Hironaka	Decision (Unanimous)	DREAM.6 Middle Weight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round	02008-09-23 September 23, 2008	2	5:00	Saitama, Japan
32–8–2	Loss	BaronDavid Baron	Submission (Guillotine Choke)	Shooto: Shooto Tradition	02008-05-03 May 3, 2008	1	4:50	Tokyo, Japan
32–7–2	Win	MonmaHidetaka Monma	TKO (Punches)	DREAM.1 Light Weight Grand Prix 2008 First Round	02008-03-15 March 15, 2008	1	4:12	Saitama, Japan
31–7–2	Win	HasegawaHidehiko Hasegawa	Decision (Unanimous)	Yarennoka! 2007	02007-12-31 December 31, 2007	3	5:00	Saitama, Japan
30–7–2	Win	DanzigMac Danzig	KO (Punch)	PRIDE 33 Second Coming	02007-02-24 February 24, 2007	2	4:01	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
29–7–2	Win	AzevedoLuciano Azevedo	TKO (Doctor Stoppage)	PRIDE Bushido 12	02006-08-26 August 26, 2006	1	4:35	Nagoya, Japan
28–7–2	Win	AlfonsoOlaf Alfonso	KO (Punch)	PRIDE Bushido 11	02006-06-04 June 4, 2006	1	1:54	Saitama, Japan
27–7–2	xLoss	GomiTakanori Gomi	KO (Punches)	PRIDE Shockwave 2005	02005-12-31 December 31, 2005	1	3:56	Saitama, Japan	Final of PRIDE Lightweight Grandprix to crown the first PRIDE Lightweight Champion.
27–6–2	Win	HansenJoachim Hansen	Decision (Unanimous)	PRIDE Bushido 9	02005-09-25 September 25, 2005	2	5:00	Tokyo, Japan	Semifinal of PRIDE Lightweight Grandprix
26–6–2	Win	PulverJens Pulver	TKO (Strikes)	PRIDE Bushido 9	02005-09-25 September 25, 2005	1	8:56	Tokyo, Japan	Opening Round of PRIDE Lightweight Grandprix
25–6–2	Win	AokiShinya Aoki	Decision (Unanimous)	Shooto – Alive Road	02005-08-20 August 20, 2005	3	5:00	Yokohama, Japan
24–6–2	Win	VieiraMilton Vieira	Decision	PRIDE Bushido 7	02005-05-22 May 22, 2005	2	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
23–6–2	xLoss	GracieCrosley Gracie	Submission (Armbar)	PRIDE Bushido 5	02004-10-14 October 14, 2004	2	1:02	Osaka, Japan
23–5–2	Win	FinkBrady Fink	Submission (Guillotine Choke)	PRIDE Bushido 4	02004-07-19 July 19, 2004	1	4:08	Nagoya, Japan
22–5–2	xLoss	GracieRodrigo Gracie	Decision (Unanimous)	PRIDE Bushido 2	02004-02-15 February 15, 2004	2	5:00	Yokohama, Japan
22–4–2	Win	NokeDaiju Takase	Decision (Unanimous)	PRIDE Shockwave 2003	02003-12-31 December 31, 2003	3	5:00	Saitama, Japan
21–4–2	xLoss	ChonanRyo Chonan	TKO (Cut)	DEEP – 12th Impact	02003-09-15 September 15, 2003	3	2:10	Japan
21–3–2	Win	MenneDave Menne	TKO (Cut)	DEEP – 10th Impact	02003-06-25 June 25, 2003	2	2:02	Japan
20–3–2	Win	UeyamaRyuki Ueyama	Decision (Unanimous)	DEEP – 8th Impact	02003-03-04 March 4, 2003	3	5:00	Japan
19–3–2	xLoss	ShieldsJake Shields	Decision (Unanimous)	Shooto – 2002 Year-End Show	02002-12-14 December 14, 2002	3	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
19–2–2	xLoss	HughesMatt Hughes	TKO (Strikes)	UFC 36: Worlds Collide	02002-03-22 March 22, 2002	4	3:01	Las Vegas, United States	For UFC Welterweight title
19–1–2	Win	GilbertDan Gilbert	Submission (Heel Hook)	Shooto – To The Top Final Act	02001-12-16 December 16, 2001	1	1:52	Tokyo, Japan
18–1–2	xLoss	SilvaAnderson Silva	Decision (Unanimous)	Shooto – To The Top 7	02001-08-26 August 26, 2001	3	5:00	Japan	Lost the Shooto middleweight title
18–0–2	Win	Alberch 2Jean Louis Alberch	Decision	GT – Golden Trophy 2001	02001-03-01 March 1, 2001	2	3:00	France
17–0–2	Win	TriggFrank Trigg	TKO (Knees)	Shooto – R.E.A.D. Final	02000-12-17 December 17, 2000	2	2:25	Tokyo, Japan	Defended the Shooto middleweight title
16–0–2	Win	AzeredoLuis Azeredo	Decision (Unanimous)	Shooto – R.E.A.D. 8	02000-08-04 August 4, 2000	3	5:00	Osaka, Japan	Defended the Shooto middleweight title
15–0–2	Win	KatoTetsuji Kato	Decision (Split)	Shooto – R.E.A.D. 2	02000-03-17 March 17, 2000	3	5:00	Tokyo, Japan	Defended the Shooto middleweight title
14–0–2	Win	BunnHaroldo Bunn	TKO (Punches)	VTJ 1999 – Vale Tudo Japan 1999	01999-12-11 December 11, 1999	3	1:31	Tokyo, Japan
13–0–2	Win	AirdBrad Aird	Submission (Armbar)	Shooto – Renaxis 2	01999-07-16 July 16, 1999	1	0:37	Tokyo, Japan	Defended the Shooto middleweight title
12–0–2	Win	Aguiar 2Marcelo Aguiar	Decision (Unanimous)	Shooto – 10th Anniversary Event	01999-05-29 May 29, 1999	3	5:00	Yokohama, Japan	Defended the Shooto middleweight title
11–0–2	Win	AlberchJean Louis Alberch	Submission (Armbar)	GT – Golden Trophy 1999	01999-03-20 March 20, 1999	1	0:33	France
10–0–2	Win	RiccioDamien Riccio	Decision	GT – Golden Trophy 1999	01999-03-20 March 20, 1999	1	5:00	France
9–0–2	Win	SchiavoJames Schiavo	Submission (Toe Hold)	GT – Golden Trophy 1999	01999-03-20 March 20, 1999	1	0:26	France
8–0–2	Win	OliveiraAdemir Oliveira	KO (Flying Knee)	Shooto – DEVILOCK Fighters	01999-01-15 January 15, 1999	1	0:34	Tokyo, Japan	Defended the Shooto middleweight title
7–0–2	Win	BytchkovSergei Bytchkov	Submission (Armbar)	VTJ 1998 – Vale Tudo Japan 1998	01998-10-28 October 28, 1998	1	4:59	Japan
6–0–2	Win	RivanoRonny Rivano	Submission (Rear Naked Choke)	Shooto – Las Grandes Viajes 4	01998-07-29 July 29, 1998	1	1:10	Tokyo, Japan	Defended the Shooto middleweight title
5–0–2	Win	NakaoJutaro Nakao	Decision (Unanimous)	Shooto – Las Grandes Viajes 3	01998-05-13 May 13, 1998	3	5:00	Tokyo, Japan	Won the Shooto middleweight title
4–0–2	zDraw	AguiarMarcelo Aguiar	Draw	VTJ 1997 – Vale Tudo Japan 1997	01997-11-29 November 29, 1997	3	8:00	Japan
4–0–1	Win	CookAlex Cook	Submission (Rear Naked Choke)	Shooto – Reconquista 4	01997-10-12 October 12, 1997	1	1:09	Tokyo, Japan
3–0–1	Win	EliasAli Elias	Submission (Armbar)	Shooto – Reconquista 3	01997-08-27 August 27, 1997	1	1:23	Tokyo, Japan
2–0–1	Win	KojimaHiroyuki Kojima	Decision (Unanimous)	Shooto – GIG	01997-06-25 June 25, 1997	2	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
1–0–1	zDraw	KuwabaraTakuya Kuwabara	Draw	Shooto – Reconquista 1	01997-01-18 January 18, 1997	3	3:00	Tokyo, Japan
1–0	Win	UnoCaol Uno	Submission (Armbar)	Shooto – Let's Get Lost	01996-10-04 October 4, 1996	1	2:52	Tokyo, Japan

References

• ^  PRIDE profile

External links

• Official site
• Official blog
• Professional MMA record for Hayato Sakurai from Sherdog