Heavyweight prospect Augusto Sakai (13-1, 10 KOs) will meet No. 14 Augusto Sakai (17-5, 7 KOs, 6 SUBs) at UFC on ESPN+ 16 on Saturday, September 14, 2019 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. The main card airs live on ESPN+ starting 8pm ET.
Is Augusto Sakai ready to for the big dogs? The Brazilian knockout artist has pieced together a 2-0 record since he was called up from DWCS, scoring a knockout over Chase Sherman and most recently beating Andrei Arlovski via split decision this past April. This Saturday, the No. 15 Sakai will meet Marcin Tybura - who is ranked one spot ahead of him.
Poland’s Tybura has fallen on hard times recently. After putting together a three fight sin streak two years ago, he’s just 1-3 in his past four. However, two of those losses came against former champion Fabricio Werdum and former title challenger Derrick Lewis, so we can give him a mulligan for those. However, his most recent loss came against Shamil Abdurakhimov, which suggests that Tybura might not be more than a middle class fighter in a thin weight class.
For Tybura, losing to an up-and-comer like Sakai would put him on the verge of a pink slip. The UFC needs big men, so it’s unlikely he’d be cut entirely with a defeat. But life can be really tough for any unranked fighter. Sakai is still trying to find his footing, but beating Tybura would certainly go a long way to cement his status as somebody to watch. Plus, heavyweights with big punching power are always welcome in the UFC.
Let’s take a look at the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and break down your best betting options. LIve UFC betting at the online sportsbook lets you make in-play wagers as needed.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Marcin Tybura -120
Augusto Sakai -110
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: -155 / +115
Significant Striking Stats
Landed per minute: Tybura 3.6 / Sakai 7.9
Striking accuracy: Tybura 52% / Sakai 50%
Absorbed per minute: Tybura 2.99 / Sakai 11.17
Defense: Tybura 52% / Sakai 58%
Significant Grappling Stats
Takedown average per 15 minutes: Tybura 1.61 / Sakai 1.07
Takedown accuracy: Tybura 61% / Sakai 100%
Takedown defense: Tybura 79% / Sakai 88%
Submission average: Tybura 0.15 / Sakai 0
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Sakai is a Bellator vet who did a decent job in North America’s No. 2 promotion. After knocking around a few low-level fighters, he faltered against their upper-tier heavies, producing a majority draw to Dan Charles and a split decision loss to Cheick Kongo. Unfortunately, neither of them could be considered UFC caliber, so Sakai’s place inside the octagon is still a huge question mark.
What we do know is that he’s big, powerful and aggressive. While his FightMetric stats only cover 2 UFC fights, 7.9 landed strikes per minute is no joke. The fact that he absorbs over 10 speaks to his willingness to brawl as well. That’s not his only dimension, as he squeaked by Arlovski with heavy clinch fighting. Tipping the scales at 265 pounds, Sakai is an absolute unit who knows how to use his size.
Tybura started his UFC career as a grinder, but developed a decent kickboxing game that utilizes good mobility for a big man. While he’s not the most exciting fighter to watch, the 33-year old’s well-rounded skillset allows him to expose lower-tier fighters where they’re weakest. He outwrestled Stefan Struve and Derrick Lewis, and is comfortable hunting for submissions while grappling.
UFC Odds Pick: Tybura to win at -120
This is admittedly a risky pick - Tybura has the tools and smarts to easiliy outpoint his opponent. But Sakai’s youthful aggressiveness should shine here as he presses forward and pushes Tybura into the cage. His punching power should also be a big factor, though we don’t expect to see a finish. Take Tybura to win straight up at the online sportsbook.
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