Augusto Sakai eagerly finishes two-match skating with Tai Tuivasa, vows to compete in water

Heavyweight Augusto Sakai is hoping to end his tough period at UFC 269.

Paired with fan-favorite Tai Tuivasa in the event’s preliminary card, the Brazilian is being careful not to let the Australian’s antics distract him from taking the fight seriously.

In an interview with Combined, Augusto says he’s learned from his most recent losses and wants to show it off against Tuivasa. In fact, a win would be such an ideal way to crown 2021 that Sakai would even celebrate it by performing Tai’s famous shoe shot, but not quite the way the Australians do.

“I think my word for 2021 is ‘resilience’ and I’ll demonstrate that on Saturday,” Sakai said. “I went through a learning curve, the patches were tough. I am truly saddened by the past two losses. Now I am happy again and for sure I will score a win on Saturday.

“He (Tuivasa) is a fun guy,” continued Sakai. “He came to fight and he is a pretty tough fighter. He has his qualities and a funny way about him, doesn’t he? He gets the attention of the fans. The fact that he drinks beer from a shoe gets him a lot of buzz. The fans think he’s funny. On Saturday, I will drink water from a shoe. “

Currently in a two-match losing skate match, Sakai (15-3-1) was defeated by both Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alistair Overeem in the opening match in June 2021 and September 2020. Before that, the player The 30-year-old is on a four-fight winning streak, with wins over Blagoy Ivanov, Marcin Tybura, Andrei Arlovski and Chase Sherman.

Now, Sakai is scheduled to meet Tuivasa at UFC 269 on December 11, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card is expected to be featured by a lightweight title fight between the champion, Charles Oliveira, and leading contender Dustin Poirier.