Hayato Sakurai

Hayato Sakurai, nicknamed Mach and born on 24 August 1975, is a Japanese mixed martial artist who has competed professionally since 1996. He began in judo and karate, then joined the Shooto promotion, where he made his debut by submitting Caol Uno, went undefeated in his first eighteen bouts and won the Shooto Middleweight Championship. He took silver in the open class at the 1999 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, and in 2000 and 2001 he was considered one of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport. He lost his title to Anderson Silva in 2001, fought UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes at UFC 36 in 2002, and later competed in PRIDE, DEEP, DREAM and other Japanese events. His nickname honours the wrestler Mach Hayato.