Heavyweights
Augusto Sakai (15-5-1, 4-4 UFC) vs. Don’Tale Mayes (9-4, 2-2 UFC)Things have suddenly gone south for Sakai. It was not particularly surprising when Bellator MMA cut Sakai in 2017 despite a mostly successful record or that the UFC picked him up shortly thereafter. The Brazilian's fights were dreadfully dull, but someone with his combination of seasoning and potential—Sakai was still in his mid-20s at the time—was clearly worth the flier. For the first few years of his UFC career, Sakai quietly chugged up the ladder behind a combination of high-volume but low-powered striking and a smothering clinch game. It was enough to outwork the vast swath of the heavyweight roster, and a surprising 59-second knockout of Marcin Tybura raised some hope that Sakai might be turning the corner as a finisher. Sakai’s success eventually earned him a main event slot opposite Alistair Overeem, and nothing has gone right in the two and a half years since. It was not a terrible performance from Sakai, as he took over most of the fight until Overeem suddenly turned things around in the championship rounds for the finish. However, it has seemingly broken Sakai’s effectiveness in every subsequent outing. Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Tai Tuivasa each knocked Sakai out without much issue, and his August loss to Sergey Spivak saw his hopes quickly crumble once the Moldovan found some success with his wrestling. At 31 years old, Sakai was supposed to be hitting his prime at this point; instead, he might be fighting for his spot on the roster against Mayes.
Mayes has been a weird fighter to track. At 6-foot-6 and with some surprising mobility, he should be able to keep his opponents at bay, but it has been an adventure watching him try to navigate his way through some of his fights. He at least seems to have fixed the cardio issues that marked some of his earlier performances on Dana White’s Contender Series, and while his grab bag of striking skills has not done much to dissuade opponents he fails to knock out, he has shown the ability to pivot to an effective—if often ugly—wrestling game. Like Sakai, Mayes is still a relative infant for a heavyweight at 31 years of age, but at least experience seems to be helping “Lord Kong.” His last loss—later overturned to a no contest—to Hamdy Abdelwahab showed that he can still be scared off by effective heavyweight power, but Mayes has the time to get more comfortable and improve. This fight hinges on who can dictate the clinch and wrestling exchanges, and Mayes appears to be worth a gamble. Sakai does not figure to inspire much fear in the American, and Mayes should be able to lean on his size to overpower the Brazilian in what could be an ugly grind. The pick is Mayes via decision.
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Krylov vs. Spann
Muniz vs. Allen
Sakai vs. Mayes
Suarez vs. De La Rosa
Malott vs. Lainesse
Peek vs. Gonzalez
The Prelims