Ulka Sasaki

Yuta "Ulka" Sasaki (Japanese: 佐々木 佑太, Sasaki Yūta, born October 7, 1989) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who currently competes in the Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional competitor since 2010, he formerly competed for Ultimate Fighting Championship, Shooto, DEEP, and Vale Tudo Japan. He is the former Shooto Pacific Rim (132 lbs) Champion. As a professional wrestler, he is scheduled to make his debut for Pro Wrestling NOAH on November 13, 2023.

For footballer, see Yuta Sasaki (footballer).
Yuta Sasaki
Born (1989-10-07) October 7, 1989
Numazu, Shizuoka, Japan
Native name佐々木 佑太
Other namesUlka (憂流迦, Uruka)
NationalityJapanese
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st)
DivisionFeatherweight
Bantamweight
Flyweight
Reach71 in (180 cm)[1]
StyleWrestling, BJJ, Shootfighting
Fighting out ofGarden City, New York, USA
TeamSerra-Longo Fight Team
Years active2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total36
Wins24
By knockout2
By submission12
By decision10
Losses10
By knockout2
By submission5
By decision3
Draws2
Other information
Notable school(s)Hiryū High School
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Born and raised in Shizuoka, Sasaki was a talented wrestler and also began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu from a young age. He wrestled for three seasons at Hiryū High School, finishing in the top 16 at the All-Japan High School Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships, and in 2009 Sasaki won the All-Japan Combat Wrestling Open Championships for the under 66 kg division. That same year, he also finished second at the All-Japan Amateur Shooto Championships. Later in 2013, Sasaki won the ADCC Japan Trial for the under 66 kg division.[2]

Mixed martial arts career

Shooto

Sasaki started his professional career in 2010. He fought mainly for Shooto, but also fought for DEEP and GCM early in his career.

Sasaki faced Yo Saito on December 18, 2010, at Shooto: The Rookie Tournament 2010 Final. He defeated Saito via unanimous decision after two rounds and became the 2010 Shooto 143-pound rookie champion.[3]

Sasaki faced Tetsu Suzuki on January 20, 2013, at Shooto: 1st Round 2013 for the Shooto Pacific Rim 132-pound title. He won via unanimous decision and became the new champion.[4]

Sasaki defended his title on July 27, 2013, at Shooto: 3rd Round 2013 against Kenji Yamamoto. He won via knockout at 11 seconds in the first round and retained the title. Shortly after the bout, Sasaki relinquished his title in order to be able to fight for Shooto's world title.[5]

Sasaki faced current ZST 132 lb champion Keisuke Fujiwara[6] on January 13, 2014, at Shooto: 1st Round 2014. He won via submission due to a rear-naked choke in the first round.[7]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In July 2014, it was announced that Sasaki had signed with the UFC. He made his debut against Roland Delorme at UFC Fight Night 48 on August 23, 2014.[8] Sasaki won via submission in the first round. The win also earned Sasaki his first Performance of the Night bonus award.[9]

Sasaki faced Leandro Issa on December 20, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 58.[10] He lost the fight by submission in the second round.

Sasaki faced Taylor Lapilus on June 20, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 69.[11] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.[12]

Sasaki faced Willie Gates May 8, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 87.[13] He won the fight via submission in the second round.[14]

Sasaki was expected to face Matheus Nicolau on November 19, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 100.[15] However, on November 3, Nicolau was pulled from the bout after USADA revealed a potential anti-doping violation from a sample taken October 13.[16]

Sasaki next faced Wilson Reis on February 11, 2017, at UFC 208.[17] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[18]

Sasaki faced Justin Scoggins on June 17, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia.[19] Sasaki suffered almost two rounds of damage but managed to sink his arm around Scoggins' neck and submitted him via a rear-naked choke in the second round to win the fight.[20] This fight won Sasaki his second Performance of the Night bonus award.[21]

Sasaki faced Jussier Formiga on September 23, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Saint Preux vs. Okami.[22] He lost the fight via submission in the first round.[23]

Sasaki was scheduled to face Magomed Bibulatov on April 21, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 128.[24] However, Bibulatov was removed from the card due to back injury,[25] and the bout was cancelled.[26]

Sasaki faced Jenel Lausa on June 23, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 132.[27] He won the fight in round two via a rear-naked choke submission.[28]

Sasaki faced Alexandre Pantoja on November 17, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 140.[29] He lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the first round.[30]

Rizin FF

Sasaki faced Manel Kape in a 130lbs catchweight bout at Rizin 14 on December 31, 2018.[31] He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Sasaki was then scheduled to face Kai Asakura at Rizin 15 on April 21, 2019. However, Sasaki was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a visceral injury and was replaced by Justin Scoggins.[32]

He then faced Shintaro Ishiwatari at Rizin 17 on July 28, 2019.[33] Sasaki lost the fight via second-round submission.[34]

The fight with Kai Asakura was then rebooked to take place at Rizin 19 on October 12, 2019.[35] Sasaki lost the fight via first-minute technical knockout due to a broken jaw.[36]

After recovering from two jaw surgeries to repair the damage sustained in his previous fight, Sasaki faced Kenta Takizawa at Rizin 26 on December 31, 2020.[37][38] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[39]

Sasaki faced Yoshinori Horie at Rizin 30 on September 19, 2021.[40] He lost the bout via unanimous decision.[41]

Sasaki headlined Rizin Trigger 2 on February 23, 2022 against Kleber Koike Erbst.[42] Even after finding initial success with the stand-up in the first round, Sasaki lost the bout in the second round via rear-naked choke.[43][44]

Sasaki was expected to face Yoshiki Nakahara at Rizin 37 on July 31, 2022. He withdrew from the fight on July 26, after he tested positive for COVID-19.[45]

Sasaki faced Boyd Allen at Rizin 42 on May 6, 2023. He won the fight by unanimous decision.[46]

Professional wrestling career

Pro Wrestling NOAH (2023–present)

On October 23, 2023, it was announced by Sasaki himself that he would be making his professional wrestling debut for Pro Wrestling NOAH's November 23 edition of "Monday Magic". In a statement made during the October 23 show, he specified that it had been a dream of his to perform in Pro Wrestling NOAH, as he had been a fan of NOAH since he had been a child and later stated on social media that he will "throw all of [his] soul" to enable him to compete in professional wrestling.[47]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Grappling

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
36 matches 24 wins 10 losses
By knockout 2 2
By submission 12 5
By decision 10 3
Draws 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 24–10–2 Boyd Allen Decision (unanimous) Rizin 42 May 6, 2023 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 23–10–2 Kleber Koike Erbst Submission (rear-naked choke) Rizin Trigger 2 February 23, 2022 2 3:22 Fukuroi, Japan
Loss 23–9–2 Yoshinori Horie Decision (unanimous) Rizin 30 September 19, 2021 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan Return to Featherweight.
Win 23–8–2 Kenta Takizawa Decision (unanimous) Rizin 26 December 31, 2020 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan
Loss 22–8–2 Kai Asakura TKO (broken jaw) Rizin 19 October 12, 2019 1 0:54 Osaka, Japan
Loss 22–7–2 Shintaro Ishiwatari Submission (north-south choke) Rizin 17 July 28, 2019 2 8:58 Saitama, Japan Return to Bantamweight.
Win 22–6–2 Manel Kape Decision (unanimous) Rizin 14 December 31, 2018 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan Catchweight (130lbs)
Loss 21–6–2 Alexandre Pantoja Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio November 17, 2018 1 2:18 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Win 21–5–2 Jenel Lausa Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards June 23, 2018 2 4:04 Kallang, Singapore
Loss 20–5–2 Jussier Formiga Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Saint Preux vs. Okami September 23, 2017 1 4:30 Saitama, Japan
Win 20–4–2 Justin Scoggins Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia June 17, 2017 2 3:19 Kallang, Singapore Performance of the Night.
Loss 19–4–2 Wilson Reis Decision (unanimous) UFC 208 February 11, 2017 3 5:00 Brooklyn, New York, United States
Win 19–3–2 Willie Gates Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Arlovski May 8, 2016 2 2:30 Rotterdam, Netherlands Flyweight debut.
Loss 18–3–2 Taylor Lapilus TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Jedrzejczyk vs. Penne June 20, 2015 2 1:26 Berlin, Germany
Loss 18–2–2 Leandro Issa Submission (neck crank) UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway December 20, 2014 2 4:13 Barueri, Brazil
Win 18–1–2 Roland Delorme Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Le August 23, 2014 1 1:06 Macau, SAR, China Performance of the Night.
Win 17–1–2 Hong Jung-Gi KO (punches) DEEP: Fujisan Festival May 25, 2014 1 0:38 Fuji, Japan
Win 16–1–2 Teruto Ishihara Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) Vale Tudo Japan 4th February 23, 2014 2 1:46 Tokyo, Japan
Win 15–1–2 Keisuke Fujiwara Submission (rear-naked choke) Shooto: 1st Round 2014 January 13, 2014 1 4:35 Tokyo, Japan
Win 14–1–2 Geun Do Park Submission (rear-naked choke) Vale Tudo Japan 3rd October 5, 2013 1 1:36 Ota, Japan
Win 13–1–2 Kenji Yamamoto KO (punch) Shooto: 3rd Round 2013 July 27, 2013 1 0:11 Tokyo, Japan Defended the Shooto Pacific Rim 132 lbs Championship.
Win 12–1–2 Kota Onojima Decision (majority) Shooto: Gig Tokyo 14 April 21, 2013 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan Non-title bout.[51]
Win 11–1–2 Tetsu Suzuki Decision (unanimous) Shooto: 1st Round 2013 January 20, 2013 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan Won the Shooto Pacific Rim 132 lbs Championship.
Draw 10–1–2 Manabu Inoue Draw (majority) Shooto: 12th Round November 11, 2012 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 10–1–1 Teruyuki Matsumoto Submission (guillotine choke) Shooto: Gig Tokyo 10 June 30, 2012 1 0:42 Tokyo, Japan Featherweight bout.
Win 9–1–1 Kazuhiro Ito Submission (rear-naked choke) Shooto: Gig Tokyo 9 April 14, 2012 2 3:34 Tokyo, Japan Bantamweight debut.
Win 8–1–1 Satoshi Watanabe Decision (unanimous) DEEP: Fujisan Festival January 29, 2012 2 5:00 Fuji, Japan
Loss 7–1–1 Guy Delumeau Decision (unanimous) Shooto: Shootor's Legacy 4 September 23, 2011 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 7–0–1 Kosuke Kindaichi Decision (majority) Shooto: Shootor's Legacy 3 July 18, 2011 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 6–0–1 Yoshifumi Nakamura Decision (majority) Shooto: Shootor's Legacy 2 April 1, 2011 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Draw 5–0–1 Yusuke Kagiyama Draw DEEP: Shizuoka Impact 2011 February 6, 2011 2 5:00 Shizuoka, Japan
Win 5–0 Yo Saito Decision (unanimous) Shooto: The Rookie Tournament 2010 Final December 18, 2010 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan Won the 2010 Shooto Rookie (143 lbs) Championship.
Win 4–0 Motohiro Takenawa Decision (unanimous) Shooto: Kitazawa Shooto Vol. 4 September 17, 2010 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 3–0 Keiji Sakuta Submission (rear-naked choke) GCM: Cage Force Preliminary Festival 1 July 25, 2010 3 1:03 Tokyo, Japan
Win 2–0 Shinji Maeguchi Submission (rear-naked choke) Shooto: Gig Central 20 June 13, 2010 2 1:24 Nagoya, Japan
Win 1–0 Atsushi Masukura Submission (rear-naked choke) GCM: Cage Force 16 April 11, 2010 1 0:30 Tokyo, Japan Featherweight debut.

[52]

See also

References
  1. "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Jedrzejczyk vs. Penne". UFC.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  2. "Ulka Sasaki | UFC". 14 September 2018.
  3. Tony Loiseleur (December 18, 2010). "Shooto rookie kings crowned; 'Sarumaru' steals the show". Sherdog.com. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  4. Shu Hirata (January 22, 2013). "Shooto: "Uruka" Sasaki captures Pacific Rim title". Adcombat.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  5. Dean Marchand (July 27, 2013). "Shooto '3rd round' results: 'Uruka' scores 11-second KO, Miki-Saruta ends in draw after 5". Sherdog.com. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  6. Shu Hirata (December 21, 2013). "Shooto: "Ulka" Sasaki to take on ZST champ Fujiwara". Adcombat.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  7. Lee Li (January 13, 2014). "Shooto 1st Round 2014 results and updates on VTJ 4, Shooto 2nd Round". MMA-in-Asia.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  8. Anton Tabuena (July 20, 2014). "UFC signs top Japanese prospect Yuta Sasaki, set to debut against Roland Delorme in Macau". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  9. Staff (2014-08-23). "UFC Fight Night 48 bonuses: No $50,000 'Fight of the Night' awards". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
  10. Wesley De Souza (2014-10-10). "Evolve MMA's Leandro Issa vs Yuta Sasaki signed for UFC Fight Night 58". thefightnation.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-16. Retrieved 2014-10-10.
  11. Staff (2015-05-13). "UFC Fight Night 69 gets one more: Taylor Lapilus vs. Yuta Sasaki set for Berlin". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  12. Ban Fowlkes (2015-06-20). "UFC Fight Night 69 results: Taylor Lapilus upsets Yuta Sasaki via second-round TKO". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
  13. Staff (2016-04-26). "With Paddy Holohan's retirement, Willie Gates gets new UFC Fight Night 87 opponent". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
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  15. Staff (2016-09-25). "Six additional bouts announced for UFC Fight Night 100 on Nov. 19 in Sao Paulo". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-09-25.
  16. Staff (2016-11-03). "Flyweight Matheus Nicolau pulled from UFC Fight Night 100 for potential anti-doping violation". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
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  22. Marcel Dorff (14 July 2017). "UFC adds two Flyweight fights for UFC Japan" (in Dutch). mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
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  26. "UFC Fight Night 128 Bout Canceled Because of Injury | MMAWeekly.com". www.mmaweekly.com. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
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  28. "UFC Fight Night 132 results: Ulka Sasaki taps Jenel Lausa, calls out Sergio Pettis". MMAjunkie. 2018-06-23. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  29. "Alexandre Pantoja enfrenta Ulka Sasaki no UFC Buenos Aires, 17 de novembro". Sportv (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2018-10-23.
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  32. James Goyder (April 3, 2019). "Justin Scoggins replaces Ulka Sasaki, faces Kai Asakura at Rizin 15". asianmma.com.
  33. David Tees (July 1, 2019). "Six More Fights Added To Rizin 17 Card, Ulka Sasaki In Action". fightful.com.
  34. Peter Carroll (July 28, 2019). "Rizin 17 results and highlights: Mikuru Asakura dominates Yusuke Yachi in grudge match". mmafighting.com.
  35. Hidetoshi Miura (October 11, 2019). "Ulka Sasaki says Kai Asakura made a mistake by agreeing to fight him at Rizin 19". asianmma.com.
  36. Peter Carroll (October 12, 2019). "Rizin 19 results: Jiri Prochazka blasts through Fabio Maldonado, Kai Asakura overwhelms Ulka Sasaki". mmafighting.com.
  37. John Hyon Ko (December 21, 2020). Ulka Sasaki returns from broken jaw much stronger, with a striker's mentality – via Youtube.
  38. "Ayaka Hamasaki and Miyuu Yamamoto face off in super atomweight title fight at Rizin 26". asianmma.com. December 2, 2020.
  39. Guilherme Cruz (December 31, 2020). "RIZIN 26 videos, results: Kyoji Horiguchi stops Kai Asakura, Ayaka Hamasaki wins title with scissor choke". mmafighting.com.
  40. "Ulka Sasaki faces Yoshinori Horie at Rizin 30". asianmma.com. August 11, 2021.
  41. "【RIZIN】堀江圭功が佐々木憂流迦との熱戦に勝利、フェザー級戦線に名乗りを上げる（ゴング格闘技）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  42. Sherdog.com. "Rizin 'Trigger 2nd' Cage Event Set for Feb. 23; Koike Erbst vs. Sasaki to Headline". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  43. "【RIZIN】クレベルがダウン喫するも佐々木憂流迦に一本勝ち「1、2、3、ボベガー！（極めるぞ）」（ゴング格闘技）のコメント一覧". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  44. Cruz, Guilherme (2022-02-23). "RIZIN Trigger 2 results, videos: Kleber Koike survives early scare, taps Ulka Sasaki in main event". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  45. "【RIZIN】佐々木憂流迦がコロナで欠場、関鉄矢が中原由貴と対戦「そろそろ試合もしたいと思っていた」＝7月31日（日）さいたま". gonkaku.jp. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  46. "【RIZIN】佐々木憂流迦、寝技でアレンに競り勝ち連敗脱出". efight.jp. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  47. "Pro Wrestling NOAH Global on X: "📣 OFFICIAL - Former #UFC fighter Ulka Sasaki (24-10-2) will make his professional wrestling debut on 13 November at NOAH #MONDAYMAGIC @Ulka_Sasaki: "I am in the ring of my dreams!" 📺 Watch LIVE on #wrestleUNIVERSE ▶️ https://t.co/FBBa0WSYVl #noah_ghc #MMA https://t.co/ALj7cY0kcU" / X". X (formerly Twitter). 23 October 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-23. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  48. "UFC Fight Night 48: Bisping, Woodley get bonuses". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2017-06-18.
  49. "UFC Fight Night 111 bonuses: You know Holly Holm's sick kick was worth $50,000". MMAjunkie. 2017-06-17. Retrieved 2017-06-18.
  50. Shu Hirata (March 24, 2013). "ADCC Asia trial: "Kid" Yamamoto's sister and a four-time world wrestling champ Seiko Yamamoto wins under 60 kg division". Adcombat.com. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  51. Shu Hirata (May 16, 2013). "Shooto: what's next for Pacific Rim champ "Uruka"?". Adcombat.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  52. Sherdog.com. "Yuta". Sherdog. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
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