Augusto Sakai went through a rollercoaster of emotions before finally being able to enter the octagon in 2020.
The rising heavyweight had a perfect year in 2019 with wins over Andrei Arlovski and Marcin Tybura, but 2020 started with a global pandemic forcing the UFC to cancel multiple events around the globe. A pay-per-view event set for May 9 in Sao Paulo, where Sakai was scheduled to face Blagoy Ivanov, was also shut down.
Sakai and every other Brazilian fighter found themselves stuck in their home country since consulates closed their doors and stopped issuing visas.