- published: 15 May 2009
- views: 34374
Hayato Sakurai (桜井 速人, Sakurai Hayato?, マッハ Mahha, born August 24, 1975) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He was born in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. He has a professional MMA record of 35-11-2 as of April 5, 2009. Sakurai has been fighting in mixed martial arts since October 1996 and was at one time considered pound for pound one of the greatest fighters. Sakurai finished 2nd (Silver) in the Absolute Class (no weight limit) Abu Dhabi Combat Club submission wrestling annual competition in 1999 at just under 77 kg.
His nickname, "Mach", pronounced ma-ha in Japanese, was taken as a tribute to his childhood pro wrestling hero, Higo Shigehisashi better known as Mach Hayato, the first Japanese professional wrestler to completely embrace the Mexican style of Lucha Libre and was also among the group of professional wrestlers who made the transition to shoot wrestling as part of the original UWF movement.
Sakurai made his professional debut in the Shooto organization on October 4, 1996 by submitting Caol Uno. Over the next five years he would go undefeated in twenty bouts and would win that organization's middleweight (167 lbs.) title. Sakurai was finally defeated in August 2001 by Brazilian ace and future UFC middleweight (185 lbs.) champion Anderson Silva. After the loss, and subsequent to a severe car accident, Sakurai traveled to the United States to fight the UFC's welterweight champion Matt Hughes, losing by TKO in the fourth round.
(Oooh, we're gettin' ready
Here we go
hahaha
I'm ready
Oooh)
Getting ready to rock
Getting ready to roll
I'm gonna turn up the heat
I'm gonna fire up the coal
I gotta keep that motor turning
I gotta keep that engine clean
I gotta keep those tires burning
I've got the best you've ever seen
And I'm a heatseeker charging up the sky
And I'm a heatseeker, and I, I don't need no life preserver
I don't need no one to hose me down
To hose me down
Getting ready to break
Getting ready to go
Get your shoes off and shake
Get your head down and blow
You gotta keep that woman firing
You gotta keep that serpent clean
You gotta make her sound the siren
You gotta hear that lady scream
Cause I'm a heatseeker, burning up the town
And I'm a heatseeker, I don't, I don't need no life preserver
I don't need no one to hose me down
Don't hose me down
(Aw yeah, here ya go, yow! Ready? Heatseeker!)
I wanna see you get up
And see the whites of your eyes
And I'm a heatseeker, heatseeker, yeah!
I'm gonna measure you up
I'm gonna try you for size
And I'm a heatseeker
Gotta keep that motor turning
You gotta keep that engine clean
You gotta keep those tires burning
I've got the best you've ever seen
And I'm a heatseeker, and I don't need no life preserver
I don't need no one to hose me down, woah
I'm a heatseeker
And I'm a heatseeker
Heatseeker
Out on the street feel the heat