UFC free fight: Augusto Sakai earns contract with stoppage win over Marcos Conrado at DWCS Brazil

It didn’t take long for Augusto Sakai to rise to heavyweight contention.

The 29-year-old Brazilian punched his ticket to the UFC on Dana White’s Contender Series Brazil in August 2018 when he faced Marcos Conrado in the night’s first outing.

Sakai (15-1-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) opened up with hard leg kicks, while Conrado countered with overhand shots, trying to close the distance on the bigger Sakai. Conrado started getting wild with some of his strikes and Sakai capitalized by dropping him with head kick while as Conrado was dipping.

Conrado survived, but he was visibly hurt and tired towards the end of the round, as Sakai continued to punish him, both on the feet and on the ground.

In Round 2, Conrado immediately shot for the takedown, but Sakai was able to get right back up. Sakai charged at a visibly-gassed Conrado, tagging him with hard knees in the clinch and eventually dropped him with the right. Conrado tried to weather the storm, but Sakai was all over him, earning the stoppage win in the second round.

Sakai went on to win his next four in a row, most recently edging out Blagoy Ivanov in May. He returns Saturday in his first UFC main event when he faces Alistair Overeem at UFC on ESPN+ 34, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Before he faces Overeem (46-18 MMA, 11-7 UFC), relive Sakai’s finish of Conrado in the video above.