Yuta Sasaki, known professionally as Ulka Sasaki, is a Japanese professional wrestler and former Mixed Martial Artist who currently competes in Pro Wrestling Noah.
44 Facts About Ulka Sasaki
1.
2.
Ulka Sasaki is the former Shooto Pacific Rim Champion.
3.
Ulka Sasaki fought mainly for Shooto, but fought for Deep and GCM early in his career.
4.
Ulka Sasaki faced Yo Saito on December 18,2010, at Shooto: The Rookie Tournament 2010 Final.
5.
Ulka Sasaki defeated Saito via unanimous decision after two rounds and became the 2010 Shooto 143-pound rookie champion.
6.
Ulka Sasaki faced Tetsu Suzuki on January 20,2013, at Shooto: 1st Round 2013 for the Shooto Pacific Rim 132-pound title.
7.
Ulka Sasaki won via unanimous decision and became the new champion.
8.
Ulka Sasaki defended his title on July 27, at Shooto: 3rd Round 2013 against Kenji Yamamoto.
9.
Ulka Sasaki won via knockout at 11 seconds in the first round and retained the title.
10.
Shortly after the bout, Ulka Sasaki relinquished his title in order to be able to fight for Shooto's world title.
11.
Ulka Sasaki won via submission due to a rear-naked choke in the first round.
12.
In July 2014, it was announced that Ulka Sasaki had signed with the UFC.
13.
Ulka Sasaki made his debut against Roland Delorme at UFC Fight Night 48 on August 23,2014.
14.
Ulka Sasaki faced Leandro Issa on December 20,2014, at UFC Fight Night 58.
15.
Ulka Sasaki lost the fight by submission in the second round.
16.
Ulka Sasaki faced Taylor Lapilus on June 20,2015, at UFC Fight Night 69.
17.
Ulka Sasaki lost the fight via TKO in the second round.
18.
Ulka Sasaki faced Willie Gates May 8,2016, at UFC Fight Night 87.
19.
Ulka Sasaki won the fight via submission in the second round.
20.
Ulka Sasaki was expected to face Matheus Nicolau on November 19,2016, at UFC Fight Night 100.
21.
Ulka Sasaki next faced Wilson Reis on February 11,2017, at UFC 208.
22.
Ulka Sasaki faced Justin Scoggins on June 17,2017 at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Correia.
23.
Ulka 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.
24.
Ulka Sasaki faced Jussier Formiga on September 23,2017 at UFC Fight Night: Saint Preux vs Okami.
25.
Ulka Sasaki lost the fight via submission in the first round.
26.
Ulka Sasaki was scheduled to face Magomed Bibulatov on April 21,2018 at UFC Fight Night 128.
27.
Ulka Sasaki faced Jenel Lausa on June 23,2018 at UFC Fight Night 132.
28.
Ulka Sasaki won the fight in round two via a rear-naked choke submission.
29.
Ulka Sasaki faced Alexandre Pantoja on November 17,2018 at UFC Fight Night 140.
30.
Ulka Sasaki lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the first round.
31.
Ulka Sasaki faced Manel Kape in a 130lbs catchweight bout at Rizin 14 on December 31,2018.
32.
Ulka Sasaki was then scheduled to face Kai Asakura at Rizin 15 on April 21,2019.
33.
However, Ulka Sasaki was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a visceral injury and was replaced by Justin Scoggins.
34.
Ulka Sasaki then faced Shintaro Ishiwatari at Rizin 17 on July 28,2019.
35.
Ulka Sasaki lost the fight via first-minute technical knockout due to a broken jaw.
36.
Ulka Sasaki faced Yoshinori Horie at Rizin 30 on September 19,2021.
37.
Ulka Sasaki headlined Rizin Trigger 2 on February 23,2022 against Kleber Koike Erbst.
38.
Ulka Sasaki was expected to face Yoshiki Nakahara at Rizin 37 on July 31,2022.
39.
Ulka Sasaki faced Boyd Allen at Rizin 42 on May 6,2023.
40.
On October 23,2023, Ulka Sasaki himself made an announcement that he would be participating in an exhibition match for Pro Wrestling Noah's November 13 episode of Monday Magic.
41.
Ulka Sasaki then conveyed on social media that he would "throw all of [his] soul" to enable him to compete in professional wrestling.
42.
Ulka Sasaki officially made his professional wrestling debut at Noah The New Year 2024 event on January 2,2024, but was defeated by Takashi Sugiura.
43.
Ulka Sasaki's victory, achieved just six months after his debut, set a record for the fastest title win in the history of the championship.
44.
Ulka Sasaki has expressed his fondness for this mythical creature and often wears a long-nosed Tengu mask during his professional wrestling entrances.