Takashi Sato

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Takashi Satō is a Japanese mixed martial artist who fights in the welterweight division. Born on June 9, 1990, in Tokyo, he grew up in Shinjuku with his Japanese father and Taiwanese mother. Inspired by a story about a kid who became a judo champion, he started training judo at a local police station and later began his MMA career in 2013 in Japan.

Satō fought in Japanese promotions Pancrase and Deep, even earning a Pancrase title shot which he lost to Glaico França. He earned his way to the UFC after beating former UFC fighter Matt Vaile and signed with the promotion on April 2, 2019. He made his UFC debut on April 27, 2019, defeating Ben Saunders by knockout.

His next UFC fight came on September 7, 2019, at UFC 242, where he lost to Belal Muhammad by a third-round submission. In 2020, a bout with Maki Pitolo was scrapped for weight issues, and a planned fight with Ramiz Brahimaj was canceled due to COVID-19. Satō later fought Jason Witt and won by knockout in 48 seconds. He was set to fight Daniel Rodriguez in August 2020 but was not cleared to fight due to a skin infection. His last UFC bout of his contract, in November 2020, was a loss to Miguel Baeza by arm-triangle choke.

Satō returned to competition in March 2022, losing to Gunnar Nelson by decision. He then lost to Bryan Battle by KO in August 2022 and to Themba Gorimbo by unanimous decision in May 2023. In June 2023 it was announced that he was no longer on the UFC roster.

He trains in Tokyo with Tribe Tokyo MMA and Kill Cliff FC, under coach Henri Hooft, and holds a 2nd dan black belt in judo. His professional record stands at 24 wins and 9 losses, with 11 wins by knockout, 2 by submission, and 2 by decision; among his losses are 3 by knockout, 3 by submission, and 3 by decision.