It wasn’t always the most aesthetically pleasing affair, but Augusto Sakai (12-1-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) did pick up a grinding win in his UFC debut over Chase Sherman (11-6 MMA, 2-5 UFC).

The heavyweight clash opened the FS2-broadcast prelims of tonight’s UFC Fight Night 137 event from Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo. The contests followed additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and aired prior to the main card on FS1.

The two big men were patient in their approach to start, with Sakai having early success with several crushing low kicks. As the round unfolded, the punches began to fly, as well, with both men having their moments in the exchanges. Sakai’s blows seemed to be thrown with more power, but Sherman’s answers came with better volume.

In the second, Sherman was guilty of an early eye poke, leading to a brief timeout. On the restart, Sherman seemed a bit more aggressive, moving forward and picking his shots. Sakai found success swinging back, landing a big right hand and a few nasty uppercuts inside. As the round wore on, it was Sherman who seemed to fade a bit, while Sakai gained steam. It wasn’t the prettiest of contests, but the two men were each willing to stand and trade in the pocket.

The grinding pace continued in the third, with both men taking turns teeing off on the feet, but Sakai getting the best of the exchanges. Late in the frame, Sakai really took control of the action, landing several big punches and then a barrage of knees that seemed destined to end the fight. Sherman somehow stayed on his feet, as Sakai blasted him with nasty knee after knee. Sherman eventually went off-balance to the floor, and Sakai followed, blasting away with big elbows and punches that forced referee Marc Goddard to step in and halt the fight with 57 seconds remaining.

“It was a war, but I think my debut in the UFC deserved to be like this,” Sakai said after the win. “I think I broke my hand early in the fight – it hurts a lot.

“Being part of Contender Series Brazil, doing my first UFC fight here and winning, all in the space of a month, is the realization of a dream. Now I will continue to evolve and put on a show, and it will be that way until I retire.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 137 results include:

• Augusto Sakai def. Chase Sherman via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:03
• Sergio Moraes def. Ben Saunders via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:42
• Mayra Bueno Silva def. Gillian Robertson via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:55
• Thales Leites def. Hector Lombard via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos def. Luigi Vendramini via knockout (flying knee, punches) – Round 2, 1:20
• Livia Renata Souza def. Alex Chambers via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:21

For more on UFC Fight Night 137, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.