The tournament was intended for heavyweights, and Sakuraba, at 183 pounds, was nearly twenty pounds beneath the UFC's 200 pound designation for the weight class. Reporting himself as 203 pounds in order to gain entry, Sakuraba was paired off against the 243 pound Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt and former Extreme Fighting champion, Marcus Silveira.
The tournament was intended for heavyweight fighters, and Sakuraba, at 183 pounds, was significantly underweight compared to the UFC's 200-pound weight class requirement.  Sakuraba falsely reported his weight as 203 pounds to qualify for the event, leading him to face Marcus Silveira, a 243-pound Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and former Extreme Fighting champion.