Are you really concerned about it [being punched too much]? You have mentioned that a couple times now.

Now, I'm OK in conversations like this but in the future, I don't know if I'll be able to hold conversations any more.

I have always thought about retirement but it's not everything to me. At this age though, I need to think. I've been punching opponents since I was 17. If I can't show my best then I probably need to quit. I've been thinking that for a long time. It's just a decision that I need to make. My cardio is getting worse as I get older and so is my athletic ability. I try my best in training, 100% or even 120%. but if I can't show 100% in the fight then I need to think about retiring. I said that if am going to retire if I lose but I'll probably need to think about it later.

Interview with Hayato "Mach" Sakurai from Daniel Herbertson at MMAFighting.com