With a career spanning 3 decades, Saki started off fighting under Muay Thai and Kickboxing rules, as a Welterweight and Middleweight, but would bump up to Light-Heavyweight and Heavy-weight later on in his career. 

Despite often being classed as undersized for the upper weights, he would take on some of the greatest full strikers of an era, Including Peter Aerts, Semmy Schilt, Badr Hari(2x), Remy Bonjasky and Pavel Zhuravlev, and earning big wins over fighters like Tyrone Spong(2x), Nathan Corbett, Ray Sefo, Alexey Ignashov, Daniel Ghiţă(2x), Henri Hooft, Paul Slowinski, Carter Williams, Anderson Silva, Mourad Bouzidi, Melvin Manhoef, Freddy Kemayo and many more.       

Over the years he has trained at many gyms including the renowned Cor hemmer's 'Golden Glory' gym, 'Mike's Gym', 'SuperPro Gym' and in Thailand. He credits Jan Pasztjerik, his initial trainer, as the person who most helped him develop and progress successfully as a fighter. Jan still runs his own gym 'Sportschool Pasztjerik', in Schiedam.      
 
Saki has trained over the years Golden Glory' gym. The gym's roster has boasted many MMA fighters of which he was able to work with, including Alistair Overeem and Sergei Kharitonov. He has also trained 'Tatsujin Dojo', famously being submitted by Marloes Coenan in an online video. In preparation for his UFC debut, his training camp involved working with Turkish and Iranian national-level wrestlers, and Jiu-Jitsu specialists.    

In 2015, he retired from professional striking to focus more on a run in MMA. In pro Kickboxing/Muay Thai he went 83 - 10 - 1, with an impressive 59 victories by tko/ko, and also 9 losses by tko/ko, in what is perhaps always living up to his reputation as a kill or be killed fighter, and a crowd favorite. 
 
He was born and raised in Schiedam, Netherlands, the son of Turkish immigrants of Armenian descent from the Selim district in Kaars province. He started playing soccer and kickboxing when he was 10. He would prove succesful in soccer where he eventually received offers from big name Dutch soccer clubs to join their talent program.         

At 16 however, he stopped playing soccer competitivley to focus on martial arts fulltime. He first started on the Dutch Muay Thai circuits fighting in 30+ bouts under those rules, becoming a Dutch, European and World champion within 3 years of active competition. He would bulk up in weight eventually, and begin competing under K1-rules fights.            

Over the years he competed in many 1 night tournaments, often fighting 3 times back to back and fought in many promotions including 'K1',  'Its Showtime' and 'Glory Kickboxing'. 
 
A long list of his achievments include 'Glory Kickboxing Light-Heavyweight Champion"(inaugral), '2010 K1 World Grand Prix' 3rd place, and '2008 K1 World Grand Prix' 3rd place.     

While Saki had an illustrious career in Kickboxing, he had rarely tested the waters in the world of MMA only fighting in one bout in 2005 where he lost to British vet James Zikic in 2004.  But after a 13 year absence from the sport, Saki would make his big return back into MMA when he signed with the UFC and booked to fight prospect Luis Henrique da Silva at UFC Fight Night 117 at Saitama Super Arena.  Saki made quick work of Luis Henrique as he would viciously KO the man nicknamed Frankenstein in the first round with a hard hook, making a name for himself and an instant threat in the division despite only fighting in his second fight.
Saki was then matched up to face Khalil Rountree at UFC 219, but would have to pull out due to a knee injury.  The bout would then get pushed back to UFC 226.

   It has been debated that Gökhan's true surname is actually "Sakissian", but his forebears along with many other ethnic Armenian and Greeks of the day were Turkified after the Ottoman-Turk conquest and absorbtion of the region.