A professional competitor from 2011 until 2015, Huddleston formerly competed for Bellator, Titan FC and Inoki Genome Federation.
He compiled a record of four wins and just one loss in his first five bouts, with victories over Daniel Gallemore and Yusuke Kawaguchi, before signing with Bellator.
The pair previously met in an amateur bout at a Titan FC event in 2011, which Huddleston won via first-round knockout.
Huddleston won via rear-naked choke submission in the first round, moments after dropping Ayala with a left hand.
Huddleston knocked Sakai down after connecting with a right hand in the last seconds of the third round, but was unable to finish the fight and lost via unanimous decision.