Alessio Sakara (born September 2, 1981) is an Italian professional mixed martial artist, former professional boxer and

Sanshou Sanda (), formerly Sanshou (), also known as Chinese boxing or Chinese kickboxing, is the official Chinese kickboxing full-contact combat sport. Sanda is a fighting system which was originally developed by the Chinese military based upon the s ...

kickboxer, currently competing in the

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

division. A professional competitor since 2002, Sakara has also formerly competed for the UFC,

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

, Jungle Fight, Cage Warriors, and M-1 Global.

Background

Born in Rome, Sakara began to compete in soccer at the age of five and was talented, playing the midfielder position. He began training in boxing at the age of 11. At the age of 18 Sakara began training with Roberto Almeida in

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

, later earning a black belt under former UFC veteran Marcus "Conan" Silveira. Sakara turned to mixed martial arts after competing in amateur boxing matches because he did not think he would be able to support himself with the little money that boxers in Italy receive, and also did not prefer the tactical approach of the sport. Sakara was also attracted to the rising sport of mixed martial arts after his uncle showed him a VHS tape of UFC 5, which featured a bout between future UFC Hall of Famers Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie, when Sakara was 19 years old.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Sakara made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2002, and compiled a record of 13–3 before being signed by the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Sakara made his UFC debut at UFC 55, fighting against Ron Faircloth. The bout was ruled a no contest due to an inside leg kick to Sakara's groin. Sakara next fought Elvis Sinosic at UFC 57 and won a unanimous decision. Sakara was submitted in his next bout at UFC 60 by decorated grappling specialist and former King of the Cage Middleweight Champion Dean Lister. Sakara was next expected to face Wilson Gouveia at UFC 65, but the bout was cancelled when Gouveia withdrew. Sakara lost his second straight fight to Drew McFedries via first-round

TKO TKO may refer to: Sports * Technical knockout, a professional fighting term * Total Knock Out, a professional wrestling move Music Artists * TKO (band), a rock band from Seattle, Washington * TKO, a pop group led by Katie White Albums * ''TKO ...

at UFC 65. Sakara rebounded from these losses when he fought Victor Valimaki at UFC 70, winning via TKO at 1:44 of the first round. At

UFC 75 ''UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event was held September 8, 2007, at The O2 in London, United Kingdom. Background The event was the fourth event held by the UFC in ...

, Sakara lost for the third time in four fights, losing via first round TKO to Houston Alexander. Sakara was part of UFC 80 in Newcastle, England, where he won via TKO in the first round against veteran James Lee. Following his victory over Lee, Sakara announced that he would be moving down to the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

division. Sakara lost via TKO in the first round to former WEC Middleweight Champion Chris Leben at UFC 82. At

UFC Fight Night 15 ''UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Neer'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 15'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on September 17, 2008, at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska. Background The even ...

, Sakara defeated Joe Vedepo via KO in the first round with a head kick, which earning him ''Knockout of the Night'' honors. Sakara was then expected to face Jake Rosholt at UFC Fight Night 17 but the bout was cancelled when Sakara had to pull out due to a shoulder injury. Sakara then defeated former title challenger Thales Leites via split decision at UFC 101. Sakara was scheduled to face Rousimar Palhares on December 5, 2009 at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale, but had to withdraw after suffering an undisclosed injury while training. He was replaced by Lucio Linhares. Sakara defeated James Irvin via first-round TKO on March 21, 2010 at UFC LIVE: Vera vs. Jones. Sakara was forced to pull out of his fight with Nate Marquardt on July 3, 2010 at UFC 116 due to the death of his father. Sakara was then scheduled to face Jorge Rivera on August 28, 2010 at UFC 118, but Rivera pulled out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by Gerald Harris. Sakara was then forced off the card with an injury and replaced by Joe Vedepo. His bout with Rivera had been rescheduled and was expected to take place on November 13, 2010 at UFC 122, but the fight was cancelled, Sakara intended on competing despite experiencing flu-like symptoms, but the bout was terminated due to Sakara vomiting backstage. Sakara was expected to face Maiquel Falcão on March 3, 2011 at the UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann event. However, Falcão was injured while training and replaced by Rafael Natal. Then in early February, Natal pulled out of the bout due to a knee injury, and was replaced by promotional newcomer Chris Weidman. Sakara lost a unanimous decision after getting repeatedly taken down and controlled by Weidman's wrestling. The bout between Sakara and Rivera had been rescheduled again for August 6, 2011 at UFC 133, but Sakara was forced out of the bout after tearing the ACL in his knee while training and was replaced by Costas Philippou. Sakara faced Brian Stann on April 14, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva. He lost the fight via KO in the first round. Sakara lost to Patrick Côté due to disqualification on November 17, 2012 at UFC 154 after rocking Côte with elbows, only to get caught up in the moment and land multiple blows to the back of Côté's head. A rematch was briefly linked with Côté for March 16, 2013 at UFC 158. However, Sakara was forced out of the bout with a kidney illness. Sakara was slated to face Tom Watson at UFC Fight Night 30. However, Watson was forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by Magnus Cedenblad. Subsequently in early October, Cedenblad was forced out of the Sakara bout with an injury and replaced by newcomer

Nico Musoke Nicholas "Nico" Musoke (born April 5, 1986) is a Swedish mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division of Swedish promotion Superior Challenge. A professional mixed martial artist since 2007, Musoke has also competed in the Ulti ...

. Sakara lost the fight by submission due to an armbar in the first round and was released from the promotion shortly after.

Final Fight Championship

After a nine-month delay, on July 24, 2014, Sakara signed a three-fight deal with the European promotion Final Fight Championship. During the press conference he stated that his UFC career was compromised because he had enormous trouble cutting weight at and that he will continue his career in the Light Heavyweight division. Sakara's Final Fight Championship debut took place on December 6, 2014 against Maciej Browarski. The fight was stopped in the first round when Sakara wasn't able to continue after getting injured from tearing his bicep. First Browarski was awarded the victory via TKO (injury), the result was later overturned to a No Contest by the Croatian MMA Federation. In his next fight, Sakara faced off against Lebanon's Dib Akil. Following the opening seconds of the round, in which Akil threw wild hooks that unsuccessfully landed, Sakara took Akil to the ground and piled up punches until the TKO stoppage.

Bellator MMA

On November 27, 2015, it was announced that Sakara signed with

. Sakara made his promotional debut against Brian Rogers at Bellators first event in Sakara's native Italy on April 16, 2016 at

Bellator 152 2016 in Bellator MMA was the eighth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promoter based in the United States. Bellator held 23 events in 2016. Background 2016 is notable for the launch of sibling promotion Bellator Kickboxin ...

. He won via knockout in the second round. On September 21, 2016, it was announced that Sakara would be facing Joey Beltran in the co-main event of Bellator 168 on December 10, 2016. He won via knockout in the first round. Sakara challenged

Rafael Carvalho Rafael Carvalho de Souza (born 27 July 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions of Bellator MMA, where he was a former Bellator Middleweight World Champion. As o ...

for the

Bellator Middleweight Championship Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded ...

on December 9, 2017 at Bellator 190. He lost via knockout in the first round. Sakara headlined Bellator 211 against Kent Kauppinen on December 1, 2018. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Sakara faced Canaan Grigsby at Bellator Milan on October 12, 2019. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. On July 10, 2021, it was announced that he was no longer under contract with Bellator.

Personal life

Sakara is married and has two sons. Recognizable for his many tattoos, Sakara has the words "Senatus Populusque Romanus" on his forearm, a common marking of soldiers of the Roman Empire, as well as several other tattoos that are a tribute to his ethnic background and love of Roman history. His surname comes from Saqqara, which was a Roman colony in Egypt.http://www.mensfitness.co.uk/ufc/interviews/7774/alessio_sakara_ufc_interview.html Alessio Sakara UFC interview: Fighting for glory

Championships and accomplishments

* Ultimate Fighting Championship ** Knockout of the Night (One time) * Italy Chinese Kung Fu Association ** Italian Heavyweight Pro Sanshou Champion * World Chinese Kung Fu Association (''World Pro Sanshou Championship'') ** ''Silver Medal'' in Pro Sanshou: Heavyweight Class

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 21–13 (2) , Canaan Grigsby , TKO (punches) , Bellator 230 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:23 , Milan, Italy , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–13 (2) , Kent Kauppinen , KO (punch) , Bellator 211 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:10 , Genoa, Italy , , - , Win , align=center, 20–12 (2) , Jamie Sloane , TKO (punches) , Bellator 203 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:19 , Rome, Italy , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–12 (2) ,

, KO (punches and elbow) , Bellator 190 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 , Florence, Italy , , - , Win , align=center, 19–11 (2) , Joey Beltran , TKO (punches) , Bellator 168 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 , Florence, Italy , , - , Win , align=center, 18–11 (2) , Brian Rogers , KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:29 , Torino, Italy , , - , Win , align=center, 17–11 (2) , Dib Akil , TKO (punches) , Final Fight Championship 19 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 , Linz, Austria , , - , NC , align=center, 16–11 (2) , Maciej Browarski , NC (arm injury) , Final Fight Championship 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:21 , Vienna, Austria , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–11 (1) ,

, Submission (armbar) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Munoz , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:07 , Manchester, England, United Kingdom , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–10 (1) , Patrick Côté , DQ (punches to back of head) , UFC 154 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:26 , Montreal, Quebec, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–9 (1) , Brian Stann , KO (punches) , UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:26 ,

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–8 (1) , Chris Weidman , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Louisville, Kentucky, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–7 (1) , James Irvin , TKO (punch) , UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:01 , Broomfield, Colorado, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–7 (1) , Thales Leites , Decision (split) , UFC 101 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–7 (1) , Joe Vedepo , KO (head kick) , UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Neer , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:27 , Omaha, Nebraska, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–7 (1) , Chris Leben , KO (punches) , UFC 82 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:16 ,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–6 (1) , James Lee , TKO (punches) , UFC 80 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:30 , Newcastle, England, United Kingdom , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–6 (1) , Houston Alexander , TKO (knee and punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:01 , London, England, United Kingdom , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5 (1) , Victor Valimaki , TKO (punches) , UFC 70 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:44 , Manchester, England, United Kingdom , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–5 (1) , Drew McFedries , TKO (punches) , UFC 65 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:07 , Sacramento, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–4 (1) , Dean Lister , Submission (triangle choke) , UFC 60 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 , Los Angeles, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 (1) , Elvis Sinosic , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 57 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 10–3 (1) , Ron Faircloth , NC (groin strike) , UFC 55 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:10 , Uncasville, Connecticut, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Frank Amaugou , Decision (unanimous) , King of the Ring , , align=center, 3 , align=center, N/A , Milan, Italy , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Tihamer Brunner , TKO (punches) , Ring Fight , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Como ...

, Italy , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 , Assuerio Silva , Decision (unanimous) ,

Jungle Fight 3 The year 2004 is the second year in the history of Jungle Fight, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Brazil. In 2004 Jungle Fight held 2 events beginning with, ''Jungle Fight 2''. Events list Jungle Fight 2 Jungle Fight 2 was an event ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Manaus Manaus () is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2020 population of 2,219,580 distributed over a land area of about . Located at the east center of the s ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Eduardo Maiorino , KO (punches) , Real Fight 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 , Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 , Yeon Jung , KO (punches) , WXF: X-Impact World Championships 2003 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:02 , Seoul, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 , Rafael Tatu , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Meca 9: Meca World Vale Tudo 9 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:18 , Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Damien Riccio , Decision (unanimous) , Martial Arts Day , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 6:00 , Rome, Italy , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , David Mortelette , TKO (punches) , Resa Dei Conti 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:12 ,

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

, Italy , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 , Roman Zentsov , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 MFC: Russia vs. the World 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , St. Petersburg, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–1 , Simon Holmes , Submission (rear-naked choke) , CWFC 1: Armageddon , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:50 , London, England , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Adam Woolmer , Submission (kimura) , CWFC 1: Armageddon , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:21 , London, England , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Mastioli Mastioli , Submission (armbar) , Fight Night , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:20 , Pomezia, Italy , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Paolo Di Clementi , KO (punches) , Fight Night , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:13 , Pomezia, Italy ,

Professional boxing record

References

External links

*
Official UFC Profile
*
Official websiteAmerican Top Teamfacts for Sakara relation to egyptian Sakari
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sakara, Alessio 1981 births Italian male mixed martial artists Cruiserweight boxers Middleweight mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Italian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Rome Living people Italian male boxers Italian sanshou practitioners People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Mixed martial artists utilizing sanshou Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu