Amir Ali Sadollah (, born August 27, 1980) is a retired American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

, formerly with the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

. He was the winner of

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are locate ...

's ''

The Ultimate Fighter 7 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest'' was the seventh season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter'', and premiered on April 2, 2008 on Spike, after '' UFC Fight N ...

''. He has fought exclusively within the confines of the UFC Octagon since the beginning of his MMA career, making him one of the few fighters who have done so.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Sadollah was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, but raised in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, to an

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

father and an

Irish-American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

mother. Following his graduation from John Randolph Tucker High School he attended J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. Amir began

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

as a way to stay in shape. He began to take the sport more seriously after working as a surgical technologist at VCU Healthsystems and seeing similarities in the personalities of

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

s and fighters. Amir trained at Combat Sports Center in Richmond, VA. Amir trained under Brian Crenshaw, Fred Corritone and Dwayne "Diesel" Shelton. Dwayne helped fine tune Amir's skills and put together his highlight reel for the application for "The Ultimate Fighter 7". While at Combat Sports Center Amir attained an undefeated 4-0 (MMA), 3-0 (Muay Thai) amateur record through Combat Sports Center and its sister promotion, Combat Sports Challenge prior to going on to the Ultimate Fighter Reality television show, first making it into the "house" and then going on to defeat four opponents to win Season 7 and a three-fight UFC contract, which, due to his outstanding performance, has been extended. Other notable professional fighters from Combat Sports Center that trained with Amir include Dwayne "Diesel" Shelton, Anthony Morrison, WEC veteran and 145 pound Ring of Combat Champion, and international Kickboxing star Francois "Bang Bang" Ambang, who came to CSC from Cameroon to join the fight team. Sadollah's amateur record of 4–0 included a decision win, a knockout and two submissions. Sadollah was one of the 32 successful candidates out of 250 applicants at the October 2007,

International Fight League The International Fight League was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion billed as the world's first MMA league. It was founded on January 7, 2006, and closed on July 31, 2008.

draft in Chicago. He impressed

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at . Out ...

and producers enough to earn a trip to

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, to compete on ''

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

''. Amir went on to win the tournament and the title of the Ultimate Fighter. He is currently a member of Throwdown Training Center together with friend and coach

Forrest Griffin Forrest Griffin (born July 1, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2013 and is the Vice President of Athlete Development at the UFC Performan ...

. He holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Cameron Diffley .

''The Ultimate Fighter''

Sadollah came on to the show with no professional record in MMA, and went on to win the competition. Sadollah defeated Steve Byrnes by tapout due to an

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armpit lock is very useful; it will immobilize an opponent and pin them on the ground. An armlock t ...

to win the elimination bout and get into the house. Sadollah was the second pick for Team Forrest and fourth overall. His first preliminary fight was against Team Rampage's Gerald Harris. Sadollah defeated Harris via

TKO A technical knockout (TKO) is a professional fighting term. TKO may also refer to: Sports * TKO, the name of a professional wrestling move referring to either the cutter or stunner variant * TKO Group Holdings, a combat sports company Music Ar ...

due to strikes. Sadollah's quarter-final match was against fellow Team Forrest member and friend, Matt Brown. After a close back and forth fight, Sadollah eventually defeated Brown via tapout due to a triangle choke. Sadollah's semi-final match was against Team Rampage's number one pick,

CB Dollaway C. B. Dollaway (born August 10, 1983) is an American retired mixed martial artist who fought in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional from 2006 to 2019, he formerly fought in the UFC and was a finalist on SpikeTV's ''The Ultimate Fighte ...

. After being put on his back for almost the whole fight, Sadollah locked up an armbar in the last minute of the last round to be the winner by submission. He was then set to face fellow Team Forrest member,

Jesse Taylor Jesse Taylor (born January 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) and 10th Planet Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt fighter who last competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor from 2006 to 2023, he wa ...

at the finale to crown the winner of the tournament. However, due to Taylor's antics after taping the show, he was kicked out of the tournament and replaced by Dollaway, who had fought

Tim Credeur Tim Credeur (born July 9, 1977) is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of Spike TV's ''The Ultimate Fighter 7'' and was defeated by fellow cast member Jesse Taylor in the semi-finals. He was then bro ...

for the spot.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On the season finale of ''

TUF 7 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest'' was the seventh season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter'', and premiered on April 2, 2008 on Spike (TV network), Spike, a ...

'', Amir earned another victory over

with an armbar only this time it was in the first round. The victory secured his title of The Ultimate Fighter and provided him with a six-figure UFC contract. Sadollah's second UFC fight was scheduled to be against

Nick Catone Nicholas Catone (born September 1, 1981) is a retired American mixed martial artist. Catone competed from 2009 to 2015 in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Wrestling Catone began wrestling ...

UFC 91 ''UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on November 15, 2008, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The main event featured the return of UFC Heavy ...

. However, due to a leg infection, Sadollah withdrew from the match. A replacement for Sadollah could not be found so the match was scrubbed from the card. The match was rescheduled for February 7, 2009, at

UFC Fight Night 17 ''UFC Fight Night: Lauzon vs. Stephens'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 17'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on February 7, 2009. Background The main event was originally scheduled to be between ...

. On January 23, Sadollah was again forced to withdraw from the fight, this time due to a broken clavicle. Sadollah made his post-''Ultimate Fighter'' Debut at UFC 101 on August 8, 2009, in Philadelphia (at the

Wachovia Center Wells Fargo Center (to be renamed to Xfinity Mobile Arena effective September 1, 2025) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Philadelphia. It serves as the home of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Philadel ...

) against

Johny Hendricks Johny Hendricks (born September 12, 1983) is an American former mixed martial artist and collegiate wrestler. He competed in the welterweight and middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and is a former UFC Welterwei ...

. In the opening seconds of the first round, Hendricks blocked a high head kick from Sadollah and countered with an uppercut knocking Sadollah to his knees. Hendricks continued to land punches until referee Dan Miragliotta pulled him off and ended the fight 29 seconds into the first round. Some have criticized Miragliotta for stopping the fight too early, as Sadollah seemed to be trying to get up, but Miragliotta defended his stoppage saying Sadollah was "out of it" and "still looked glassy eyed and asked me what happened."Miragliotta Defends Stoppage
. Bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-17. Sadollah defeated newly re-signed welterweight

Phil Baroni Philip George Baroni (April 16, 1976) is an American former mixed martial artist, kickboxer, boxer, and professional wrestler. Baroni competed in the UFC, PRIDE, Strikeforce, Cage Rage, DREAM, EliteXC, Bellator MMA, Titan FC, Palace Fi ...

UFC 106 ''UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on November 21, 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Background As with UFC 103 and UFC 104, a portion of the preliminary card ai ...

. During the fight Sadollah showed a superior Muay Thai clinch and precision kicks. Sadollah defeated Brad Blackburn on January 11, 2010, at

UFC Fight Night 20 ''UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 20'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on January 11, 2010, at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Background Headlining ...

via unanimous decision. During the bout Sadollah utilized great head and body kicks along with knees in the clinch and a solid ground game. Sadollah faced

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

judoka is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

Dong Hyun Kim Kim Dong-hyun (; born November 17, 1981), anglicized as Dong Hyun Kim, is a South Korean retired mixed martial artist who most notably fought in the UFC's welterweight division. He was signed by the UFC after fighting in the Japanese promotion ...

, at

UFC 114 ''UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 29, 2010 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The UFC Fan Expo took place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Back ...

. Kim took down Sadollah in all three rounds, dominating Sadollah with superior Judo and Wrestling. Kim won the fight by unanimous decision with all three judges scoring it 30–27 for Kim. Sadollah then faced Peter Sobotta at

UFC 122 ''UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 13, 2010 at König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. This event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in ...

. Amir would win the fight via unanimous decision. Sadollah once again demonstrated his impressive Muay Thai to earn the decision win. Sadollah was expected to face

Duane Ludwig Duane Paul Ludwig (born August 4, 1978) is an American mixed martial arts coach, retired professional kickboxer and mixed martial artist. Ludwig formerly held the unofficial fastest knockout record in the UFC after his win against Jonathan Go ...

on March 26, 2011, at UFC Fight Night 24. However, Ludwig was injured and was briefly replaced by TUF 9 winner,

James Wilks James Brett Wilks (born 5 April 1978) is an English former professional mixed martial artist. As a professional competitor from 2003 until 2012, he competed for the UFC, King of the Cage, and was the winner of Spike TV's '' The Ultimate Fight ...

. Wilks was then forced out as well and replaced by

DaMarques Johnson DaMarques Johnson (born June 28, 1982) is a retired American mixed martial artist. He competed for the UFC and King of the Cage and was the Welterweight runner-up on '' The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom''. Background Johnson ...

. After a back and forth first round, Sadollah was more aggressive and forced Johnson to exchange against the cage early in the second round having success with a flurry of a strike. Sadollah would then earn a takedown and go on to gain dominant position, unleashing a steady stream of ground and pound until gaining gift wrap control, proceeding to punish Johnson with elbows from his free arm, forcing a tap due to strikes. Sadollah lost to

via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) on August 14, 2011, at

UFC on Versus 5 ''UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle'' (also known as ''UFC on Versus 5'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 14, 2011, at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The event was the first that the UFC h ...

. Sadollah was expected to face Jorge Lopez on February 4, 2012, at

UFC 143 ''UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit'' was a mixed martial arts event organized by Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 4, 2012 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background An episode of UFC Primetime returned to promote the ma ...

. However, Sadollah was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by

Matt Riddle Matthew Fredrick Riddle (born January 14, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he is the reigning MLW World Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He ...

. Sadollah/Lopez eventually took place on May 15, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier. Sadollah won the bout via split decision. Sadollah lost via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) to

Dan Hardy Daniel Mark Hardyhttp://boxing.nv.gov/2012%20Results%20Web/05-26-12%20MMA.pdf (born 17 May 1982) is an English former mixed martial artist who fought in the welterweight division. During his professional MMA career, which began in 2004, Hardy ...

on September 29, 2012, at

UFC on Fuel TV 5 ''UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic'' (also known as ''UFC on Fuel TV 5'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 29, 2012, at Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, United Kingdom. Background Jörgen K ...

. Sadollah was expected to face Stephen Thompson on May 25, 2013, at UFC 160. However, Sadollah pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced by

Nah-Shon Burrell Nah-Shon Burrell (born February 5, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, Burrell has competed for Bellator MMA, the Ultimate Fighting Champio ...

. After being sidelined for nearly two years recovering from a litany of injuries, Sadollah was briefly linked to a bout with

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 Ultima ...

on October 4, 2014, at

UFC Fight Night 53 ''UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Story'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 53'') was a mixed martial arts event held on October 4, 2014, at Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Background This event was the third event that the UFC hosted in S ...

. However, Sadollah was pulled from the pairing with Musoke in favor of a bout with

Yoshihiro Akiyama , also known as and by his nickname Sexyama, is a Japanese mixed martial artist and judoka who won the gold medal at the 2001 Asian Championships for South Korea and for Japan at the 2002 Asian Games. He is the former K-1 HERO's Light Heavyw ...

on September 20, 2014, at

UFC Fight Night 52 ''UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 52'') was a mixed martial arts event held on September 20, 2014, at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Background The event was the third time that the organization hosted ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion. After Sadollah's release, UFC President

was quoted as saying, "Amir had one of the best runs in the history of The Ultimate Fighter, but I don't think he wanted to be a fighter. You can't stay on the roster by fighting once every 2 years. At this point, he was just taking up a roster spot. We wish Amir the best of luck."

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

** The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest Winner **UFC.com Awards ***2008: Ranked #3 Newcomer of the Year

Kickboxing

World Kickboxing Association The World Kickboxing Association (WKA) also known as World Kickboxing and Karate Association, is one of the oldest and the largest amateur and professional sanctioning body for kickboxing and Karate. History In 1976, the WKA was founded by Howa ...

**WKA Amateur US Muay Thai Championship

Mixed martial arts record

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Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

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Mixed martial arts exhibition record

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References

External links

* *
Official UFC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadollah, Amir 1980 births American male kickboxers American male mixed martial artists American male Muay Thai practitioners American people of Iranian descent American people of Irish descent American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American sambo practitioners Kickboxers from Virginia Iranian male mixed martial artists Living people Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Virginia Mixed martial artists utilizing sambo Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Martial artists from Brooklyn Sportspeople from Richmond, Virginia The Ultimate Fighter winners Welterweight mixed martial artists Sportspeople of Iranian descent Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century Iranian sportsmen