Alessio Sakara

Alessio Sakara
Born	(1981-09-02) September 2, 1981 Rome, Italy
Other names	Legionarius
Nationality	Italian
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	92.99 kg (205 lb; 14 st 9 lb)
Division	Middleweight (2008–2013), (2017–present) Light Heavyweight (2002–2008), (2014–2017)
Reach	183 cm (72.0 in)
Fighting out of	Miami, Florida, United States
Team	American Top Team
Rank	Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Marcus "Conan" Silveira
Years active	2002–present
Professional boxing record
Total	9
Wins	8
By knockout	6
Losses	1
By knockout	1
Mixed martial arts record
Total	36
Wins	21
By knockout	15
By submission	2
By decision	4
Losses	13
By knockout	6
By submission	3
By decision	3
By disqualification	1
No contests	2
Other information
Boxing record from BoxRec
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Alessio Sakara (born September 2, 1981) is an Italian professional mixed martial artist, former professional boxer and Sanshou kickboxer, currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, Sakara has also formerly competed for the UFC, Bellator MMA, 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, 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 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, 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 division.

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

At UFC Fight Night 15, 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. 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 84 kg (185 pounds) 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 Bellator MMA.

Sakara made his promotional debut against Brian Rogers at Bellators first event in Sakara's native Italy on April 16, 2016 at Bellator 152. 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 for the Bellator Middleweight Championship 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.

Championships and accomplishments

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Joe Vedepo

• 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

Professional record breakdown
36 matches	21 wins	13 losses
By knockout	15	6
By submission	2	3
By decision	4	3
By disqualification	0	1
No contests	2

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Win	21–13 (2)	Canaan Grigsby	TKO (punches)	Bellator 230	October 12, 2019	1	0:23	Milan, Italy
Loss	20–13 (2)	Kent Kauppinen	KO (punch)	Bellator 211	December 1, 2018	1	1:10	Genoa, Italy
Win	20–12 (2)	Jamie Sloane	TKO (punches)	Bellator 203	July 14, 2018	1	1:19	Rome, Italy
Loss	19–12 (2)	Rafael Carvalho	KO (punches and elbow)	Bellator 190	December 9, 2017	1	0:45	Florence, Italy	For the Bellator Middleweight Championship.
Win	19–11 (2)	Joey Beltran	TKO (punches)	Bellator 168	December 10, 2016	1	1:20	Florence, Italy
Win	18–11 (2)	Brian Rogers	KO (punches)	Bellator 152	April 16, 2016	2	2:29	Torino, Italy
Win	17–11 (2)	Dib Akil	TKO (punches)	Final Fight Championship 19	September 18, 2015	1	1:32	Linz, Austria
NC	16–11 (2)	Maciej Browarski	NC (arm injury)	Final Fight Championship 16	December 6, 2014	1	1:21	Vienna, Austria	Return to Light Heavyweight. Sakara injured his arm.
Loss	16–11 (1)	Nico Musoke	Submission (armbar)	UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Munoz	October 26, 2013	1	3:07	Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Loss	16–10 (1)	Patrick Côté	DQ (punches to back of head)	UFC 154	November 17, 2012	1	1:26	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Loss	16–9 (1)	Brian Stann	KO (punches)	UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva	April 14, 2012	1	2:26	Stockholm, Sweden
Loss	16–8 (1)	Chris Weidman	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann	March 3, 2011	3	5:00	Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Win	16–7 (1)	James Irvin	TKO (punch)	UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones	March 21, 2010	1	3:01	Broomfield, Colorado, United States
Win	15–7 (1)	Thales Leites	Decision (split)	UFC 101	August 8, 2009	3	5:00	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	14–7 (1)	Joe Vedepo	KO (head kick)	UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Neer	September 17, 2008	1	1:27	Omaha, Nebraska, United States	Knockout of the Night.
Loss	13–7 (1)	Chris Leben	KO (punches)	UFC 82	March 1, 2008	1	3:16	Columbus, Ohio, United States	Middleweight debut.
Win	13–6 (1)	James Lee	TKO (punches)	UFC 80	January 19, 2008	1	1:30	Newcastle, England, United Kingdom
Loss	12–6 (1)	Houston Alexander	TKO (knee and punches)	UFC 75	September 8, 2007	1	1:01	London, England, United Kingdom
Win	12–5 (1)	Victor Valimaki	TKO (punches)	UFC 70	April 21, 2007	1	1:44	Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Loss	11–5 (1)	Drew McFedries	TKO (punches)	UFC 65	November 18, 2006	1	4:07	Sacramento, California, United States
Loss	11–4 (1)	Dean Lister	Submission (triangle choke)	UFC 60	May 27, 2006	1	1:20	Los Angeles, California, United States
Win	11–3 (1)	Elvis Sinosic	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 57	February 4, 2006	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
NC	10–3 (1)	Ron Faircloth	NC (groin strike)	UFC 55	October 7, 2005	2	0:10	Uncasville, Connecticut, United States	Sakara kicked in the groin.
Win	10–3	Frank Amaugou	Decision (unanimous)	King of the Ring	February 19, 2005	3	N/A	Milan, Italy
Win	9–3	Tihamer Brunner	TKO (punches)	Ring Fight	November 20, 2004	N/A	N/A	Bergamo, Italy
Loss	8–3	Assuerio Silva	Decision (unanimous)	Jungle Fight 3	October 23, 2004	3	5:00	Manaus, Brazil
Win	8–2	Eduardo Maiorino	KO (punches)	Real Fight 1	July 30, 2004	1	0:30	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win	7–2	Yeon Jung	KO (punches)	WXF: X-Impact World Championships 2003	December 3, 2003	1	2:02	Seoul, South Korea
Win	6–2	Rafael Tatu	TKO (doctor stoppage)	Meca 9: Meca World Vale Tudo 9	August 1, 2003	2	4:18	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win	5–2	Damien Riccio	Decision (unanimous)	Martial Arts Day	May 11, 2003	2	6:00	Rome, Italy
Win	4–2	David Mortelette	TKO (punches)	Resa Dei Conti 6	December 20, 2002	1	1:12	Livorno, Italy
Loss	3–2	Roman Zentsov	Decision (unanimous)	M-1 MFC: Russia vs. the World 4	November 15, 2002	2	5:00	St. Petersburg, Russia
Loss	3–1	Simon Holmes	Submission (rear-naked choke)	CWFC 1: Armageddon	July 27, 2002	1	4:50	London, England	Cage Warriors One Tournament Final.
Win	3–0	Adam Woolmer	Submission (kimura)	CWFC 1: Armageddon	July 27, 2002	1	0:21	London, England	Cage Warriors One Tournament Semifinal.
Win	2–0	Mastioli Mastioli	Submission (armbar)	Fight Night	June 21, 2002	1	0:20	Pomezia, Italy
Win	1–0	Paolo Di Clementi	KO (punches)	Fight Night	June 21, 2002	1	0:13	Pomezia, Italy

Professional boxing record

This template takes the following parameters, all of them self-explanatory:

• state—takes either collapsed or uncollapsed
• draws
• nc
• nws
• ko-wins
• ko-losses
• dec-wins
• dec-losses
• dq-wins
• dq-losses

{{BoxingRecordSummary
|draws=
|nc=
|nws=
|ko-wins=
|ko-losses=
|dec-wins=
|dec-losses=
|dq-wins=
|dq-losses=
}}

Everything defaults to zero, except for draws, nc, and nws, which default to not showing. Individual types of wins and losses will show only in the presence of either a win or a loss.

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
9	Win	8–1	Tomáš Mrázek	PTS	6	May 9, 2009	Rome, Italy
8	Win	7–1	Andreas Guenther	KO	5 (6)	Mar 14, 2009	Rome, Italy
7	Win	6–1	Nabil Haciani	PTS	6	Dec 26, 2005	Rome, Italy
6	Loss	5–1	Jean Marc Monrose	KO	5 (10)	July 8, 2005	Lazio, Italy	For the vacant IBF Youth Cruiserweight Championship.
5	Win	5–0	Fernando Martinez	TKO	3 (6)	June 2, 2005	Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
4	Win	4–0	Florin Constandache Ilie	TKO	2 (6)	May 14, 2005	Rome, Italy
3	Win	3–0	Imre Gergely	TKO	3 (6)	April 30, 2005	Rome, Italy
2	Win	2–0	Valentin Marinel	KO	3 (6)	Mar 19, 2005	Rome, Italy
1	Win	1–0	Ubiracy Santos Lima	TKO	4 (6)	Aug 30, 2004	Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

See also

• List of male boxers

External links

• Professional MMA record for Alessio Sakara from Sherdog
• Official UFC Profile
• Professional boxing record for Alessio Sakara from BoxRec
• Official website
• American Top Team
• facts for Sakara relation to egyptian Sakari

• http://www.mensfitness.co.uk/ufc/interviews/7774/alessio_sakara_ufc_interview.html Archived 2012-02-20 at the Wayback Machine Alessio Sakara UFC interview: Fighting for glory