Alessio Sakara
| Alessio Sakara | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 2, 1981 Rome, Italy |
| Other names | Legionarius, Apocalips |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st) |
| Division | Middleweight |
| Reach | 72.0 in (183 cm) |
| Style | Boxing, Sanda, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Fighting out of | Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Team | American Top Team |
| Rank | black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 9 |
| Wins | 8 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| Losses | 1 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 24 |
| Wins | 15 |
| By knockout | 9 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 8 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Boxing record from Boxrec | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Alessio Sakara (born September 2, 1981) is an Italian mixed martial artist and boxer, who currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Middleweight Division. Sakara is also a Former World Junior Boxing Contender. He holds notable wins over Elvis Sinosic, Thales Leites, James Irvin.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Sakara was born in Rome on September 2, 1981. When Sakara was five he began to play soccer as a midfielder.[1] Sakara began training in boxing at the age of 11, and at 18 he began training with Roberto Almeida[1] in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[2] Before becoming a mixed martial arts fighter Sakara competed both as an amateur and professional boxer.[2]
In 2008 he signed with American Top Team[3] in Coconut Creek, Florida. Due to his boxing background, Sakara is primarily a striker.
[edit] UFC career
Sakara was on the Undercard at UFC 55: Fury fighting against Ron Faircloth. The bout was ruled a No Contest due to an inside leg kick to Sakara's groin. Sakara was part of UFC 80 in Newcastle, England,[disambiguation needed 
] 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.[4] Sakara lost by TKO to middleweight Chris Leben at UFC 82.[4]
At UFC Fight Night 15 Sakara defeated Joe Vedepo in the first round with a head kick, which earning him Knockout of the Night honors.
Sakara then defeated 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.[5]
Sakara defeated James Irvin via first round TKO on March 21, 2010 at UFC LIVE: Vera vs. Jones[6] Since moving to train with American Top Team, Sakara has gone 4–1 in the UFC.
Sakara was forced to pull out of his fight at UFC 116 with Nate Marquardt due to the death of his father.[7]
Sakara was then scheduled to face Jorge Rivera on August 28, 2010 at UFC 118,[8] but Rivera pulled out of the bout with an injury[9] and was replaced by Gerald Harris.[10] Sakara was then forced off the card with an injury and replaced by Joe Vedepo.[11]
His bout with Rivera had been rescheduled and was expected to take place on November 13, 2010 at UFC 122,[12] but the fight was cancelled, Sakara intended on competing despite experiencing flu-like symptoms, but the bout was terminated due to Sakara vomiting backstage.[13]
Sakara was expected to face Maiquel Falcão on March 3, 2011 at the UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann event.[14] However, Falcão was injured while training and replaced by Rafael Natal.[15] Then in early February, Natal pulled out of the bout due to a knee injury,[16] and was replaced by promotional newcomer Chris Weidman.[17] 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,[18] but Sakara was forced out of the bout after tearing the ACL in his knee while training and was replaced by Constantinos Philippou.[19]
Sakara is expected to face Brian Stann on April 14, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV 2.[20]
[edit] Personal life
Sakara is married.[21] The couple has two sons, named Leonidas and Marcus Valerian.[22]
[edit] Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 24 matches | 15 wins | 8 losses |
| By knockout | 9 | 3 |
| By submission | 2 | 2 |
| By decision | 4 | 3 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 15–8 (1) | Chris Weidman | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann | March 3, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Louisville, Kentucky, United States | |
| Win | 15–7 (1) | James Irvin | TKO (punch) | UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones | March 21, 2010 | 1 | 3:01 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 14–7 (1) | Thales Leites | Decision (split) | UFC 101 | August 8, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Win | 13–7 (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 | 12–7 (1) | Chris Leben | TKO (punches) | UFC 82 | March 1, 2008 | 1 | 3:16 | Columbus, Ohio, United States | Middleweight Debut |
| Win | 12–6 (1) | James Lee | KO (punches) | UFC 80 | January 19, 2008 | 1 | 1:30 | Newcastle, England[disambiguation needed ] |
|
| Loss | 11–6 (1) | Houston Alexander | TKO (knee and punches) | UFC 75 | September 8, 2007 | 1 | 1:01 | London, England | |
| Win | 11–5 (1) | Victor Valimaki | KO (punches) | UFC 70 | April 21, 2007 | 1 | 1:44 | Manchester, England | |
| Loss | 10–5 (1) | Drew McFedries | TKO (punches) | UFC 65 | November 18, 2006 | 1 | 4:07 | Sacramento, California, United States | |
| Loss | 10–4 (1) | Dean Lister | Submission (triangle choke) | UFC 60 | May 27, 2006 | 1 | 1:20 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| Win | 10–3 (1) | Elvis Sinosic | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 57 | February 4, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| NC | 9–3 (1) | Ron Faircloth | No Contest (groin strike) | UFC 55 | October 7, 2005 | 2 | 0:10 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | UFC Debut. Sakara Kicked in Groin. |
| Win | 9–3 | Frank Amaugou | Decision (unanimous) | King of the Ring | February 19, 2005 | N/A | N/A | Milan, Italy | |
| Win | 8–3 | Tihamer Brunner | TKO | Ring Fight | November 20, 2004 | N/A | N/A | Bergamo, Italy | |
| Loss | 7–3 | Assuerio Silva | Decision (unanimous) | Jungle Fight 3 | October 23, 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Manaus, Brazil | |
| Win | 7–2 | Eduardo Maiorino | KO | Real Fight 1 | July 30, 2004 | 1 | 0:30 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 6–2 | Rafael Tatu | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Meca World Vale Tudo 9 | August 1, 2003 | 2 | 4:18 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 5–2 | Damien Riccio | Decision | 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) | Cage Warriors 1: Armageddon | July 27, 2002 | 1 | 4:50 | London, England | |
| Win | 3–0 | Adam Woolmer | Submission (kimura) | CWFC 1: Armageddon | July 27, 2002 | 1 | 0:21 | London, England | |
| Win | 2–0 | Mastioli Mastioli | Submission (armbar) | Fight Night | June 21, 2002 | 1 | 0:20 | Pomezia, Italy | |
| Win | 1–0 | Di Clementi | KO | Fight Night | June 21, 2002 | 1 | 0:13 | Pomezia, Italy | MMA Debut |
[edit] Professional boxing record
| 8 Wins (6 knockouts, 2 decisions, 0 disqualification), 1 Losses, 0 Draws, 0 No Contests | |||||||
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Type | Rd., Time | Date | Location | Notes |
| Win | 8-1 |  Tomáš Mrázek |
PTS | 6 (6), 3:00 | 09/05/2009 |  Rome, Italy |
|
| Win | 7-1 |  Andreas Guenther |
KO | 5 (6), N/A | 14/03/2009 | Rome, Italy |
|
| Win | 6-1 |  Nabil Haciani |
PTS | 6 (6), 3:00 | 26/12/2005 | Rome, Italy |
|
| Loss | 5-1 | Jean Marc Monrose |
KO | 5 (10), N/A | 08/07/2005 | Rome, Italy |
For the vacant IBF Youth cruiserweight title. |
| Win | 5-0 |  Fernando Martinez |
TKO | 3 (6), N/A | 02/06/2005 | Salvador, Bahia, Brazil |
|
| Win | 4-0 |  Florin Constandache Ilie |
TKO | 2 (6), N/A | 14/05/2005 | Rome, Italy |
|
| Win | 3-0 |  Imre Gergely |
TKO | 3 (6), N/A | 30/04/2005 | Rome, Italy |
|
| Win | 2-0 | Valentin Marinel |
KO | 3 (6), N/A | 19/03/2005 | Rome, Italy |
|
| Win | 1-0 | Ubiracy Santos Lima |
TKO | 4 (6), N/A | 30/08/2004 | Salvador, Bahia, Brazil |
Professional boxing debut. |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Sakara, Alessio. "Documento senza titolo". alessiosakara.tv. http://www.alessiosakara.tv/ENG/home.html. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ^ a b "Alessio Sakara Bio, Free Videos and More". ufc.com. http://www.ufc.com/AlessioSakara. Retrieved April 17, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ Chandler, John (January 3, 2008). "American Top Team - MMA on Tap". mmaontap.com. http://www.mmaontap.com/mma/category/American-Top-Team/.
- ^ a b Caplan, Sam (January 28, 2010). "Exclusive:Chris Leben to Fight Alessio Sakara". ProElite.com. http://samcaplan.proelite.com/90709.
- ^ "TUF 10 Finale: Rousimar Palhares vs Lucio Linhares set for Dec. 5 with Alessio Sakara hurt". MMAMania. September 27, 2009. http://mmamania.com/2009/09/27/tuf-10-finale-rousimar-palhares-vs-lucio-linhares-set-for-dec-5-with-alessio-sakara-hurt/.
- ^ "James Irvin returns against Alessio Sakara at "UFC LIVE: Vera vs. Jones"". MMA Junkie. January 15, 2010. http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/17567/james-irvin-returns-against-alessio-sakara-at-ufc-on-versus-1.mma.
- ^ "Alessio Sakara Withdraws from UFC 116 matchup with Nate Marquardt". mmafrenzy.com. http://mmafrenzy.com/14306/alessio-sakara-withdraws-from-ufc-116-matchup-with-nate-marquardt//. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ^ "Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara targeted for August's UFC 118 in Boston". mmajunkie.com. http://mmajunkie.com/news/18993/jorge-rivera-vs-alessio-sakara-targeted-for-augusts-ufc-118-in-boston.mma. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ "Jorge Rivera pulls out of 118 with a broken arm". mmajunkie.com. July 23, 2010. http://mmajunkie.com/news/20029/jorge-rivera-pulls-out-of-118-with-a-broken-arm.mma.
- ^ "Gerald Harris steps in for injured Jorge Rivera, faces Alessio Sakara at UFC 118". mmajunkie.com. July 23, 2010. http://mmajunkie.com/news/20037/gerald-harris-steps-in-for-injured-jorge-rivera-faces-alessio-sakara-at-ufc-118.mma.
- ^ "Joe Vedepo replaces Alessio Sakara, faces Gerald Harris at UFC 118". mmajunkie.com. August 5, 2010. http://mmajunkie.com/news/20184/joe-vedepo-replaces-alessio-sakara-faces-gerald-harris-at-ufc-118.mma.
- ^ "Jorge Rivera and Alessio Sakara agree to meet at UFC 122 in Germany". mmajunkie.com. August 23, 2010. http://mmajunkie.com/news/20399/jorge-rivera-and-alessio-sakara-agree-to-meet-at-ufc-122-in-germany.mma.
- ^ "Sakara Sick, UFC 122 Co-Main Cancelled". November 13, 2010. http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Report-Sakara-Sick-UFC-122-Co-Main-Cancelled-28161.
- ^ "Alessio Sakara vs. Maiquel Falcao on tap for UFC on Versus 3 in March". mmajunkie.com. December 9, 2010. http://mmajunkie.com/news/21697/alessio-sakara-vs-maiquel-falcao-on-tap-for-ufc-on-versus-3-in-march.mma.
- ^ "Rafael "Sapo" Natal Replaces Injured Maiquel Falcao at UFC on Versus 3". mmaweekly.com. January 14, 2011. http://mmaweekly.com/rafael-sapo-natal-replaces-injured-maiquel-falcao-at-ufc-on-versus-3.
- ^ "Rafael Natal withdraws from UFC on Versus 3". Versus.com. February 12, 2011. http://www.versus.com/blogs/mma-beat/rafael-natal-withdraws-from-ufc-on-versus-3/.
- ^ "Newcomer Weidman likely replaces Natal, meets Sakara at UFC on Versus 3". mmajunkie.com. February 14, 2011. http://mmajunkie.com/news/22466/newcomer-weidman-likely-replaces-natal-meets-sakara-at-ufc-on-versus-3.mma.
- ^ "Jorge Rivera and Alessio Sakara Finally Meet at UFC 133 in August". mmaweekly.com. April 12, 2011. http://mmaweekly.com/jorge-rivera-and-alessio-sakara-finally-meet-at-ufc-133-in-august.
- ^ "UFC 133 Fight Card Update: Alessio Sakara Out, Jorge Rivera Awaits New Opponent". MMAWeekly.com. July 25, 2011. http://mmaweekly.com/ufc-133-fight-card-update-alessio-sakara-out-jorge-rivera-awaits-new-opponent. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
- ^ "Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara slated for UFC on FUEL TV 2 in Sweden". mmajunkie.com. January 5, 2012. http://mmajunkie.com/news/26824/brian-stann-vs-alessio-sakara-slated-for-ufc-on-fuel-tv-2-in-sweden.mma.
- ^ "Italian Pride: UFCmania exclusive interview with Alessio Sakara". MMAMANIA.com. August 18, 2007. http://mmamania.com/2007/08/18/italian-pride-ufcmania-exclusive-interview-with-alessio-sakara/.
- ^ "Sakara-"I am a soldier of Rome"". FIGHTERSONLYMAGAZINE.com. 2010-11-10. http://www.fightersonlymagazine.co.uk/news/viewarticle.php?id=5591. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
