47 Facts About Alessio Sakara

Alessio Sakara was born on September 2,1981 and is an Italian professional mixed martial artist, former professional boxer and Sanshou kickboxer, currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division.

Alessio Sakara began training in boxing at the age of 11.

At the age of 18 Alessio Sakara began training with Roberto Almeida in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, later earning a black belt under former UFC veteran Marcus "Conan" Silveira.

Alessio 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 did not prefer the tactical approach of the sport.

Alessio Sakara was 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 Alessio Sakara was 19 years old.

Shortly afterwards in 2000, Alessio Sakara relocated to Brazil in order to train with names like Ricardo De La Riva and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Alessio Sakara made his UFC debut at UFC 55, fighting against Ron Faircloth.

Alessio Sakara next fought Elvis Sinosic at UFC 57 on February 4,2006.

Alessio Sakara won the bout via a unanimous decision despite having a point deducted due to an illegal elbow.

Alessio Sakara was submitted in his next bout at UFC 60 by decorated grappling specialist and former King of the Cage Middleweight Champion Dean Lister.

Alessio Sakara was next expected to face Wilson Gouveia at UFC 65 on November 18,2006.

Alessio Sakara rebounded from these losses when he fought Victor Valimaki at UFC 70 on April 21,2007.

Alessio Sakara won via TKO at 1:44 of the first round.

At UFC 75 on September 8,2007, Alessio Sakara lost for the third time in four fights, losing via first round TKO to Houston Alexander.

Alessio Sakara was part of UFC 80 on January 19,2008, where he won via TKO in the first round against veteran James Lee.

Alessio Sakara made his middleweight debut against former WEC Middleweight Champion Chris Leben at UFC 82 on March 1,2008.

At UFC Fight Night 15, Alessio Sakara defeated Joe Vedepo via KO in the first round with a head kick, which earned him Knockout of the Night honors.

Alessio Sakara was then expected to face Jake Rosholt at UFC Fight Night 17 on February 7,2009, but the bout was cancelled when Alessio Sakara had to pull out due to a shoulder injury and was replaced by Dan Miller.

Alessio Sakara was then scheduled to face Rousimar Palhares at UFC 99 on June 13,2009.

The bout with Palhares was re-booked to take place on December 5,2009, at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale, but Alessio Sakara had to withdraw after suffering an undisclosed injury while training.

Alessio Sakara defeated James Irvin via first-round TKO on March 21,2010, at UFC LIVE: Vera vs Jones.

Alessio 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.

Alessio 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 In turn, Alessio Sakara was forced off the card with an injury and replaced by Joe Vedepo.

Alessio Sakara was expected to face Maiquel Falcao on March 3,2011 at the UFC Live: Sanchez vs Kampmann event.

Alessio Sakara lost a unanimous decision after getting repeatedly taken down and controlled by Weidman's wrestling.

Alessio Sakara faced Brian Stann on April 14,2012, at UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs Silva.

Alessio Sakara lost the fight via KO in the first round.

Alessio Sakara lost to Patrick Cote due to disqualification on November 17,2012, at UFC 154 after rocking Cote with elbows, only to get caught up in the moment and land multiple blows to the back of Cote's head.

In late November 2012, Alessio Sakara signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC.

However, Alessio Sakara was forced out of the bout with a kidney illness.

Alessio Sakara was slated to face Tom Watson at UFC Fight Night 30.

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

Alessio Sakara's Final Fight Championship debut took place on December 6,2014 against Maciej Browarski.

On November 27,2015, it was announced that Alessio Sakara signed a three-fight contract with Bellator MMA.

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

On September 21,2016, it was announced that Alessio Sakara would be facing Joey Beltran in the co-main event of Bellator 168 on December 10,2016.

Alessio Sakara challenged Rafael Carvalho for the Bellator Middleweight Championship on December 9,2017 at Bellator 190.

Alessio Sakara headlined Bellator 211 against Kent Kauppinen on December 1,2018.

Alessio Sakara lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

Alessio Sakara faced Canaan Grigsby at Bellator Milan on October 12,2019.

Alessio Sakara won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Alessio Sakara was scheduled to face Darwin Rodriguez at Bellator Milan 3 on October 3,2020.

However, Alessio Sakara ended up withdrawing from the bout due to an undisclosed injury.

However, in early 2023 news surfaced that Alessio Sakara was still under contract with Bellator.

In February 2023, it was announced that Alessio Sakara had signed a multi-fight contract with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

Recognizable for his many tattoos, Alessio 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.

Alessio Sakara's surname comes from Saqqara, which was a Roman colony in Egypt.