Sam Sicilia Explained

Sam Sicilia
Birth Name:Samuel Travis Sicilia
Birth Date:1 February 1986
Birth Place:Spokane, Washington, United States
Nationality:American
Weight:146lb
Weight Class:Lightweight
Featherweight
Reach:67inches[1]
Fighting Out Of:Spokane, Washington, United States
Team:Sikjitsu
Years Active:2007–present
Mma Kowin:9
Mma Subwin:4
Mma Decwin:5
Mma Koloss:3
Mma Subloss:6
Mma Decloss:2
Sherdog:53205

Samuel Travis Sicilia (born February 1, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the featherweight division for Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2007, Sicilia formerly competed for the UFC, and was on FX's .

Background

Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, Sicilia competed in wrestling at Mt. Spokane High School and now works as an assistant coach for the team.[2] [3]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Sicilia began training in MMA in 2007, taking his first amateur fights late in the year and amassed a 4–1 record before turning professional shortly after. Following his first professional win he took a nearly four-year break from fighting. He then returned in 2011, and went 9–1 fighting for several regional promotions in the Northwestern United States.

The Ultimate Fighter

In February 2012, it was revealed that Sicilia was selected to be a participant on .[4] Sicilia defeated Dominick Cruz training partner, Erin Beach, via an eight-second KO to move into the Ultimate Fighter house, and become an official cast member.[5]

Sicilia was selected as the second pick (third overall) by Dominick Cruz to take part on Team Cruz. In the first round of the tournament, Sicilia was selected to fight former Bellator Fighting Championships fighter, Chris Saunders. Sicilia lost the fight via split decision after two rounds. The decision was heavily disputed by many, including UFC president Dana White who claimed, "I think Sicilia got robbed of the opportunity of going to a third round, though. But great fight."[6]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Sicilia made his UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale on June 1, 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada, against TUF castmate, Cristiano Marcello.[7] He won the fight via KO in the second round. After the win Sicilia expressed interest in returning to the featherweight division.

Sicilia dropped to the featherweight division and faced Rony Jason on October 13, 2012, at UFC 153.[8] Sicilia lost via second-round TKO due to punches.

Sicilia next face Maximo Blanco on April 13, 2013, at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale.[9] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Sicilia was expected to face Godofredo Pepey on September 4, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 28.[10] However, Pepey pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced by Felipe Arantes.[11] Subsequently, Sicilia also pulled out of the bout for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Kevin Souza.[12]

The bout with Pepey eventually took place on November 9, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 32.[13] Sicilia won the fight via TKO in the first round.[14]

Sicilia faced Cole Miller on January 15, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 35.[15] He lost the fight via submission in the second round.

Sicilia was expected to face promotional newcomer Doo Ho Choi on May 24, 2014, at UFC 173.[16] However, Choi pulled out of the bout citing an injury.[17] Sicilia instead faced promotional newcomer Aaron Phillips. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Sicilia faced Katsunori Kikuno at UFC Fight Night 52 on September 20, 2014.[18] He lost the fight via submission in the second round.

Sicilia next fought Akira Corassani on January 24, 2015, at UFC on Fox 14.[19] Sicilia won the fight via KO in the first round.[20]

A rescheduled bout with Doo Ho Choi was expected to take place on July 15, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 71.[21] However, Choi pulled out of the fight in late June for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Yaotzin Meza.[22] [23] Sicilia won the fight by unanimous decision.[24]

A bout with Choi was scheduled a third time and took place on November 21, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 79.[25] Sicilia lost the bout via TKO in the first round.[26]

Sicilia next faced Gabriel Benítez on September 17, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 94.[27] He lost the fight via submission in the second round.[28]

Sicilia faced promotional newcomer Gavin Tucker on February 19, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 105.[29] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[30]

In May 2017, Sicilia was released from the company.

Bellator MMA

On August 17, 2017, it was announced that Sicilia signed with Bellator MMA.[31]

Sicilia faced former Bellator champion Marcos Galvão at Bellator 189 on December 1, 2017.[32] He won the fight by unanimous decision.

In his second fight for the promotion, Sicilia faced Emmanuel Sanchez at Bellator 198 on April 28, 2018. He lost the fight via arm-triangle choke submission in the first round.[33]

In his third fight for the promotion, Sicilia faced Derek Campos at Bellator 212 on December 14, 2018. He won the back-and-forth fight by split decision.

In April 2019, news surfaced that Sicilia had signed a new exclusive, multi-fight contract with Bellator.[34]

Bellator Featherweight grand prix

In the initial round of Bellator's Featherweight GP, Sicilia lost to Pedro Carvalho at Bellator 226 due to a Face crank on September 7, 2019.[35]

Post-GP

Sicilia faced Robert Whiteford at Bellator London 2 on November 23, 2019. Despite dropping Whiteford multiple times during the bout, Whiteford came back and knocked Sicilia out with only six seconds left in the final round.[36]

Film and television

Sicilia was featured in the award-winning mixed martial arts documentary Fight Life, the film is directed by James Z. Feng and released in 2013.[37]

Sam and his wife Lyndsie have a daughter, Sienna Noel who was born on July 4, 2018.

Mixed martial arts record

|-|Win|align=center|18–11|Talon Hoffman|KO|ExciteFight: Conquest of the Cage||align=center|3|align=center|1:18|Spokane, Washington, United States||-|Loss|align=center|17–11|Robert Whiteford|KO (punches)|Bellator London 2||align=center|3|align=center|4:54|London, England||-|Loss|align=center|17–10|Pedro Carvalho|Submission (face crank)|Bellator 226||align=center|2|align=center|1:56|San Jose, California, United States ||-|Win|align=center|17–9|Derek Campos|Decision (split)|Bellator 212||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Honolulu, Hawaii, United States||-|Loss|align=center|16–9|Emmanuel Sanchez|Submission (arm-triangle choke)|Bellator 198||align=center|1|align=center|3:52|Rosemont, Illinois, United States||-|Win|align=center|16–8|Marcos Galvão|Decision (unanimous)|Bellator 189||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States||-|Loss|align=center|15–8|Gavin Tucker|Decision (unanimous)|||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada||-|Loss|align=center|15–7|Gabriel Benítez|Technical Submission (guillotine choke)|||align=center|2|align=center|1:20|Hidalgo, Texas, United States||-|Loss|align=center|15–6|Choi Doo-ho|KO (punches)|||align=center|1|align=center|1:33|Seoul, South Korea||-|Win|align=center|15–5|Yaotzin Meza|Decision (unanimous)|||align=center|3 |align=center|5:00|San Diego, California, United States||-|Win|align=center|14–5|Akira Corassani|KO (punch) |||align=center|1|align=center|3:26|Stockholm, Sweden||-|Loss|align=center|13–5|Katsunori Kikuno|Submission (rear-naked choke)|||align=center|2|align=center|1:38|Saitama, Japan||-|Win|align=center|13–4|Aaron Phillips|Decision (unanimous)|UFC 173||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Loss|align=center|12–4|Cole Miller|Submission (rear-naked choke)|||align=center|2|align=center|1:54|Duluth, Georgia, United States||-|Win|align=center|12–3|Godofredo Pepey|TKO (punches)|||align=center|1|align=center|1:42|Goiânia, Brazil||-|Loss|align=center|11–3|Maximo Blanco|Decision (unanimous)|The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen Finale||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Loss|align=center|11–2|Rony Jason|TKO (punches)|UFC 153||align=center|2|align=center|4:16|Rio de Janeiro, Brazil||-|Win|align=center|11–1|Cristiano Marcello|KO (knees and punches)|The Ultimate Fighter: Live Finale||align=center|2|align=center|2:53|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Win|align=center|10–1|Arley George|KO (punch)|Conquest of the Cage 10||align=center|1|align=center|0:25|Airway Heights, Washington, United States||-|Win|align=center|9–1|Jared Haller|TKO (punches)|Caged Conflict||align=center|1|align=center|0:25|Canyonville, Oregon, United States||-|Win|align=center|8–1|Josiah Mitchell|KO (punch)|CageSport 16||align=center|1|align=center|0:29|Tacoma, Washington, United States||-|Win|align=center|7–1|Dominic Rivera|Submission (rear-naked choke)|Fight Night Round 16||align=center|1|align=center|2:38|Anacortes, Washington, United States||-|Win|align=center|6–1|Josh Snodgrass|Submission (rear-naked choke)|Caged Combat 4||align=center|1|align=center|1:48|Grand Ronde, Oregon, United States||-|Win|align=center|5–1|Angel Diaz|KO (punch)|Lords of the Cage 7||align=center|1|align=center|3:35|Manson, Washington, United States||-|Loss|align=center|4–1|Daniel Swain|Submission (rear-naked choke)|Lords of the Cage 6||align=center|1|align=center|2:37|Yakima, Washington, United States||-|Win|align=center|4–0|Charon Spain|Submission (neck crank)|Lords of the Cage 5||align=center|1|align=center|4:03|Airway Heights, Washington, United States||-|Win|align=center|3–0|Marc Forsyth|Submission (rear-naked choke)|Rumble on the Ridge 17||align=center|2|align=center|4:07|Snoqualmie, Washington, United States||-|Win|align=center|2–0|Jason Gybels|KO (punches)|Rumble on the Ridge 16||align=center|1|align=center|2:54|Snoqualmie, Washington, United States||-|Win|align=center|1–0|Brian Clayton|Decision (unanimous)|Combat Caged Warriors 4||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Tri-Cities, Washington, United States||}

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

|-| Loss| align=center|1–1| Chris Saunders| Decision (split)| | | align=center| 2| align=center| 5:00| Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Win| align=center|1–0| Erin Beach| KO (punch)| | | align=center| 1| align=center| 0:08| Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Mir vs. Duffee. UFC.com. July 15, 2015.
  2. http://www.khq.com/story/25606878/local-mma-fighters-chiesa-sicilia-victorious-in-ufc-173
  3. Web site: Blanchette: Local men get shot on 'The Ultimate Fighter' - Spokesman Mobile - March 9, 2012 . 2015-04-07 . 2014-02-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140218235437/http://m.spokesman.com/stories/2012/mar/09/blanchette-local-men-get-shot-on-the-ultimate/ . dead .
  4. Web site: 'The Ultimate Fighter 15' cast unveiled with 32 lightweight fighters . MMAJunkie.com . February 27, 2012 . March 19, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120229050947/http://mmajunkie.com/news/27602/the-ultimate-fighter-15-cast-unveiled-with-32-lightweight-fighters.mma . February 29, 2012 .
  5. Web site: Mixed martial arts results, Season 15 - The Ultimate Fighter . State of Nevada, Department of Business and Industry Athletic Commission . March 9, 2012 . March 25, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120617073556/http://boxing.nv.gov/2012%20Results%20Web/03-09-12%20TUF.pdf . June 17, 2012 .
  6. Web site: Dana White: Sam Sicilia deserved a third round on 'TUF: Live'. MMAJunkie.com . April 28, 2012 . May 31, 2012.
  7. Web site: TUF Live Finale adds Marcello-Sicilia . MMAJunkie.com . May 23, 2012 . May 23, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120525183917/http://mmajunkie.com/news/28846/tuf-live-finale-adds-lawrence-cofer-jury-saunders-marcello-sicilia-cruickshank-tickle.mma . May 25, 2012 .
  8. Web site: Rony 'Jason' Mariano Bezerra meets Sam Sicilia at UFC 153 . mmajunkie.com. July 25, 2012.
  9. News: TUF 17 Finale Adds Maximo Blanco vs. Sam Sicilia . mmaweekly.com. Staff . Mmaweekly.com | Ufc and Mma News, Results, Rumors, and Videos . February 16, 2013.
  10. Web site: Godofredo 'Pepey' Castro möter Sam Sicilia på UFC on FOX Sports 1 #3. mmanytt.se. Christoffer Esping. July 12, 2013.
  11. News: Felipe Arantes Steps in to Replace Injured Godofredo Pepey at UFC Fight Night 28 on FS1 . mmaweekly.com. Staff. Mmaweekly.com | Ufc and Mma News, Results, Rumors, and Videos . 2013-07-18. 2013-07-18.
  12. Web site: Edimilson Souza replaces Sam Sicilia, will fight Felipe Arantes at UFC Fight Night 28 . mmafighting.com. Guilherme Cruz. 2013-08-07. 2013-08-07.
  13. Web site: Duelo entre Pepey e Sam Sicilia é remarcado para o UFC em Goiânia (Brazilian Portuguese) . sportv.globo.com . Ivan Raupp. 2013-09-12. 2013-09-12.
  14. Web site: UFC Fight Night 32 results: Sam Sicilia snaps skid, drills Godofredo Pepey. Matt Erickson. mmajunkie.com. 2013-11-10. 2013-11-10.
  15. Web site: UFC Returns to Georgia in January with Cole Miller-Sam Sicilia. sherdog.com. Mike Whitman. 2013-11-14.
  16. Web site: Sam Sicilia meets newcomer Doo Ho Choi at UFC 173 in May. Matt Erickson. mmajunkie.com. 2014-02-21. 2014-02-21.
  17. Web site: Doo Ho Choi injured, out of next months Featherweight clash with Sam Sicilia at UFC 173. fightsportasia.com. B Wylie. 2014-04-20. 2014-04-24. 2014-04-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20140423103242/http://fightsportasia.com/2014/04/20/doo-ho-choi-injured-out-of-next-months-featherweight-clash-with-sam-sicilia-at-ufc-173/. dead.
  18. Web site: Sam Sicilia vs Katsunori Kikuno at 145lbs at UFC Fight Night in Japan.. Twitter. Damon Martin. 2014-07-01. 2014-07-01.
  19. Web site: Akira Corassani vs Sam Sicilia joins UFC on FOX 14 lineup. mmacrazytv.com. Lee W. 2014-12-04. 2014-12-04. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150217052217/http://mmacrazytv.com/Corassani_vs_Sicilia.html. 2015-02-17.
  20. Web site: UFC on FOX 14 results: Sam Sicilia gets big first-round KO of Akira Corassani. Steven Marrocco. mmajunkie.com. 2015-01-24. 2015-01-24.
  21. Web site: Choi Doo-Ho will have his next match against Sam Sicilia at UFC Fight Night 71 on July 15, 2015 in San Diego, California.. mma-in-asia.com. LeeLi. 2015-05-06. 2014-05-06. 2015-05-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20150515091214/http://mma-in-asia.com/region/korea/choi-doo-ho-vs-sicilia-ufc-fight-night-71/. dead.
  22. Web site: Doo Ho Choi forced out of featured UFC Fight Night 71 prelim . mmajunkie.com. Staff. 2015-06-28. 2015-06-28.
  23. Web site: Yaotzin Meza steps in as late replacement at UFC Fight Night 71 in San Diego . mmajunkie.com. Staff. 2015-07-01. 2015-07-01.
  24. Web site: UFC Fight Night 71 results: Yaotzin Meza no match for Sam Sicilia. mmajunkie.com. Dann Stupp. 2015-07-15. 2015-07-15.
  25. Web site: Doo Ho Choi vs. Sam Sicilia added to UFC Fight Night 79 . mmajunkie.com. Staff. 2015-09-01. 2015-09-01.
  26. Web site: UFC Fight Night 79 results: Doo Ho Choi stops Sam Sicilia in 93 seconds. mmajunkie.com. Ben Fowlkes. 2015-11-28. 2015-11-28.
  27. Web site: UFC Fight Night 94 adds four bouts . mmajunkie.com. Staff. 2016-07-18. 2016-07-18.
  28. Web site: Gabriel Benítez puts Sam Sicilia to sleep with UFC Fight Night 94 submission. mmafighting.com. Staff. 2016-09-17. 2016-09-17.
  29. Web site: 'Ramped up the intensity:' Hometown favourite Gavin Tucker gearing up for UFC debut in Halifax. metronews.ca. Jonathan Briggins. 2017-01-29. 2017-01-29. 2017-02-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202054310/http://www.metronews.ca/news/halifax/2017/01/29/gavin-tucker-gearing-up-for-ufc-debut-in-halifax.html. dead.
  30. News: UFC Fight Night 105 results: Gavin Tucker runs circles around Sam Sicilia for easy UFC debut win. mmajunkie.com. Steven Marrocco. 2017-02-19. 2017-02-19.
  31. Web site: 'TUF 15' Veteran Sam Sicilia Hopes to Find More Consistency After Signing with Bellator MMA.
  32. Web site: Sam Sicilia vs. Marcos Galvao, Alexis Dufresne vs. Amber Leibrock set for Bellator 189. mmajunkie.com. Matt Erickson and John Morgan. October 24, 2017.
  33. News: Bellator 198 results: Emmanuel Sanchez submits Sam Sicilia in first round. 2018-04-29. MMAjunkie. 2018-04-29. en-US.
  34. Web site: Tyrell Fortune, Romero Cotton, Sam Sicilia Sign Multi-Fight Extensions with Bellator MMA. April 15, 2019. sherdog.com. Tristen Critchfield.
  35. Web site: Sam Sicilia sees 'TUF: Live' experience as advantage heading into Bellator grand prix. Nolan King. September 1, 2019. mmajunkie.com.
  36. Web site: Bellator Europe 6 results: Michael Page steals show with one-hitter quitter in London. Simon Head. mmajunkie.com. November 23, 2019.
  37. https://archive.today/20120730175410/http://www.fightlife.tv/ Fight Life: MMA Documentary

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