Sam Sicilia

Sam Sicilia
Born	Samuel Travis Sicilia (1986-02-01) February 1, 1986 (age 39) Spokane, Washington, United States
Nationality	American
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight	146 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st)
Division	Lightweight Featherweight
Reach	67 in (170 cm)[1]
Fighting out of	Spokane, Washington, United States
Team	Sikjitsu
Years active	2007–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	29
Wins	18
By knockout	9
By submission	4
By decision	5
Losses	11
By knockout	3
By submission	6
By decision	2
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

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 The Ultimate Fighter: Live.

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 The Ultimate Fighter: Live.[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.[35]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

29 matches	18 wins	11 losses
By knockout	9	3
By submission	4	6
By decision	5	2

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Win	18–11	Talon Hoffman	KO	ExciteFight: Conquest of the Cage	August 26, 2021	3	1:18	Spokane, Washington, United States
Loss	17–11	Robert Whiteford	KO (punches)	Bellator London 2	November 23, 2019	3	4:54	London, England
Loss	17–10	Pedro Carvalho	Submission (face crank)	Bellator 226	September 7, 2019	2	1:56	San Jose, California, United States	Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix Opening Round.
Win	17–9	Derek Campos	Decision (split)	Bellator 212	December 14, 2018	3	5:00	Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Loss	16–9	Emmanuel Sanchez	Submission (arm-triangle choke)	Bellator 198	April 28, 2018	1	3:52	Rosemont, Illinois, United States
Win	16–8	Marcos Galvão	Decision (unanimous)	Bellator 189	December 1, 2017	3	5:00	Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
Loss	15–8	Gavin Tucker	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Browne	February 19, 2017	3	5:00	Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Loss	15–7	Gabriel Benítez	Technical Submission (guillotine choke)	UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson	September 17, 2016	2	1:20	Hidalgo, Texas, United States
Loss	15–6	Choi Doo-ho	KO (punches)	UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal	November 28, 2015	1	1:33	Seoul, South Korea
Win	15–5	Yaotzin Meza	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee	July 15, 2015	3	5:00	San Diego, California, United States
Win	14–5	Akira Corassani	KO (punch)	UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. Johnson	January 24, 2015	1	3:26	Stockholm, Sweden
Loss	13–5	Katsunori Kikuno	Submission (rear-naked choke)	UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson	September 20, 2014	2	1:38	Saitama, Japan
Win	13–4	Aaron Phillips	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 173	May 24, 2014	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	12–4	Cole Miller	Submission (rear-naked choke)	UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Philippou	January 15, 2014	2	1:54	Duluth, Georgia, United States
Win	12–3	Godofredo Pepey	TKO (punches)	UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson	November 9, 2013	1	1:42	Goiânia, Brazil
Loss	11–3	Maximo Blanco	Decision (unanimous)	The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen Finale	April 13, 2013	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	11–2	Rony Jason	TKO (punches)	UFC 153	October 13, 2012	2	4:16	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Featherweight debut.
Win	11–1	Cristiano Marcello	KO (knees and punches)	The Ultimate Fighter: Live Finale	June 1, 2012	2	2:53	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	10–1	Arley George	KO (punch)	Conquest of the Cage 10	December 15, 2011	1	0:25	Airway Heights, Washington, United States
Win	9–1	Jared Haller	TKO (punches)	Caged Conflict	November 12, 2011	1	0:25	Canyonville, Oregon, United States
Win	8–1	Josiah Mitchell	KO (punch)	CageSport 16	October 1, 2011	1	0:29	Tacoma, Washington, United States
Win	7–1	Dominic Rivera	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Fight Night Round 16	August 13, 2011	1	2:38	Anacortes, Washington, United States
Win	6–1	Josh Snodgrass	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Caged Combat 4	July 29, 2011	1	1:48	Grand Ronde, Oregon, United States
Win	5–1	Angel Diaz	KO (punch)	Lords of the Cage 7	July 16, 2011	1	3:35	Manson, Washington, United States
Loss	4–1	Daniel Swain	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Lords of the Cage 6	June 10, 2011	1	2:37	Yakima, Washington, United States
Win	4–0	Charon Spain	Submission (neck crank)	Lords of the Cage 5	April 28, 2011	1	4:03	Airway Heights, Washington, United States
Win	3–0	Marc Forsyth	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Rumble on the Ridge 17	March 5, 2011	2	4:07	Snoqualmie, Washington, United States
Win	2–0	Jason Gybels	KO (punches)	Rumble on the Ridge 16	January 15, 2011	1	2:54	Snoqualmie, Washington, United States	Lightweight debut.
Win	1–0	Brian Clayton	Decision (unanimous)	Combat Caged Warriors 4	September 15, 2007	3	5:00	Tri-Cities, Washington, United States	Catchweight (150 lb) bout.

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

Professional record breakdown

2 matches	1 win	1 loss
By knockout	1	0
By submission	0	0
By decision	0	1

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	1–1	Chris Saunders	Decision (split)	The Ultimate Fighter: Live	April 27, 2012	2	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	1–0	Erin Beach	KO (punch)	The Ultimate Fighter: Live	March 9, 2012	1	0:08	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

See also

• List of current Bellator fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists

References

1. "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Mir vs. Duffee". UFC.com. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 2, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
3. "Blanchette: Local men get shot on 'The Ultimate Fighter' - Spokesman Mobile - March 9, 2012". Archived from the original on February 18, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
4. "'The Ultimate Fighter 15' cast unveiled with 32 lightweight fighters". MMAJunkie.com. February 27, 2012. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
5. "Mixed martial arts results, Season 15 - The Ultimate Fighter" (PDF). State of Nevada, Department of Business and Industry Athletic Commission. March 9, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 17, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
6. "Dana White: Sam Sicilia deserved a third round on 'TUF: Live'". MMAJunkie.com. April 28, 2012. Archived from the original on June 5, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
7. "TUF Live Finale adds Marcello-Sicilia". MMAJunkie.com. May 23, 2012. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
8. "Rony 'Jason' Mariano Bezerra meets Sam Sicilia at UFC 153". mmajunkie.com. July 25, 2012. Archived from the original on July 27, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
9. Staff (February 16, 2013). "TUF 17 Finale Adds Maximo Blanco vs. Sam Sicilia". Mmaweekly.com | Ufc and Mma News, Results, Rumors, and Videos. mmaweekly.com.
10. Christoffer Esping (July 12, 2013). "Godofredo 'Pepey' Castro möter Sam Sicilia på UFC on FOX Sports 1 #3". mmanytt.se.
11. Staff (July 18, 2013). "Felipe Arantes Steps in to Replace Injured Godofredo Pepey at UFC Fight Night 28 on FS1". Mmaweekly.com | Ufc and Mma News, Results, Rumors, and Videos. mmaweekly.com. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
12. Guilherme Cruz (August 7, 2013). "Edimilson Souza replaces Sam Sicilia, will fight Felipe Arantes at UFC Fight Night 28". mmafighting.com. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
13. Ivan Raupp (September 12, 2013). "Duelo entre Pepey e Sam Sicilia é remarcado para o UFC em Goiânia (Brazilian Portuguese)". sportv.globo.com. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
14. Matt Erickson (November 10, 2013). "UFC Fight Night 32 results: Sam Sicilia snaps skid, drills Godofredo Pepey". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
15. Mike Whitman. "UFC Returns to Georgia in January with Cole Miller-Sam Sicilia". sherdog.com. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
16. Matt Erickson (February 21, 2014). "Sam Sicilia meets newcomer Doo Ho Choi at UFC 173 in May". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
17. B Wylie (April 20, 2014). "Doo Ho Choi injured, out of next months Featherweight clash with Sam Sicilia at UFC 173". fightsportasia.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
18. Damon Martin (July 1, 2014). "Sam Sicilia vs Katsunori Kikuno at 145lbs at UFC Fight Night in Japan". Twitter. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
19. Lee W (December 4, 2014). "Akira Corassani vs Sam Sicilia joins UFC on FOX 14 lineup". mmacrazytv.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
20. Steven Marrocco (January 24, 2015). "UFC on FOX 14 results: Sam Sicilia gets big first-round KO of Akira Corassani". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
21. LeeLi (May 6, 2015). "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. Archived from the original on May 15, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
22. Staff (June 28, 2015). "Doo Ho Choi forced out of featured UFC Fight Night 71 prelim". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
23. Staff (July 1, 2015). "Yaotzin Meza steps in as late replacement at UFC Fight Night 71 in San Diego". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
24. Dann Stupp (July 15, 2015). "UFC Fight Night 71 results: Yaotzin Meza no match for Sam Sicilia". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
25. Staff (September 1, 2015). "Doo Ho Choi vs. Sam Sicilia added to UFC Fight Night 79". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
26. Ben Fowlkes (November 28, 2015). "UFC Fight Night 79 results: Doo Ho Choi stops Sam Sicilia in 93 seconds". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
27. Staff (July 18, 2016). "UFC Fight Night 94 adds four bouts". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
28. Staff (September 17, 2016). "Gabriel Benítez puts Sam Sicilia to sleep with UFC Fight Night 94 submission". mmafighting.com. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
29. Jonathan Briggins (January 29, 2017). "'Ramped up the intensity:' Hometown favourite Gavin Tucker gearing up for UFC debut in Halifax". metronews.ca. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
30. Steven Marrocco (February 19, 2017). "UFC Fight Night 105 results: Gavin Tucker runs circles around Sam Sicilia for easy UFC debut win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
31. "'TUF 15' Veteran Sam Sicilia Hopes to Find More Consistency After Signing with Bellator MMA".
32. Matt Erickson and John Morgan (October 24, 2017). "Sam Sicilia vs. Marcos Galvao, Alexis Dufresne vs. Amber Leibrock set for Bellator 189". mmajunkie.com.
33. "Bellator 198 results: Emmanuel Sanchez submits Sam Sicilia in first round". MMAjunkie. April 29, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
34. Tristen Critchfield (April 15, 2019). "Tyrell Fortune, Romero Cotton, Sam Sicilia Sign Multi-Fight Extensions with Bellator MMA". sherdog.com.
35. Nolan King (September 1, 2019). "Sam Sicilia sees 'TUF: Live' experience as advantage heading into Bellator grand prix". mmajunkie.com.
36. Simon Head (November 23, 2019). "Bellator Europe 6 results: Michael Page steals show with one-hitter quitter in London". mmajunkie.com.
37. Fight Life: MMA Documentary

External links

• Sam Sicilia at UFC
• Professional MMA record for Sam Sicilia from Sherdog