Akira Corassani and Sam Sicilia will battle for their jobs this Saturday (Jan. 24, 2015) at UFC on FOX 14 inside the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Between two men in desperate need of victory, what adjustments must be made for either man in order to claim victory? Find out how below!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweights Akira Corassani and Sam Sicilia will collide in a likely loser-leaves-town battle this Saturday (Jan. 24, 2015) at UFC on FOX 14 inside the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
After opening his UFC career with a surprising three fight win streak -- which admittedly is less impressive than it sounds when closely inspected -- Corassani earned a step in competition against Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway. Unfortunately, both of those men put leather on the Swede's chin, leaving him with two straight knockout losses.
Meanwhile, Sicilia has found consistency inside the Octagon but not in an ideal manner. He's alternated wins and losses in his four previous bouts, which means he's never far from the proverbial chopping block.
Let's take a look at the keys to victory for both fighters.
Akira Corassani
Record: 12-5 (1)
Key Wins: Robbie Peralta (UFC on Fuel TV 9), Andy Ogle (UFC on Fuel TV 5)
Key Losses: Max Holloway (UFC Fight Night 53), Dustin Poirier (TUF: Nations Finale)
Keys to Victory: Corassani is a fairly well-rounded fighter, albeit without much stopping power in any one area of the game. Overall, Corassani likes to box with his opponent, which has not worked out too well in his favor.
This fight is all about timing. Corassani, despite being the older man, has the significantly deeper gas tank and veteran composure needed to potentially capitalize on that. If the Swede can protect his jaw early, this fight should be his.
Against Peralta, Corassani showed some pretty decent movement. That allowed him to land more strikes on his power punching foe, and then look for takedowns when "Problems" over-committed.
Sicilia isn't exactly the same fighter as Peralta -- he's less compact and has a wrestling background -- but a similar strategy could work well here. When he's not able to swing wildly and threaten with his power, Sicilia becomes quite average, so taking that away would be huge for the Swedish scrapper.
Sam Sicilia
Record: 13-5
Key Wins: Godofredo Pepey (UFC Fight Night 32)
Key Losses: Katsunori Kikuno (UFC Fight Night 52), Cole Miller (UFC Fight Night 35), Rony Jason (UFC 153)
Keys to Victory: Sicilia is a slugger and makes no qualms about it. The powerful puncher has secured seven knockout victories, and that's not including his eight second knockout win to get onto The Ultimate Fighter (TUF).
Outside of his punching prowess, Sicilia is a pretty decent wrestler. In his last victory, Sicilia turned to his takedowns in order to grind out Aaron Phillips, as the young fighter was handling Sicilia with powerful kicks.
Though Sicilia may be able to win this fight simply by coming forward and swinging -- his opponent's defense and perhaps chin are not the best -- it's a risky plan. If Sicilia gasses himself out inside the first round chasing a finish, he's in for a rough second half, one in which he's unlikely to secure a decision.
Instead, Sicilia needs to blend his wrestling and brawling a bit better than he has in the past. Sicilia should use his aggression to keep Corassani on his back foot, which would help Sicilia remain in control of the bout. Then, he can blast for doubles when Corassani gets close to the fence.
At worst, Sicilia can disengage on a failed takedown and unless a combination while his foe is trapped against the fence. If he does finish the takedown, Sicilia proved that even his ground strikes can be showstoppers, as Godofredo Pepey painfully found out.
Bottom Line: Both men really need this win, which should make for an exciting contest.
In all honesty, both men probably wouldn't still be here based on their records were it not for special circumstances. Corassani is Swedish, which makes him great for events in his home country -- one of those emerging markets the UFC is always chasing -- and for European shows in general. Meanwhile, Sicilia is simply a brawler whose fights usually end within the distance, and the organization generally gives them an extended leash.
However, a loss here would make it difficult to justify continued employed. Sicilia's record would fall to a measly 3-5, and Corassani isn't much better. His record would then be officially even, but two of his three wins are highly questionable (a poor decision and disqualification went to the Swede).
Clearly, these two combatants have plenty to fight for.
At UFC on FOX 14, Akira Corassani and Sam Sicilia should provide an entertaining curtain-jerker in hopes of earning more opportunities inside the Octagon. Which man's UFC career will continue past Saturday?
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