Alessio Sakara gets set to fight Jorge Rivera, plans move to heavyweight
Ahead of UFC 122, set to take place in Germany on Saturday 13 November, Italian middleweight (185lb) Alessio Sakara is thinking of how to beat his opponent, Jorge Rivera, but also has big plans for the future.
Speaking with mmajunkie.com, he said he was looking forward to his upcoming bout because Rivera is an aggressive striker as well. Sakara, a former professional boxer, is known to love a good scrap.
"I like his style because it's striking, too," he said. "[It will] be a good war in the octagon. I want only to counter his mistakes."
Using his crisp combinations and solid technique to counter-punch might be the best strategy to deal with the very aggressive Rivera. But Sakara admitted he hadn’t even watched any of Rivera’s fights, and
also is looking past this fight to a potential fight with Michael Bisping and an eventual move up to heavyweight (205-265lb)
Sakara said the move would be necessary because of his love of food. Sakara, who used to fight at heavyweight, said staying at middleweight was too difficult, with his eating habits causing him to weigh
as much as 250lb between fights.
"When I'm 45, I'll have [a] big stomach," he said. "A lot of wine, a lot of food."
But there are more fights at 185lb that interest him still before he moves up. He singled out British fighter Michael “The Count” Bisping, currently ranked 11th in the SB Nation/USA Today rankings. Sakara
is 19th.
“It's a nice fight for fans. It would be so nice if he fights in my city, if we fight in Rome. Manchester (or) London (is) no problem, but Rome is my dream,” he said.
His bout on Saturday is a big chance for Sakara, who is in the co-main event slot. After having gone 3-4 with one no-contest in his first eight UFC fights, Sakara (15-7) has strung three wins together in
a row and can take another big step-up with a win over Rivera.
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