THE CANADIAN PRESS
The co-main event of UFC 122 reads like an episode of TV’s "Deadliest Warrior" with Legionarius versus El Conquistador.
When veteran middleweights Alessio (Legionarius) Sakara and Jorge (El Conquistador) Rivera clash in the cage Saturday in Oberhausen, Germany, they will carry with them experience from a combined 23 UFC fights — plus a deep sense of family and honour.
Nate (The Great) Marquardt and Yushin Okami meet in the main event at the Konig Pilsener Arena (Rogers Sportsnet and Spike TV, check local listings) with a title shot awaiting the winner.
Sakara and Rivera wear their inspirations in permanent ink.
Rivera (18-7) has his daughter’s face tattooed over his heart.
Sakara (19-7 with one no contest) thinks of himself as a modern-day Roman warrior.
"They were battling every day," the Rome native said of the Roman legions, "and this is how I feel I am. I’m a soldier."
He has his nickname tattooed on his back above a Roman sword and the word Roma. The phrase Usque Ad Finem (to the very end) decorated his torso. He has a legionary tattooed on one forearm and a centurion’s helmet on his chest.
He also has SPQR (Senatus Populusque Romanus or The Senate and People of Rome) inked on his arm. And sons Leonidas and Marcus Valerian are named after Roman generals.
"For me, it’s one of the most important things because I look back at the history of Rome and the Roman empire and the things that they did and what they achieved. How they were able to conquer," Sakara explained via an interpreter.
"I look now at the UFC and America and how now they are branching out internationally. I see many similarities in this.
"For me, it’s a great pride and a great honour to represent Rome and the country of Italy, to show others about the past but also the great future that awaits."
The two hard-hitters each bring a three-fight UFC win streak to the cage.
At 38, Rivera is enjoying a renaissance that he attributes to new coaches Peter Welch and Matt Phinney.
"I feel like they’ve helped me move on to the next step and elevated my game to a higher level," said Rivera, who makes his home in Milford, Mass. "It’s been great."
"Honestly man, I have no excuses for this fight," he added. "If he were to beat me, he’s just a better man. The truth is I feel great, I feel like my game’s ready. I’m in great physical shape, my condition is on point, I have no excuses, man."
The two were slated to meet in August in Boston at UFC 118, but Rivera broke his arm in training and Sakara tweaked a knee and ankle.
Now they face off in Germany.
The fight is being shown live in Italy, which has been targeted as one of the next European sites for a UFC card.
"We’re having really good traction in Italy right now with our programming," said Marshall Zelaznik, the UFC’s managing director of international development.
"Italy, with Rome and Milan on the list, we’ve been out (there), we’ve looked at venues we’ve spoken to officials. There’s interest in the UFC coming out there."
Sakara, 29, is doing his part. He tours Italy regularly, giving demonstrations and speaking about the sport.
The two fighters came into their sports in different ways.
Sakara started in boxing then switched to MMA, leaving Italy in 2000 to refine his skills in Brazil.
Rivera, a former construction worker and member of the Laborers’ Local 609 union, didn’t set foot in a gym to train MMA until he was 25.
Just as Rivera credits his new coaching setup for his recent run of good fortune, Sakara says he is happy with his training in Rome and his affiliation with American Top Team in Florida.
"It’s the first time I’ve felt accepted into a team with a guys that are good, that are at a level that helps me achieve the level I need to achieve," he said of ATT.
Sakara credits two other reasons for his success, both within his family.
He cites his cousin for pointing out that he always looked stronger in training than in the actual fights and suggesting: "Maybe you’re thinking too much of the final outcome."
So now, Sakara’s goal is simply to give his best.
And the third reason, he says, is the most important.
"Now I feel I’m not fighting just for myself. I have a wife and two children. I feel it’s an honour to fight in the UFC and I want to give as much as I possibly can, not just for myself but now I feel like I’m fighting for my children and my wife, so that way I can represent them the best I can."
Family is also No. 1 for Rivera, who lost his 17-year-old daughter in August 2008 to complications from medication.
"It was very unexpected. It literally broke my heart. My heart’s still broken," Rivera, who has three other children, said several months later.
Rivera’s UFC career dates back to UFC 44 in September 2003 when he beat Canadian David Loiseau. He is 7-5 in the UFC.
Sakara, made his UFC debut at UFC 55 in October 2005. His record in the organization is 6-5.
The Italian is more than a fighter, however. He has his own line of red wine, which is available in a handful of Rome restaurants.
"It’s a passion of mine," he explained.
He also believes in tradition, pointing to a Rome statue called the Boxer of Quirinal, which he and other fighters visit to honour before their bouts.
And he takes his body art seriously, noting his tattoo artist had laid out a plan for his entire body and that he is executing that vision piece by piece of skin.
"I have quite a few spots remaining even if they are small spots."
Rivera says he welcomes both the chance to fight Sakara and the opportunity for a co-main event spotlight.
His goal is to break Sakara’s will.
"You just chip away, chip away, chip away and then you just break them," he explained.
"That’s what happens when you take a beating. You just want the shit to end, to be very frank and honest."
Rivera would know. He has been at the wrong end of a beatdown.
Terry Martin disposed of him in 14 seconds at UFC 67 in February 2007.
Rivera opened with two kicks, only to have Martin catch the second with one hand and tag him on the temple with the other. Rivera went down and Martin hit him three times, smashing his jaw.
He was out for almost a year, his jaw wired and two plates and four screws inserted
This fight may also end suddenly.
"I don’t see a decision coming out of this fight, that’s for sure," said Rivera.
Rivera is a slight favourite according to a Las Vegas bookmaker.
