Sam Sicilia Faces Former Bellator Champ In Promotional Debut

Sam Sicilia Faces Former Bellator Champ In Promotional Debut

Former UFC featherweight Sam Sicilia will make his Bellator debut Dec. 1 at Bellator 189--and he's got a big opportunity to make a splash.

Oct 27, 2017 by FloCombat Staff
Sam Sicilia Faces Former Bellator Champ In Promotional Debut

Former UFC featherweight Sam Sicilia will make his Bellator debut Dec. 1 at the WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, OK, against former bantamweight champion Marcos Galvao. 

MMAJunkie was the first to report the new matchup for Bellator 189. 

Sicilia (15-8) hasn't competed since a unanimous-decision loss to Gavin Tucker at UFC Fight Night 105. The 31-year-old fighter will be looking for his first win since July 2015. He's lost three straight. 

The Washington native is perhaps best known for his stint on season 15 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” where he was eliminated from the show after losing to Chris Saunders by split decision. Sicilia went 5-7 with the UFC, earning notable wins over Godofredo Pepey and Akira Corassani. 

Galvao (18-8-1) lost his bantamweight title to Eduardo Dantas in June 2016 and has gone 1-1 since. The 36-year-old moved up to featherweight for his last bout, suffering a unanimous-decision loss to Emmanuel Sanchez at Bellator 175 in March.

Also added to the card is a women's featherweight bout pitting former UFC bantamweight Alexis Dufresne against Amber Leibrock.

Dufresne (6-3) is coming off a TKO loss to Gabrielle Holloway at Bellator 174. Prior to that, the 27-year-old earned an impressive upset win over Marloes Coenen at Bellator 155 in her promotional debut. 

Leibrock (2-1) will make her Bellator debut after being out for more than a year and fighting all of her previous matchups under the Invicta FC banner. The 29-year-old boasts wins over former Ronda Rousey training partner Marina Shafir and Valor Fights standout Amy Coleman. 

Leibrock's lone loss came against Invicta FC champion Megan Anderson in January 2016. 

Here's an updated look at the Bellator 189 fight card.

  • Julia Budd (c) vs. Arlene Blancowe – Women’s featherweight title
  • Chris Honeycutt vs. Rafael Lovato
  • Hisaki Kato vs. Chidi Njokuani
  • Marcos Galvao vs. Sam Sicilia
  • Alexis Dufresne vs. Amber Leibrock