Facing 'positive pressure' Sam Sicilia guns for TUF 17 Finale 'KO of the Night'

Following a disappointing loss to Rony Jason at this past October’s UFC 153 event, Sam Sicilia (11-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) knows his job is on the line. Not to worry, Sicilia said. Maximo Blanco will just have to pay the price of that pressure.

“I really feel that my job is on the line, but not in a negative way,” Sicilia told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “It’s positive pressure. I used it all camp long. You just know that you’ve got to train harder. You’re fighting for your job again. That’s just the way it is in the UFC.

“I fought for my job before to get a contract. I had one fight, and now I’m fighting again for it. You have to use that for positive motivation.”

Sicilia came to the UFC as a cast member on “The Ultimate Fighter 15,” where he was bumped in the opening round after a controversial split-decision defeat. He bounced back on the season’s live finale with a knockout win over fellow cast member Cristiano Marcello.

Following the win, Sicilia elected to drop to featherweight. Unfortunately, his debut in the weight class ending in disappointment, as Sicilia traveled to Brazil and suffered a TKO loss to Jason.

Sicilia admits the entire experience was a little overwhelming.

“I was just caught up in the moment a bit, I guess, being down in Brazil,” Sicilia said. “When I hopped on the scale, they’re all yelling, ‘You’re going to die,’ and all that stuff. For my first real fight in the UFC to be like that, I just wanted to be the human highlight reel. I was so excited to be there, and the fans are so loud in Brazil. I just kind of got caught up in the moment.”

Sicilia said the change in weight wasn’t to blame for the loss and feels featherweight will continue to be his home. He returns to action at Saturday’s The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, where he meets former King of Pancrase Blanco (8-4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC).

Blanco is also in desperate need of a win after losing his UFC debut to Marcus Brimage one year ago.

“He throws strikes from funky angles,” Sicilia said. “He’s athletic, and if you back up, he’ll tee off on you.

“I notice in a lot of his fights, he likes to get after it. His last fight with Marcus Brimage was kind of a different deal. Who knows which Maximo you’re going to get, but you have to be ready for the explosive one. He throws with power and from funky angles, so you have to be aware of that.”

In preparation for the contest, Sicilia stepped out of his comfort zone in Washington to seek some new looks at Arizona’s MMA Lab under the guidance of head coach John Crouch.

“I just tightened up my defense,” Sicilia said. “I wasn’t changing how I fight, but I was just adding to the arsenal, focusing on my defense when I come forward. I got to where I am by being very raw, and I just want to continue to grow and get better and add some stuff.

“I was working with Benson Henderson, Efrain Escudero and Yaotzin Meza. There were no easy rounds down there.”

On Saturday, Sicilia will see if the effort paid off. Fighting on the evening’s Facebook-streamed preliminary card, Sicilia knows his job is at stake. But there is no worry, no concern. Instead, it’s just one more reason to give 100 percent.

And Blanco better be ready.

“I treat every opponent the same: like they’re a pinata full of ‘Knockout of the Night’ money,” Sicilia said. “It’s the same thing in this fight.

“They put us together for fireworks. I know that, and we’re going to deliver. You can’t go out there and lose and not do the damn thing. I can’t promise victory, but I can promise a fight. He’s going to know he got in a fight, for sure.”

For more on The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.