In fresh start, Bellator 189's Sam Sicilia not willing to die with bullets in chamber

Sam Sicilia makes absolutely no excuses for the three losses that marked the end of his 12-fight UFC run. But he also knows things are going to be different moving forward.

“Every fighter is their own worst critic, but you take a step back and do your best and look at things you can improve on, and you add that to your game,” Sicilia told MMAjunkie. “I’ve had losses where I’m like, ‘You know what, I got caught, but I got caught going for it.’ You don’t walk away feeling bad about yourself. My last fight, I don’t feel good about. I didn’t really go for it like I usually do. If it was a gun fight, I died with bullets in my gun.”

Sicilia was handed a decision loss by Gavin Tucker in their February meeting at UFC Fight Night 105. He was subsequently released from the promotion but quickly found a new home with Bellator.

The 31-year-old Sikjitsu fighter said the change of employer offered him an opportunity to consider his approach in the cage.

“You’ve got to take a step back and look at your career,” Sicilia said. “It’s about fighting. It’s still the big fight. It’s still under the lights. At the end of the day, once you get in that cage, it brings the best out of you. It’s about making sure your mindset is ready every fight and competing at the highest level and competing at your best and finding what that takes to get there.

“A lot of times, there’s that worry of, ‘Am I going to get cut?’ and worrying about that I need to look more professional or look more slick or whatever it may be. It’s about going in there and getting your win and making the most of these opportunities given to you really.”

Sicilia (15-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) kicks off his Bellator campaign tonight in a featherweight bout against former bantamweight champ Marcos Galvao (18-8-1 MMA, 9-5 BMMA) at Bellator 189, which takes place at WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Okla. That matchup takes place on the MMAjunkie-streamed prelims that precede the night’s Spike-broadcast main card.

Sicilia admits he hasn’t been closely following Galvao’s career to date but was aware of his opponent when given the matchup.

“I’ve seen him fight before,” Sicilia said. “He’s a tough guy. He’s been at the top, a champ at 135. The guy’s a winner. He knows how to win, good jiu-jitsu guy. That being said, I give him a lot of credit. He’s won a lot of fights. He knows how to win. Even some of his losses, he got robbed, but that’s a tough thing to come back from. It’s got to be mentally tough.”

That said, Sicilia knows to truly be at his best, his focus needs to be on what he’s bringing to the cage, not what his opponent might present.

“I’ve gone into Brazil and knocked out black belts,” Sicilia said. “I’m not selling myself short. I know how to do that. It’s about defining the fight and making it yours.”

The fight marks a new beginning for Sicilia, one that he believes could prove quite valuable. More relaxed than before, more focused on the aspects of his career he can control, Sicilia believes it’s time to get back to winning and back to putting on a show.

“It’s racking up wins and getting on a roll and keeping that momentum; that’s what I’m looking forward to doing,” Sicilia said. “That will take care of itself if you just focus on one fight at a time and get rolling. Right after the next, I want to roll right into another fight.

“I feel like I’ve said that a million times, but I need that to happen, and I’ve got to hold up my end, which is winning. Go in and win, get a finish, and that’s a big deal. That’s kind of where I’m at. I’ve had a lot of fights. I’ve got a lot of experience, and now I’ve got to focus on winning.”

For more on Bellator 189, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.