Amir Sadollah – MMA’s Unlikely Action Hero

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By Thomas Gerbasi

With no pro fights, and just a handful of amateur MMA and Muay Thai titles to his name, Richmond, Virginia’s Amir Sadollah probably seemed to be one of the easiest marks out of the 32 fighter field trying to squeeze themselves into 16 spots on The Ultimate Fighter’s seventh season.

And when he drew UFC veteran Steve Byrnes for his opening match, the one that would determine whether he got onto the show or not, things seemed to be going according to form. Not that he knew it at the time.

“Right after they announced the matchups, I didn’t have any idea of who he was and I really didn’t know anything about him,” said Sadollah of Byrnes.

That would change quickly as he attempted to do some last minute weight cutting with other prospective cast members Matt Riddle and Dante Rivera.

“You guys know this guy Steve Byrnes I’m gonna fight?” asked Sadollah.

“Yeah,” responded Rivera, “he fought in the UFC.”

“I did not know that,” deadpanned Sadollah, who then went on to not only fight Byrnes, but to beat him via a second round submission that earned him a spot on the show.

“Everybody had tough fights that day so I wasn’t offended,” he said. “I was like ‘good, then if I beat him, I deserve it.’”

Since that day, Sadollah – he of the quick wit and self-effacing humor – became perhaps the best ‘feel good’ story in Ultimate Fighter history as he marched through favored competitors Byrnes, Gerald Harris, Matt Brown, and CB Dollaway en route to a berth in Saturday night’s finale against his old rival Dollaway – a bout made a reality after Jess Taylor was ousted from the show after a reckless and rowdy night in Las Vegas.

Yet it wasn’t just that the 27-year old won, it was how he did it, by absorbing more than his share of punishment and then roaring back to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Think of an MMA version of boxing’s Arturo Gatti or the 1980 Cleveland Browns – better known as the Kardiac Kids – and you’ve got an idea of how Sadollah captured the imagination of fight fans over the 12 week airing of the series. So what would he have said if told before the show began that he would be in a position to win the whole thing?

“I definitely would have asked them again, ‘Excuse me?’” he laughs. “I was just so blown away to get on the show at first that I wasn’t even allowing myself to think that far ahead.”

So at what moment in the competition did the Sambo black belt start to believe he had a shot at making it all the way?

“The mental thing for me is very complex and I don’t begin to try and understand myself,” he chuckles. “I saw everyone’s fights to get into the house and I knew that there was no one that was beyond me, but at the same time, ultimately it’s you who decides how well you do. I was most concerned with ‘how can I do my best’ as opposed to ‘am I gonna beat everyone?’”

This focus on each individual fight as it came up paid dividends as win after win piled up, but maybe more impressive is how Sadollah compiled a 4-0 record in six weeks on the show while fighting the little mental battles along the way which can take a toll on you even more than a punch or kick to the head can.

“It was definitely hard,” said Sadollah of life in the house, “but I looked at it like all this hardship was good for me. Every time I wanted to walk out the front door, you’ve just got to remind yourself that the harder this is the better it is for you in the long run.”

Now he’s a win away from winning the show and earning a spot in the same 185-pound division currently ruled by pound for pound king Anderson Silva. That’s got to be a trip for a young man who’s current pro record now stands at 1-0 (ed note - semifinal fights are counted as official since they are scheduled for three rounds).

“Yeah, trust me,” he laughs. “If I wasn’t thinking about it this second, you just reminded me.”

That’s a long way from now for Sadollah. What isn’t so far away is Saturday’s rematch with Dollaway.

“He’s super tough with a lot of potential and it’s gonna be a tough test for me again,” said Sadollah. “I’m glad to have the opportunity to test myself. Challenge-wise, I think CB gave me the toughest fight I had in the house, and from the point of challenging myself, this is the best case scenario for me.”

Sounds like a young man who’s got it all figured out, but don’t expect Sadollah to agree with you.

“The only thing I’ve got figured out is that I’ll never have it figured out,” he said.

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