Early career Sicilia began training in MMA in 2007, taking his first amateur fights late in the year and amassed a 4–1 record before turning professional shortly after. Following his first professional win he took a nearly four-year break from fighting. He then returned in 2011, and went 9–1 fighting for several regional promotions in the Northwestern United States.
The Ultimate Fighter In February 2012, it was revealed that Sicilia was selected to be a participant on
The Ultimate Fighter: Live. Sicilia defeated
Dominick Cruz training partner, Erin Beach, via an eight-second KO to move into the
Ultimate Fighter house, and become an official cast member. Sicilia was selected as the second pick (third overall) by
Dominick Cruz to take part on Team Cruz. In the first round of the tournament, Sicilia was selected to fight former
Bellator Fighting Championships fighter, Chris Saunders. Sicilia lost the fight via split decision after two rounds. The decision was heavily disputed by many, including UFC president
Dana White who claimed, "I think Sicilia got robbed of the opportunity of going to a third round, though. But great fight."
Ultimate Fighting Championship Sicilia made his UFC debut at
The Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale on June 1, 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada, against TUF castmate,
Cristiano Marcello. He won the fight via KO in the second round. After the win Sicilia expressed interest in returning to the featherweight division. Sicilia dropped to the featherweight division and faced
Rony Jason on October 13, 2012, at
UFC 153. Sicilia lost via second-round TKO due to punches. Sicilia next face
Maximo Blanco on April 13, 2013, at
The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Sicilia was expected to face
Godofredo Pepey on September 4, 2013, at
UFC Fight Night 28. However, Pepey pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced by
Felipe Arantes. Subsequently, Sicilia also pulled out of the bout for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by
Kevin Souza. The bout with Pepey eventually took place on November 9, 2013, at
UFC Fight Night 32. Sicilia won the fight via TKO in the first round. He lost the fight via submission in the second round. Sicilia was expected to face promotional newcomer
Doo Ho Choi on May 24, 2014, at
UFC 173. However, Choi pulled out of the bout citing an injury. Sicilia instead faced promotional newcomer Aaron Phillips. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Sicilia faced
Katsunori Kikuno at
UFC Fight Night 52 on September 20, 2014. He lost the fight via submission in the second round. Sicilia next fought
Akira Corassani on January 24, 2015, at
UFC on Fox 14. Sicilia won the fight via KO in the first round. A rescheduled bout with Doo Ho Choi was expected to take place on July 15, 2015, at
UFC Fight Night 71. However, Choi pulled out of the fight in late June for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by
Yaotzin Meza. Sicilia won the fight by unanimous decision. A bout with Choi was scheduled a third time and took place on November 21, 2015, at
UFC Fight Night 79. Sicilia lost the bout via TKO in the first round. Sicilia next faced
Gabriel Benítez on September 17, 2016, at
UFC Fight Night 94. He lost the fight via submission in the second round. Sicilia faced promotional newcomer
Gavin Tucker on February 19, 2017, at
UFC Fight Night 105. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. In May 2017, Sicilia was released from the company.
Bellator MMA On August 17, 2017, it was announced that Sicilia signed with
Bellator MMA. Sicilia faced former Bellator champion
Marcos Galvão at
Bellator 189 on December 1, 2017. He won the fight by unanimous decision. In his second fight for the promotion, Sicilia faced
Emmanuel Sanchez at
Bellator 198 on April 28, 2018. He lost the fight via arm-triangle choke submission in the first round. In his third fight for the promotion, Sicilia faced
Derek Campos at
Bellator 212 on December 14, 2018. He won the back-and-forth fight by split decision. In April 2019, news surfaced that Sicilia had signed a new exclusive, multi-fight contract with Bellator.
Bellator Featherweight grand prix In the initial round of Bellator's Featherweight GP, Sicilia lost to
Pedro Carvalho at
Bellator 226 due to a Face crank on September 7, 2019.
Post-GP Sicilia faced
Robert Whiteford at
Bellator London 2 on November 23, 2019. Despite dropping Whiteford multiple times during the bout, Whiteford came back and knocked Sicilia out with only six seconds left in the final round. ==Film and television==