What to Watch For: Bellator 168

Alessio Sakara has for years been one of the faces of the Italian mixed martial arts scene, a fact that provides the Bellator MMA organization with some promotional leverage in its global ventures. “Legionarius” will meet fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Joey Beltran in the Bellator 168 headliner on Saturday at the Nelson Mandela Forum in Florence, Italy. Sakara-Beltran serves as a fill-in for the original main event, a rematch between reigning middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho and Melvin Manhoef. A Carvalho injury resulted in the bout’s cancellation.Sakara enters the cage on the strength of a modest two-fight winning streak. The 35-year-old American Top Team representative made his promotional debut at Bellator 152 on April 16, when he knocked out Brian Rogers with second-round punches. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with professional boxing experience, Sakara has delivered 14 of his 18 career wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission. He posted victories against Thales Leites, James Irvin, Joe Vedepo, James Lee, Viktor Valimaki and Elvis Sinosic during a 15-fight stay in the UFC. Beltran, 34, has lost five of his past eight bouts. He last competed at Bellator 155 on May 20, when he wound up on the wrong side of a split decision against Chase Gormley. Beltran operates out of the Alliance MMA camp in California, where he trains alongside reigning UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and current Bellator light heavyweight titleholder Phil Davis. Wins over Houston Alexander, former International Fight League champion Vladimir Matyushenko and 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships …

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