Sako is a high level judoka recognized for the time he spent on “The Ultimate Fighter 12”. Given his grappling credentials entering the sport, Chivitchian appears capable of developing into an impact mixed martial artist with further training.

Chivitchian is known as a strong grappler who possesses a very accomplished judo base. Training under his uncle, the legendary Gokor Chivitchian, Sako is a black belt judoka who has earned high praise on both the domestic and international stage. Amongst his titles, Chivitchian is a nine-time US National Judo Champion, two-time National Junior Judo Champion, and two-time Pan-American Games Medalist. He competed in the World Judo Championships in 2003, and also began wrestling while in high school, eventually earning runner-up honours at the California State Championships. Given his martial arts background it’s not a surprise to learn that Chivitchian is equipped with solid takedowns and submissions skills. He’s obviously dangerous in the clinch and while his pure pedigree is excellent, he has occasionally encountered difficulty when attempting to get opponents down in fights. Off his back, Chivitchian is difficult to control and hard to keep down, although his guard will require work. He’s most dangerous from top position where he displays good guard passing, control and an effective ground and pound game. Chivitchian’s submission pedigree is solid, and potentially he’s a complete grappler at the MMA level.

Although he’s still developing his standup, Chivitchian isn’t afraid to let his hands go. He’s shown a solid chin, but is still very stiff with his striking. Chivitchian’s punches get loopy, and occasionally he’ll lunge in with his punches leaving himself open to be countered. His chin is often left unprotected and exposed, and his footwork will also require work. As he proceeds in his career Chivitchian will need to work on establishing range, and learn to set up his combinations instead of throwing for the sake of throwing.