Joe Lauzon discussed his upcoming UFC 123 opponent, George Sotiropoulos, on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, specifically questioning (as others have) the Australian's controversial fight attire:
"I don't see how you can wear your regular fight shorts, compression shorts under that that go to your knee, then wear knee pads on both sides that go halfway down your leg, then ankle supports that go halfway up your leg and down to your toes," Lauzon said. "I don't know what the deal is with the commission, if he'll be allowed to wear those or not, but we're prepared for him either way."
"We'll think about it. I don't know if it will make a huge difference, but at the same time, why give him that advantage? Maybe we'll make a formal request to not let him wear them."
"I thought it was a big step up in competition, to go from a Gabe Ruediger, who didn't have the best fight history, to a George Sotiropoulos, who's undefeated in the UFC. ... I was pretty surprised. I was taken back by it a little bit. I figured he'd be fighting for the title real, real soon, and I don't see myself in that same category. To go and be put up against a guy like that, either they really don't like me or they're expecting something good out of me."
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Scott Haber
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They really have to alter the unified rules to either allow for this kind of thing and also tights or close the loophole.
by kid_eh on Nov 9, 2010 11:31 AM EST reply actions 3 recs
Another Lauzon interview:
"They were talking about (George Sotiropoulos) fighting for the title in Australia if he can get another win and things like that, so it kind of felt like I was being set up to it a little bit. But I like being in that position. I don’t mind the underdog role. I think a fight that I’m worried about is going to force me to train that much harder."
I get a bit sick
of people complaining about his fighting attire.
"Don’t quote old fucks to me" – Brent Brookhouse
by Chris Barton on Nov 9, 2010 11:35 AM EST reply actions 6 recs
I think it's justified
It strikes me as the same thing as greasing, just the opposite end of the spectrum. I mean at the end of the day it’s just gamesmanship but if we’re going to be critical of fighters for looking for ways to become slicker and harder to grip, than we should apply equal scrutiny to fighters looking to get extra grip.
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by Worldisart on Nov 9, 2010 11:37 AM EST up reply actions 8 recs
Not like greasing
Greasing is illegal under the rules, and greasing is not open or apparent to anyone but the greaser. Sots fight attire is legal under the rules, and it is open and apparent to his opponent and everyone else. They both deal with grip but the similarities stop there.
by IWillPartyHard on Nov 9, 2010 11:44 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Actually, greasing is not against the rules, or at least it wasn’t prior to the GSP-Penn controversy. EXCESSIVE greasing was against the rules, but what constitutes ‘excessive’ was open to interpretation. I think that loophole has been closed since then, but George’s magic submission ‘pants’ are exploiting the same kind of loophole.
The ‘no pants’ rule was meant to prevent guys from wearing clothes that gave them extra grip. George has skirted around the rule by using shorts, knee sleeves, and ankle sleeves rather than ‘pants’, but he is certainly violating the intent of the rule if not the letter of the rule.
Except it’s nothing like it, all those “accessories” are allowed. Wearing them all together only makes sense. Fix the loop hole, blame the rules, but George is just being smart and taking advantage of the rules. Greasing is CLEARLY against the rules, Chuck jumped off his seat when his saw grease being put on GSP.
I'm a hater not a fighter
the thing i always wonder about is why is he the only guy who always wears all this leg traction stuff all the time? if it’s so great, why don’t more ground guys use the loophole beyond occasionally taping a leg or ankle like Mir when he fights strikers?
is it because they don’t want to look goofy?
is it because they think it makes them more vulnerable themselves?
is it because they think it’s a dick move?
i don’t know, but it sure seems odd. and i don’t like it. i think everyone should have to fight in spandex shorts, since they can’t even be grabbed. i still can’t understand why the Tapout/Sprawl/Warrior knee length fight shorts are so popular. i’ve always felt like they hinder my movement so much more than spandex or the short running-style shorts that Velasquez wears.
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Nov 9, 2010 11:49 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Same with Anderson, same with Shogun, same with BJ Penn during his LW destruction run, Aldo has switched over recently, and Cain wears the runner-style booty shorts. hmmm, i sense a champion trend. i really feel like so many people wear knee-length baggy shorts because of looks.
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Nov 9, 2010 11:58 AM EST up reply actions
Not looks
Money. I’m pretty sure most of the non-champions make more money from board shorts because there is more room for sponsors.
i dunno, guys usually have plenty of extra room on their board shorts
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Nov 9, 2010 1:19 PM EST up reply actions
I don’t understand why more grapplers don’t wear all the leg stuff myself. Its much easier to use your legs to control someone when there covered, I hate grappling with only shorts.
I am free because I choose to be so-Me
wrestling and no-gi for life, baby. this ain’t the streets, this is sport. screw anything that adds traction anywhere. this is mano-y-mano, i like it to be just about athleticism and technique without traction and shit. the greeks and romans and aztecs, and whatnot all competed naked.
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Nov 9, 2010 12:27 PM EST up reply actions
naked
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Nov 9, 2010 12:43 PM EST up reply actions
North-south joke anyone? Anyone?
"I'd love to be a Cheick Kongo looking brother that could actually move and do a lot of funky stuff - Jiu Jitsu, takedowns, kicks and stuff." - Jon Jones.
"This is the internet: you either have soul-stopping power or you’re a pillow-fisted pansy. There is no middle ground." - woomikee
I agree Chris, surely what Sotiropoulos wears makes him much more susceptible to leg locks and takedowns himself? Randy Couture said he was very pleased to see James Toney wearing ankle straps because they made the takedown even easier. Joe, get over it!
And nobody complained when Frank Mir started wearing ankle/knee coverings
..in title fights, no less.
Koscheck eats it.
Sounds like j-lau is doing a lot of thinking
About things he shouldn’t be thinking about. Good luck, buddy.
I know George was geared up for his fight against Joe Daddy...
But does anybody remember his last fight with Kurt? I went back to look at the fight footage and he’s wearing the neoprene shorts, a red knee sleeve on his left knee and a black ankle guard on his right foot. Not exactly, as quoted above in another comment, “all this leg traction stuff all the time”.
I think George may have heard some of the criticism and reduced the amount of padding he has on, but until they prevent neoprene shorts under fight shorts this is a non-story. What are they going to do, say you can’t wear a knee sleeve or an ankle sleeve if you’re injured? J-Lo better keep his eyes on the fight, not George’s fashion.
by verloc on Nov 9, 2010 12:05 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
that's my quote
i don’t really have a problem with george’s attire (i don’t think it really helps all that much), i wasn’t meaning to accuse george of specifically “always” wearing it, just wondering why more other people don’t also use the loophole more often.
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Nov 9, 2010 12:35 PM EST up reply actions
Interesting question...
For the neoprene shorts, I don’t roll, but I imagine it comes down to personal preference. As said above, it probably makes you more vulnerable to leg-locks and I imagine it’s harder to pass to side control or mount from half-guard if the guy on the bottom has your neoprene leg locked up. Might there be flexibility issues as well? Maybe that’s why it’s legal; the disadvantages balance out the advantages.
As for the knee-ankle stuff, maybe he has bad joints? He is getting older…
I don’t know why he wears the stuff, we’d have to ask him that to know, but I know that J-Lau is focusing on something that might have been an issue two fights ago (honestly, does anybody think that George’s leg gear was the difference when he beat up Joe Daddy?), but wasn’t an issue last fight. His head doesn’t seem to be in the right place.
Although, what the hell do I know right? I don’t fight.
I wish rash guards were legal and the pants, the current attire favors wrestlers, allowing more choice would be fine by me.
I am free because I choose to be so-Me
this is sport, not street. gi training was invented when these techniques were used for warring and unarmed real-ass combat. sport should be about sport, not what clothing you could use to strangle a mugger in the streets to defend your real life.
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Nov 9, 2010 12:30 PM EST up reply actions
in every contact sport but jiu-jitsu, its a foul to grab an opponents clothing. attire is there because society doesn’t like public nudity anymore. oh, and football helmets prevent frequent death. that’s about it
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Nov 9, 2010 1:19 PM EST up reply actions
in every contact sport but jiu-jitsu
Judo? Sambo? Vale Tudo? NHB?
And what do other sport’s rules have to do with how MMA rules should be applied?
When I'm on the mic it goes down, CINTRON
-Joell Ortiz
by The Lethal Haze on Nov 9, 2010 5:10 PM EST up reply actions
what?
nobody is saying that it would be okay to grab the gear.
"Don’t quote old fucks to me" – Brent Brookhouse
and i know i’m being closed minded, but it just annoys the shit out of in training me when somebody who i could destroy in every other sport is able to use my clothing to stall me out but doesn’t have the athletic wherewithal to tap me out.
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Nov 9, 2010 1:28 PM EST up reply actions
I was pleasantly surprised to see Lauzon’s honestly when he said, “I was taken back by it a little bit. I figured he’d be fighting for the title real, real soon, and I don’t see myself in that same category.” It’s good to know that Lauzon knows his place in the UFC Lightweight ladder, and to be honest, I was surprised by this matchmaking as well. Don’t get me wrong because I think this will be a great fight especially if it hits the ground. However, I feel that Sotiropolous has been getting lesser competition as he moves towards a Title shot starting with Joe Stevenson, then G-Sot fought someone that lost to Stevenson in Kurt Pellegrino, and now he is fighting Joe Lauzon who has always been around the mid-tier of the division. Every opponent in the UFC is a tough fight, but I feel that G-Sot isn’t exactly fighting tougher Lightweights as he is going towards that Title shot.
Check out MMA For You at http://www.youtube.com/user/Gobusiness123 for MMA reviews, predictions, and analysis.
Interesting match up
It’s an exciting fight either way. Obviously Sot has more to lose ranking wise, but he’s just a causality of the WEC/UFC merge.
But if Sot can get the Win here, he definitely deserves the next title shot.
I love how greatly exaggerated his description is.
Already making excuses, too.
And then God created Saturn... and he liked it, so he put a ring on it.
Twitter me and what not.
Wow
I like Joe as a fighter and he’s a really nice dude in real life, but what a bunch of belly aching. Shouldn’t he be riding a wave of confidence after that smashing of Gabe? Weak…
"I'm gonna go after number one, whoever it is. If it's Anderson, or I gotta go up after the guys at 205, or go on a diet and go after Jose Aldo-- it doesn't matter." -Chael Sonnen
by Charles Awad on Nov 9, 2010 12:48 PM EST via mobile reply actions
he knows that smashing gabe was fun and awesome but doesn’t really mean that he’s ready for the top yet. wouldn’t it be more concerning if he was like “i just smashed Gabe Reudiger, i’m awesome, nobody can touch me”?
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Nov 9, 2010 1:21 PM EST up reply actions
It’s not black and white man. He went out of his way to trash his last win. He could have said nothing about it. And besides, Gabe is no joke. That was a quality win for a guy that could have used it. This win would catapult his standing and he’s coming off like he wishes he could get Shane Roller.
"I'm gonna go after number one, whoever it is. If it's Anderson, or I gotta go up after the guys at 205, or go on a diet and go after Jose Aldo-- it doesn't matter." -Chael Sonnen
by Charles Awad on Nov 9, 2010 1:47 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I wonder if it’s more to do with Lauzon not wanting to give much, or any, credit to Ruediger as a quality opponent. Don’t they have previous beef between them?
"With gold thou boughtest Gýmir's daughter,
and so gavest away thy sword:
but when Muspell's sons through the dark forest ride,
thou, unhappy, wilt not have wherewith to fight."
~ Lokasenna
He's not exactly oozing confidence with these comments
"Big guys, small gloves...somebody's gonna fall..." (Gabriel Gonzaga)
by Kenwoo on Nov 9, 2010 12:58 PM EST via mobile reply actions
There are some parallels to the situation that lit the competitive swimming world on fire at the 2000 Olympics back when so-called “shark-suits” were first introduced. The eventual decision was to allow them, citing that “Yo, everyone can get a shark suit so it’s still fair right guys okay sweet”.
Perhaps still naïve, I long for unrestricted single-layer attire to be allowed again…
Joe Lauzon just shouldn't be thinking these negative thoughts;
training his ass off is what pays dividends and having a confident, not cocky, attitude.
Can't win
I like Joe’s humble approach. I see people here complaining he isn’t sounding his own horn loudly enough. His last fight was awesome, but that doesn’t mean he has to get Mirish in his comments.
"I'd love to be a Cheick Kongo looking brother that could actually move and do a lot of funky stuff - Jiu Jitsu, takedowns, kicks and stuff." - Jon Jones.
"This is the internet: you either have soul-stopping power or you’re a pillow-fisted pansy. There is no middle ground." - woomikee
People claiming Joe Lauzon should wear the same attire are missing the point
Nothing against the shorts and knee pads George uses. If it’s not against the rule, it’s allowed.
But Joe can’t “rebalance” the match by using the same things. The point of those attires is creating friction, what George wants, since he’s a better jiu jitsu player and wants to keep Lauzon on the ground.
To balance it out, Joe would have to grease. (not comparing the two)
George will wear what he wears,
George will wear what he wears until the loophole is fixed. Until then any close match will always draw questions on whether or not what he wore helped play a part in the result. Just as it did with Aoki until he started fighting some without his ‘magic pants’. I’m guessing he is comfortable with that though as he continues to dress how he does.
I don’t like Joe’s odds in this fight, but honestly I really hope he wins. Maybe it’s the combo clothes but even with how impressive he has been recently something about George just doesn’t do it for me as a fan.
by Empty Thoughts on Nov 10, 2010 12:48 PM EST reply actions
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