George Sotiropoulos Reportedly One Fight Away From a Title Fight in Sydney, Australia
by Nick Thomas on Sep 7, 2010 2:27 PM EDT
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According to The Sydney Morning Herald:
"George Sotiropoulos is one fight away from setting up a dream UFC world title fight in Sydney next February. Geelong-born Sotiropoulos will face either B.J. Penn or Kenny Florian in a lightweight title eliminator in November, and victory would likely earn him a bout for the championship belt when the UFC returns to Sydney next year."
"Frankie Edgar will take on Gray Maynard later this year. Sotiropoulos is confident of claiming the belt against whoever wins. '"I see [Edgar's] strengths and weaknesses, and I look at how my strengths and weaknesses match up against his and I've got a lot of confidence in myself." said Sotiropoulos."
George Sotiropoulos (13-2)
Win Kurt Pellegrino - Decision (Unanimous) UFC 116
Win Joe Stevenson - Decision (Unanimous) UFC 110
Win Jason Dent - Submission (Armbar) UFC 106
Win George Roop - Submission (Kimura) UFC 101
Win Roman Mitichyan - TKO (Punches) UFC FN 13
Win Billy Miles - Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) TUF 6 Finale
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Lets get real about this finising fights topic that seems to be permeating the web as of late
As shown in the post in Sotiropoulos’s last 6 fights he went from finishing guys to winning decisions. This isn’t due to a lack of skill but rather an increase in skill in the opponents he is facing.
We all claim to love the UFC for its high level fighters,but get upset when the elites are unable to finish one another. At 155 you have one if the most talent rich weight classes in all of mixed martial arts, the top dogs at lightweight got there by not only winning but also being defensively sound fighters.
Like any other fan I like seeing a definitive end to fights, but if it doesn’t happen that doesn’t mean a fighter sucks. High level guys at lighter weight classes are going to be harder to finish due to many different factors, from a high level of technique and athleticism, and a division wide high watermark in regards to their cardio and conditioning.
The last criteria mentioned is also usually the main reason why we get finishes at the heavier weight classes too.
People do not like to think. If one thinks, one must reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always pleasant.
- Helen Keller
by The Blackula on Sep 7, 2010 10:08 AM EDT up reply actions 13 recs
Generally I think the problem isn’t that some fighters DON’T finish fights, it’s that they DON’T TRY to finish fights… GSot always attempts to finish, but he can’t always manage.
"The common denominator of the Universe is not harmony, but chaos, hostility, and murder."
"Opinionated weather forecasters telling me it's going to be a miserable day. Miserable to who? I quite like a bit of drizzle, so stick to the facts!"
"Shoot him again... his soul is still dancing!"
by Ephemeral Artery on Sep 7, 2010 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
Again, decisions aren't the problem
It’s lack of action. WARistotle is dumb to lump Edgar and Maynard together, as Edgar is always moving and always punching. Sot is also very active on the ground.
Hey homeboy, he never said anything about finishes… He was talking about boring fights. There are plenty of boring fights that have finishes and vice versa.
by kanodogg on Sep 7, 2010 10:52 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Pellegrino and Stevenson are very tough to finish as well
Mo Johnston is what John Schneider could be in 4 years.
BJ and Florian finished Joe with ease…
But I do agree with the sentiment that the better fighters are generally also the more difficult ones to finish.
They are also more dangerous to attack because they can punish overagressiveness, but people seem to have this thought that you can all-out attack from top position, even against skilled BJJ practicioners.
I don’t mind Sotirop, he gameplans to finish. What we hate isn’t decisions, we hate guys going into a fight gameplanning for the decision.
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Sep 7, 2010 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
What ever happened to Roman Mitichyan?
When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail." - Jack Burton
Sotiropoulos to fight either BJ or Ken-Flo for November.
All three fighters specialize in Jits, Boxing/Striking. I think whoever George would face it would be one hell of a match, and a giant step up in competition.
by devious1 on Sep 7, 2010 9:43 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I think George has a solid reach advantage against either guy and his BJJ is very good,
but I don’t think I’d pick him as a favorite in either fight. Regardless, I am a Sot fan and I would be very interested in either fight.
Sotirop vs BJ was the fight I wanted months ago
… Besides BJ vs. Guillard. (I’m a fan of Guillard— what can I say?)
I think this fight will be a good one.
Ken-Flo vs George? I dunno. I’m not sold on Ken-Flo as a title contender after that Maynard fight. Gatekeeper? Sure. But, title contender and holder?
no.
Semper Fi
PREDICTION for 2010-2011 NFL Season: "The England Patriots will finish 8-8 plus or minus 1" ~8/13/10 1230p
by ChicagoMarine on Sep 7, 2010 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions
Now that BJ has shown some serious vulnerability, the fight is even more interesting
Speaking of Guillard (I am also a big fan) matching him up with Kenny may be the way to go. Of course he would have to get past Jeremy Stephens, but I think he will find himself in the title mix if he wins. I think a fight with Kenny would be great.
I agree!
I think Jeremy will be a proving match and give him the stage he needs to go to the next level.
Ken Flo would be a nice stop along the way for Guillard— which— goes to my point that Ken Flo should stick to MMA Live on ESPN and also gatekeeper status.
Semper Fi
PREDICTION for 2010-2011 NFL Season: "The England Patriots will finish 8-8 plus or minus 1" ~8/13/10 1230p
by ChicagoMarine on Sep 7, 2010 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Sot has been more visible, and that's what counts.
"Sometimes hype just ain't enough." - Jens Pulver on his win over BJ Penn
by lowellthehammer on Sep 7, 2010 9:52 AM EDT up reply actions
Sot has six wins in the UFC, Dunham has four.
Sotiropoulos beat Joe Stevenson and Kurt Pellegrino
Dunham beat Tyson Griffin and Efrain Escudero
Pretty much a toss up imo…
Beating up Escudero isn’t that impressive imo, considering who he has beaten. And it wasn’t like he dominated Efrain, as far as i recall.
I’d say that Stevenson is the toughest out of those four, having beat Diaz and Pellegrino.
Dunham-Sherk seems like a good tiebreaker
I think nowadays you have to prove yourself against a wrestler before getting a title shot, or else we’ll have a GSP-Hardy fiasco. Sot has done that, but Dunham hasn’t yet. Fortunately Sherk-Dunham is about to happen.
I think Sot beating Penn or Florian would put him back in the lead.
I really don’t have a problem with either guy getting a title shot though, provided they keep winning. Sot, for the title in Australia would be big business. If he can beat Kenny or Penn, he deserves it.
Agreed
I’m sure the Australian aspect helped the decision, as G-Sot could easily be looked at as a first (in order) among equals with Dunham, not unlike the way Carwin and Cain, or Cain and JDS has been handled at HW.
Dunham will have next-up I’m sure, barring something happening that causes him to be bypassed for a more compelling fight…
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." -Arthur Schopenhauer
Haters are gonna hate and bitches are gonna bitch...
by BigDNotDallas on Sep 7, 2010 12:01 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Except for Edgar
isn’t Penn undefeated at lightweight?
I think anybody who beats Penn gets put in the lead
Agreed
And should BJ beat G-Sot or Dunham, and Maynard beat Edgar, I have no issue with Penn-Maynard.
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." -Arthur Schopenhauer
Haters are gonna hate and bitches are gonna bitch...
by BigDNotDallas on Sep 7, 2010 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Pulver too but that was 8 years ago.
by seanerk88 on Sep 8, 2010 1:19 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
He has better wins.
Bolts from the Blue // "It is what it is." - A.J. Smith
Bloody Elbow // "Richard is a jewel." - Kid Nate
I don’t see why people thin Dunham deserves to be in the running for number one contender. Sot is clearly a notch above him in the pecking order.
And then God created Saturn... and he liked it, so he put a ring on it.
Twitter me and what not.
Sot fans should hope he gets matched with Florian.
He has a pretty good shot at grinding out Kenny. Penn on the other hand…Penn is a whole different beast.
"Sometimes hype just ain't enough." - Jens Pulver on his win over BJ Penn
BJ or Kenny in a title eliminator fight so soon?
sigh
by William Wilson on Sep 7, 2010 9:55 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Agreed
Think both BJ and Kenny need to win multiple fights to get back into contention. I guess they can work it such that a win gets George next title shot, but a win for BJ or Kenny is only part 1 in their road back to title contention.
by Snake_Pliskan on Sep 7, 2010 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions
Just to play devil's advocate
I know that I and most people want Kenny and BJ to have at least two wins before getting a title shot, but anyone think that maybe we should change our thinking?
Kenny has beaten almost every top LW outside of Penn and Maynard. If Maynard loses against Edgar and Florian beats a rising up and comer that is on the verge of a title shot, doesn’t that make him the top oppoenent for Edgar?
Similarly, BJ has dominated every LW other than Edgar. If Maynard get the belt and BJ beats a rising up and comer that is on the verge of a title shot, doesn’t that make him the top opponent for Maynard?
Imagine if Belfort wasn’t injured and lost to Silva in April, and Marquardt beats Palhares next month. How long should Nate have to wait until he gets his title shot? He’s would clearly be the #3 guy, next in line, and the guy fans want to see. One of the problems in making top fighters face each other is that one of them has to lose. That doesn’t mean fighters below the loser should jump the rankings or title shot queue.
Happens to Fitch with every WW title fight.
Rankings don’t mean that much in terms of ability to win the title, they are often more like old rep + “lifetime achievement” oscar awards for all too many fighters.
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." -Arthur Schopenhauer
Haters are gonna hate and bitches are gonna bitch...
by BigDNotDallas on Sep 7, 2010 12:14 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah, this is what i'm thinking
Fighters shouldn’t get title fights when they are 1-1 in their last 2
by Magaca on Sep 7, 2010 9:58 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
If the UFC doesn't get the result they want...
they keep trying to get it.
Imagine if Frankie defends successfully against Gray and BJ beats George for a title shot. That means will will see BJ vs. Frankie for a THIRD time in ten months!
by William Wilson on Sep 7, 2010 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions
If that was to happen its either a failure on matchmaker Joe Silva’s part or their is a serious lack of depth in the UFC lightweight division I would think
by devious1 on Sep 7, 2010 10:10 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
There is no lack of depth...
only short sightedness by the UFC and a strange desire to always want BJ in title fights without earning it.
Guys ahead of BJ and Kenny in terms of wins:
-Jim Miller (4-1 last 5, loss to Maynard)
-Evan Dunham
-Joe Lauzon
-Ross Pearson
-Nik Lentz
-Nate Diaz (if he returns to LW)
by William Wilson on Sep 7, 2010 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions
You’re railing about a story that isn’t even official.
I’ll eat my non-existent hat if BJ fights Edgar again for the title on the back of beating Sotiropoulos and there’s no chance Florian would get a shot with a win over George. I thought it was pretty obvious that the “title eliminator” talk in the article is about George getting a title fight if he wins his next fight.
I’m thinking that Florian and BJ will take on Dunham and Sotiropoulos. If either of the latter two win, they will get title shots (and maybe both will). If BJ and Florian win, then the next title shot will depend on the outcome of Edgar-Maynard. We don’t want needless rematches, so it’ll be Edgar-Florian or Maynard-Penn.
I don’t think thats unreasonable. It won’t be BJ-Edgar again.
Well said
I don’t think we’ll see BJ-Edgar OR Florian-Maynard rematched anytime soon. IMO either BJ or Florian would need to win 2-3 fights against top fighter first (one must be a legit MMA Wrestler if its only 2 fights).
Kenny is kind of a Roy Nelson/Nate Marquardt kind of guy in that he is very good at almost everything, but elite at nothing. That, and they beat whom they are supposed to beat, but lose to their superiors.
BJ is going to be come the Matt Hughes of the LWs – a great fighter who is being bypassed by the elite new-school fighters, although if its a non-MMA Wrestler holding the title, he has a great shot still.
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." -Arthur Schopenhauer
Haters are gonna hate and bitches are gonna bitch...
by BigDNotDallas on Sep 7, 2010 12:24 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
You dont have to spell that out to me..
But I’m basically going by what you said.
Kenny coming off of one loss. BJ coming off of two.
The next fight either of these guys win gets a title shot? That doesn’t make any sense.
By the casual fan, that WOULD in my opinion look like a lack of depth in the division.
Or again from my first comment, fucked up match making on Joe Silva’s part.
by devious1 on Sep 7, 2010 10:24 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
They are both still highly regarded and highly ranked fighters
Who, perhaps more importantly for the UFC, still have a lot of “name” value – perfect for up-and-coming fighters.
Same kind of guys Jon Jones and Phil Davis need to face.
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." -Arthur Schopenhauer
Haters are gonna hate and bitches are gonna bitch...
by BigDNotDallas on Sep 7, 2010 12:29 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Joe Lauzon is also 1-1 in his last two.
If he hadn’t lost to Stout he might be in consideration, but he is a few fights away at this point.
Nate Diaz lost three of his last four fights at LW.
That is the thing that caught me too...
I guess they haven’t done a very good job of building up other fighters at LW. Even Sot and Dunham aren’t big names.
This ^
I don’t think they believed that Edgar would beat BJ twice.
Semper Fi
PREDICTION for 2010-2011 NFL Season: "The England Patriots will finish 8-8 plus or minus 1" ~8/13/10 1230p
by ChicagoMarine on Sep 7, 2010 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions
It is kind of surprising that they have put so many season of TUF into promoting LW's too.
LW is already deep and it doesn’t get as much attention in prime spots on big shows. Adding all these TUF winners, that are pretty much guaranteed a televised spot (even though they aren’t in title contention) takes a spot away from a would be contender in the same division.
I always figured they should focus on MW and HW until they added depth to those divisions… Then again after they did a season exclusively with HW’s I hoped to never see that again.
Had not thought of it that way,
But you are right – that should be used to strengthen weak divisions more than anything else.
Even the HW season had its moments…
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." -Arthur Schopenhauer
Haters are gonna hate and bitches are gonna bitch...
by BigDNotDallas on Sep 7, 2010 12:36 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
With the way the UFC treats BJ Penn,
They’ll give him whichever guy out of G-Sot and Dunham (or someone else viable) they are convinced he has the best shot of beating, thus putting him back in contention.
They seem unwilling to see that BJ might be the LW equivalent of Hughes after GSP beat him – a great fighter whom the game (and the elite) are passing by.
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." -Arthur Schopenhauer
Haters are gonna hate and bitches are gonna bitch...
by BigDNotDallas on Sep 7, 2010 12:10 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
The UFC banned one of his biggest sponsors days before a fight
and he has complained about treatment before.
Speaking of that banning, when did it get lifted?
I see he was wearing RVCA again. Fedor has also been removed from the RVCA website, I assume there is some sort of linkage there.
Srsly?!?
I had not heard that before, but I guess it doesn’t really surprise me…
I don’t doubt him complaining, for such a legit tough guy methinks he whines a bit too much, but…
Maybe they just like the idea of BJ more than the guy?
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." -Arthur Schopenhauer
Haters are gonna hate and bitches are gonna bitch...
by BigDNotDallas on Sep 7, 2010 1:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah they banned RVCA
because they were sponsoring Fedor. It didn’t really last long though because BJ only fought without his RVCA gear for one fight and by the next fight the ban was lifted.
He's an exciting, well-rounded fighter
But I dunno about one fight away from a title. I think there’s a handful of guys more deserving but if it’s going to take place in Sydney then it’s pretty much inevitable.
Who do you have in mind? Dunham?
Beating Pellegrino and Stevenson is imo more impressive than beating Griffin and Escudero. If Dunham beats Sherk that makes it closer.
i don’t know, maybe i’m just a Souvlaki nuthugger ;)
I do like me some souvlaki
I wouldn’t mind him having the title shot but I think Sherk/Dunham should have the chance before him. Doesn’t matter though because any of the possible outcomes will be fucking amazing fights. I love LWs, goddamn.
by menckenstein on Sep 7, 2010 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions
whos the handful of guys
his has 6 wins in ufc not bad, if he wins his next thats 7 wins to a title shot, seems reasonable
I like Sotiropolous vs Florian as a fight. I also have no problem with it meaning a shot for George, but not for Kenny. Not every fight has to be an eliminator for either guy. George wins, he may get a shot, just put it at that.
by BJJDenver on Sep 7, 2010 10:50 AM EDT reply actions 7 recs
Suppose Kenny beats Sotoropooulos and Edgar defends against Maynard
Who would be the best LW that Edgar hasn’t recently faced? It’s Florian by a mile. Maybe Dunham – if he beats Sherk – goes first, but then what?
I understand that a Florian-Maynard rematch shouldn’t happen for a while, but Florian-Edgar is a good fight.
If Dunham beats Sherk and Kenny or Penn beats Sot
Dunham probably gets the shot.
If Dunham and Sot both lose, things get hairy.
I would like to see:
Sot vs Penn
and
Guillard vs Florian
Sot, Dunham and Guillard would all make for interesting match ups against Edgar.
Sot and Dunham would be much more interesting against Maynard, but at least there would be a handful of viable options for exciting fights. There are other players, but those are the ones I want to see.
If Dunham loses to Sherk and Sot loses as well, i think they either give it to Sherk or let Jim Miller pull a Dan Hardy, assuming he beats Tibau
I think it depends on how the Edgar-Maynard fight plays out. If BJ wins and Maynard wins, I think BJ gets the shot. And loses.
If Edgar wins, I think it goes to Miller or Lauzon, possibly Kenny.
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." -Arthur Schopenhauer
Haters are gonna hate and bitches are gonna bitch...
by BigDNotDallas on Sep 7, 2010 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s not always about who’s the best. Like I said, just because aGeorge win could mean a title shot, it doesn’t necessarily mean that a Florian win means a title shot.
As for who would be in line, it is kind of a muddled mix, with little star power. There are many factors to be figured in and a lot can change by the time the next title shot needs to be set up.
Put a smile on my face....
These are the two matches I’ve been thinking would be the best next step for G-Sot. Whichever one he gets, if he wins, he has an undisputed claim to fight for the title. If Kenny or BJ win, they don’t immediately deserve another title shots, but should fight and win 2 more times before going back for the title.
But only if one of their wins
Is against a legit wrestler…and I don’t mean no-knees Sherk, circa 2010…
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." -Arthur Schopenhauer
Haters are gonna hate and bitches are gonna bitch...
by BigDNotDallas on Sep 7, 2010 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Absolutely
If Kenny wins and Edgar loses, that would be a good match. Same for BJ / Maynard. No interest in seeing it vica versa.
I def see BJ having to fight Gomi before he gets another title shot as well. Kenny, possibly. Jim Miller will be in the mix as well.
No to disrepct Edgar or Maynard
but I think Edgar just matched up really well with Penn, and Florian flat out didn’t perform against Maynard. I think this opens up the division for a lot of guys might not be a favorite but have a legitimate shot at taking the belt from either Edgar or Maynard, so it’ll be interesting to see who’s given a chance.
I don't think anyone currently in UFC LW
Can take the belt from Edgar or Maynard, aside from perhaps one another…
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." -Arthur Schopenhauer
Haters are gonna hate and bitches are gonna bitch...
by BigDNotDallas on Sep 8, 2010 12:16 AM EDT up reply actions
Going the distance with Joe and Kurt is pretty impressive.....
He handled both of those guys too. He needs to have a great #1 contender fight 1st though to earn his shot.
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