UFC lightweights George Sotiropoulos (14-2) will step into the octagon on Feb. 27 against German fighter Dennis Siver as part of the main card for UFC 127. Sotiropoulos will be fighting in his own backyard and expects the crowd to get “very loud” once he and Siver step into the octagon.
Sotiropoulos has run a 7-0 streak with the UFC and has proven himself to be one of the better submission fighter at 155 lbs. As a representative of the sport in Australia, Sotiropoulos doesn’t feel the spotlight will effect his performance and feels he’ll be ready once the cage door closes at UFC 127.
“I’m very excited because it’s going to be a very popular fight. I’m going to get a lot of fan support when I’m down there. I get a good reception here in the U.S., but when I go home, it’s going to be a whole different ballgame. I’m going to have all of the crowd behind me, and it’s going to be very loud. Once that door closes, it’s just you and your opponent. I think I’ve been cast into the spotlight because of where I’m from and my success, but I don’t feel burdened. I just go out there and do what I do. I don’t really get into the hype or the bulls–t that people talk about. For me, I’m just focused on what I do, which is training and fighting. The rest is really irrelevant.”
Check out the rest of Sotiropoulos’ quotes over at Sherdog.com where he was a guest on the “Savage Dog Show” recently.