155 lbs.: Joe Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos
Odds: (-240 Stevenson / +190 Sotiropoulos)
The third bout of the night is an exciting matchup between two of the Lightweight division’s most prolific grapplers, former title challenger Joe “Daddy” Stevenson and Australian jiu-jitsu ace George Sotiropoulos. Stevenson has come up just short against the upper crust of the division, but is still clearly one of the better fighters in the division, so up and comer Sotiropoulos is going to have his hands full.
George Sotiropoulos, an Australian jiu-jitsu black belt and former Amateur boxing champion, is an extremely accomplished grappler with awesome submissions from every single position. He also has underrated standup, which even though it’s not that powerful is very crisp and technical. The only problem with Sotiropoulos’ game is that, while his best work definitely comes on the ground, he is not a particularly effective wrestler, so he has trouble imposing his game plan against guys with superior wrestling, which Stevenson most assuredly has.
Joe Stevenson, who has been fighting since he was a teenager and his mom had to drive him to shows, is one of the toughest and most experienced ground fighters in the UFC. His standup is actually fairly decent, despite his small arms, but his excellent wrestling and submission game, most notably his famous guillotine choke, are his real bread and butter.
Stevenson’s wrestling will wind up being the deciding factor in this fight. Both men have too much grappling prowess to get submitted, but Stevenson’s vastly superior wrestling means that he will be the one controlling the pace and position in the ground game, and that alone should be enough to earn him a one-decided decision.
Prediction: Joe “Daddy” Stevenson via unanimous decision.
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