Tag: George Sotiropoulos

George Sotiropoulos Looking to Get Back on Track at Titan FC 29

Mixed martial arts is an unforgiving sport by its very nature. Tides turn quickly, momentum can be stopped in a flash and a fighter’s ascension up the rankings toward potential title-contender status can collapse into a free fall that is difficult to r…

Mixed martial arts is an unforgiving sport by its very nature. Tides turn quickly, momentum can be stopped in a flash and a fighter’s ascension up the rankings toward potential title-contender status can collapse into a free fall that is difficult to recover from.

Some stretches are so treacherous that a fighter never recovers, but George Sotiropoulos is determined to prove he has what it takes to get back up on his feet.

The Greek-Australian-bred fighter came to the UFC in 2007 as a cast member on the sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter and immediately made a name for himself, as he finished the first two opponents he faced in post-TUF competition.

“Sots” then decided drop down into the lightweight division, where he proceeded to string together five more victories over top-notch competition, including the likes of Joe Stevenson and Joe Lauzon. With a seven-fight winning streak and a string of impressive performances, a potential title opportunity hovered in the distance, but in 2011, things would take a sharp turn south for the American Top Team Fighter.

He would go on to suffer setbacks in his next four outings and was released by the UFC as the result of the losing streak. In those moments, a fighter is faced with a decision to either pack it up and call it a day or light the fires of war to prove there is still more of the story to be written. Sotiropoulos chose the latter, and he’s determined to show the MMA world that it’s not yet seen the best of what he has to offer.

The 37-year-old Vancouver, Washington, transplant will attempt to ignite that comeback when he squares off with fellow UFC veteran Mike Ricci at Titan FC 29 this Friday night in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The lightweight tilt will serve as the main event on the card, and Sotiropoulos believes fans are going to see a show when the cage door closes.

Yet while there are plenty of labels and cliches that could be assigned to his next fight, Sotiropoulos is simply looking forward to getting back to work and testing his skills against Ricci.

“It might be a new chapter in my career,” Sotiropoulos told Bleacher Report. “I don’t want to use cliches, but it just might be. Really, there is no such thing as a new chapter because things just continue and go on. It just depends on how you look at it. This will be a fight in a different time and place, but life goes on, you know?

“I definitely have a fire in me and I would agree that I have something to prove. I don’t believe I fought my fight in my last four fights and I am not happy with the way things went in those bouts. Things are working much better for me now, and I get to showcase that on August 22. Fans are going to see a very eager, confident, aggressive and slick version of George Sotiropoulos.”

The matchup between Sotiropoulos and the Firas Zahabi-trained fighter will pit two versatile and well-rounded fighters together inside the cage. Throughout his career, Ricci has shown the ability to use his range and effectively grapple when he closes distances in order to control and dictate the action.

Sotiropoulos is no stranger to mixing things up on his feet, as the former Australian amateur boxing champion has spent years developing his striking game.

That said, Sotiropoulos has proven to be lights out when the action hits the canvas and is open to his upcoming tilt with Ricci playing out all over the cage.  

“I just may take this fight to the ground, but I’ve worked very hard at all angles of my game,” Sotiropoulos said. “I’ve always worked hard on every part of the game, but every fight is different and you aren’t going to be able to showcase every aspect of your skills in ever fight.

“That’s just the nature of this sport and how the game goes. There have been big fights that I’ve been in where I’ve trained certain things, and those skills didn’t turn up in that fight. Then, on the other side, there have been fights where skills I didn’t really put a lot of focus on came up big.

“It just depends on how the fight goes, and there are so many variables. It’s not a single-dimensional sport. There are different styles of every discipline, so many variables, and that is what is going to make this fight so interesting.” 

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Mike Ricci: A Mission to Show and Prove Continues at Titan FC 29

When a fighter believes they have something to prove, it is the type of motivation that has the potential to bring something special out of them. There is no shortage of that fuel where Mike Ricci is concerned and he’s fiercely determined to show who h…

When a fighter believes they have something to prove, it is the type of motivation that has the potential to bring something special out of them. There is no shortage of that fuel where Mike Ricci is concerned and he’s fiercely determined to show who he is as a fighter.

In the Canadian fighter’s mind, a dominant next chapter will serve to silence the ghosts of the previous one, even though he knows what has been done in the past can never be undone. That said, the 28-year-old Quebec native is aiming to make his upcoming performances so loud…so impressive that it shows he’s not the same competitor he was when the biggest fanbase in MMA saw him last.

Following a stint on The Ultimate Fighter and a lackluster run where he dropped two out of three bouts, Ricci was released from his contract with the UFC. That turn of events served to rattle the Tristar fighter, but it also provided a tremendous surge of motivation. Where he was once competing to hold down a roster spot under the UFC banner, now he was going to have to prove the sport’s biggest stage is where he belonged the entire time.

Ricci knew he was going to have to fire back onto the scene guns blazing and did so at the expense of seasoned veteran Jorge Gurgel at Titan Fighting Championships 27 back in February. Where Ricci had been criticized in the past for fighting at a measured pace, he put his full arsenal on display against the Ohio-based fighter and earned the TKO victory in the first round. 

For Ricci, the bout against Gurgel not only showed his fighting spirit had returned, but the killer instinct he appeared to lose touch with was still very much there.

“The win over Gurgel felt good,” Ricci told Bleacher Report. “I was kind of out to prove a point and I did so. I mean, you always have something to prove when you are fighting, but I felt I had something bigger to prove in that fight. And the way I got the win was rewarding. Honestly, as a fighter, the day you don’t have something to prove is the day you should stop fighting. You always have something to prove to yourself, the people around you and the world of mixed martial arts. 

“At this point where I’m at I’m going to use it as a learning experience. It was a quick experience, and in my opinion their decisions were a little premature. Did I need some development at that stage? Yeah, and probably some maturity. I don’t think it had anything to do with talent. I think it was more my maturity level and my focus. My focus wasn’t where it should have been, but I have my focus back and I’m showing that here at Titan. I look at my time in the UFC as a learning experience, and when I get back I’m not going to make those mistakes again.”

With an impressive showing under his belt, Ricci is ready to keep things rolling under his new banner at Titan FC. “The Martian” is determined to make solid strides every time out and his second bout for the promotion will come against another savvy veteran in George Sotiropoulos. The bout was originally slated for earlier in the year, but an injury suffered by the Firas Zahabi-trained fighter forced the tilt to be postponed for a later date.

Now, with both fighters at full health, the two lightweights will lock up in the main event at Titan FC 29 on Aug. 22 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. While the former TUF: Smashes coach will be looking to stop a career rough patch, Ricci will be looking to take another step up the ladder. Sotiropoulos will be his second consecutive opponent with solid name recognition and the fight presents back-to-back main event opportunities for the Montreal-based fighter.

Those elements present an ideal situation for Ricci as he’s looking to send a message to the MMA community that he’s all business from here on out. 

“I’m happy this is my second main event in a row and I’m showing everyone I don’t take easy fights,” Ricci said. “I’m fighting guys who are proven veterans who have 20-plus professional fights. I’m proving to myself, the critics and the UFC that I’m not out here wasting anyone’s time. I’m taking the toughest fights I can find and I’m not playing games.

“This last year I’ve really put the focus on my fight and what I’m going to do. During my time on The Ultimate Fighter and in the UFC I was focusing on the guys I was fighting and kind of lost myself in the process. I haven’t put a lot of focus on Sotiropoulos. I know he’s a tough fighter and an amateur boxing champion and has good jiu-jitsu. This fight is going to come down to who can put it together better and who is going to bring it on fight night. That’s far more important than what is on paper. I’ve trained hard and I’m going to show up ready to fight. I’m going to be looking to put him away.”

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

George Sotiropoulos, Rosi Sexton, Alessio Sakara Released by UFC

Three veteran fighters on difficult losing streaks have been bumped from the UFC. The promotion announced over Twitter that they are parting ways with George Sotiropoulos, Rosi Sexton and Alessio Sakara.

Sotiropoulos, Sexton and Sakara have been relea…

Three veteran fighters on difficult losing streaks have been bumped from the UFC. The promotion announced over Twitter that they are parting ways with George Sotiropoulos, Rosi Sexton and Alessio Sakara.

George Sotiropoulos is an alumnus of The Ultimate Fighter season 6, and previously coached The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes. The Australian absolutely roared into the UFC, going on a seven-fight winning streak that included five finishes, two fight of the night bonuses and bragging rights over the likes of Joe Stevenson, Kurt Pellegrino and Joe Lauzon. The good times ended abruptly, however, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Dennis Siver, and he followed that up with three more losses, earning him a pink slip.

Rosi Sexton’s release comes as something of a surprise. In a time where the UFC is actively seeking both women and British fighters, Sexton should have been a valuable commodity. Back-to-back ugly losses, which included a wheeze-fest against Alexis Davis and one of 2013’s most lopsided beatdowns at the hand of Jessica Andrade, stamped her ticket back to the European MMA scene.

Alessio Sakara was actually one of the most enduring fighters in the UFC, debuting all the way back at UFC 55 in 2005. Wins, however, were always rare for the Italian, as he amassed a 3-3 (1) record as a light heavyweight during his first three years with the promotion. He dropped down to middleweight in 2008, and while things initially looked good following a 3-1 stretch, reality would set back in as he dropped four straight fights (his last win actually came in 2010 against James Irvin).

Whether or not this is the end of this round of cuts remains to be seen. Stick with Bleacher Report to find out!

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

And Now They’re Fired: Alessio Sakara, George Sotiropoulos, and Rosi Sexton Removed From UFC.com Roster


(To answer the question posed by your body language, hellz yeah bro, that is some sick ink. / Photo via Getty)

BloodyElbow gives us the heads up that three notable UFC fighters have had their profiles removed from UFC.com — a sure sign that they’ve recently been released by the promotion. While it’s always sad to see people lose their jobs right before Christmas, you can’t argue that these three didn’t have it coming. So who felt the axe in the latest round of roster-cuts? Let’s begin…

Alessio Sakara: The Italian striker has been a reliable gatekeeper-presence at light-heavyweight and middleweight since his Octagon debut in 2005, earning solid wins against Elvis Sinosic, Joe Vedepo, Thales Leites, and James Irvin. But training injuries began to pile up beginning in 2009, and Sakara also missed fights due to sudden illness and the loss of his father.

In 2011, Sakara kicked off what would become a four-fight losing streak, when he dropped a decision to newcomer (and future middleweight champion) Chris Weidman, who came into the fight as a short notice injury replacement. After that, Sakara was KO’d by Brian Stann, DQ’d due to rabbit-punches in a fight against Patrick Cote, and armbarred by UFC rookie Nicholas Musoke during his most recent appearance at UFC Fight Night 30 in October. That loss dropped Sakara’s overall UFC record to 6-8 with one no-contest.

George Sotiropoulos: After entering the UFC as semi-finalist on TUF 6 in 2007, Sotiropoulos went on an absolute tear, winning seven fights in a row (which earned him a spot on the all-time leaderboard). In 2010, Sotiropoulos defeated Joe Stevenson, Kurt Pellegrino, and Joe Lauzon, making him a legitimate title contender in the lightweight division. But in a stunning reversal of fortune, Sotriopoulos would never win another fight in the UFC.


(To answer the question posed by your body language, hellz yeah bro, that is some sick ink. / Photo via Getty)

BloodyElbow gives us the heads up that three notable UFC fighters have had their profiles removed from UFC.com — a sure sign that they’ve recently been released by the promotion. While it’s always sad to see people lose their jobs right before Christmas, you can’t argue that these three didn’t have it coming. So who felt the axe in the latest round of roster-cuts? Let’s begin…

Alessio Sakara: The Italian striker has been a reliable gatekeeper-presence at light-heavyweight and middleweight since his Octagon debut in 2005, earning solid wins against Elvis Sinosic, Joe Vedepo, Thales Leites, and James Irvin. But training injuries began to pile up beginning in 2009, and Sakara also missed fights due to sudden illness and the loss of his father.

In 2011, Sakara kicked off what would become a four-fight losing streak, when he dropped a decision to newcomer (and future middleweight champion) Chris Weidman, who came into the fight as a short notice injury replacement. After that, Sakara was KO’d by Brian Stann, DQ’d due to rabbit-punches in a fight against Patrick Cote, and armbarred by UFC rookie Nicholas Musoke during his most recent appearance at UFC Fight Night 30 in October. That loss dropped Sakara’s overall UFC record to 6-8 with one no-contest.

George Sotiropoulos: After entering the UFC as semi-finalist on TUF 6 in 2007, Sotiropoulos went on an absolute tear, winning seven fights in a row (which earned him a spot on the all-time leaderboard). In 2010, Sotiropoulos defeated Joe Stevenson, Kurt Pellegrino, and Joe Lauzon, making him a legitimate title contender in the lightweight division. But in a stunning reversal of fortune, Sotriopoulos would never win another fight in the UFC.

First, G-Sots was bombed out by Dennis Siver, losing a unanimous decision after being repeatedly unable to take Siver to the mat. Then, Sotiropoulos was on the wrong end of brutal knockouts by Rafael dos Anjos and Ross Pearson, his rival coach on TUF: Smashes. (There was even a rumor that George was KO’d during the filming of that show.) Luckily, Sotiropoulos remained conscious during his most recent appearance at UFC 167 in October, but he still lost a decision to KJ Noons, sealing his fate with the promotion.

Rosi Sexton: The British WMMA veteran came into the UFC with a solid 13-2 record — her only losses coming against Gina Carano and Zoila Frausto Gurgel — but she failed to make an impact in the bantamweight division, losing consecutive decisions to Alexis Davis and Jessica Andrade this year; in case you missed it, Sexton’s loss to Andrade was a thoroughly lopsided beat-down. Luckily, Sexton still has her osteopathy practice and doctorate in theoretical computer science to fall back on, which begs the question: What the hell was Rosi Sexton doing fighting other women in cages in the first place? Don’t people only compete in MMA as a last resort? Sexton plans to get surgery to repair two prolapsed discs in her neck, and is not sure if she’ll ever fight again.

5 Oldest-Looking Fighters in MMA

MMA has a way of aging people prematurely. That’s just my observation. I’m no doctor, but it’s probably got something to do with getting hit in the face and head a lot, constant heavy-contact training, major repeated weight cuts and so on. It’s my gut …

MMA has a way of aging people prematurely. That’s just my observation. I’m no doctor, but it’s probably got something to do with getting hit in the face and head a lot, constant heavy-contact training, major repeated weight cuts and so on. It’s my gut feeling.

But the sport tends to age some more quickly than others. Here are the five MMA fighters who appear to be aging in dog years.

 

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Barnburner/Do-or-Die Double-Feature Alert: UFC 166 Adds Gonzaga vs. Jordan, Noons vs. Sotiropoulos


(Nope. Not fuckin’ with that guy.)

By Alex Giardini

A potential heavyweight slugfest and a duel between two lightweights who need to get back to their winning ways have both been reported for UFC 166, taking place October 19th at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Gabriel Gonzaga, fresh off of an obliteration of Dave Herman at UFC 162 earlier this month, meets “The Savage” Shawn Jordan in a fight sure to end with someone on the canvas before the end of the third round. Gonzaga, the man responsible for Mirko Cro Cop’s downfall — and we’ll never forgive him for it, that son-of-a-bitch — looks to keep climbing back into the title mix, six years after his unsuccessful challenge against Randy Couture back at UFC 74. This will be Gonzaga’s seventeenth appearance in the Octagon over the course of eight years.

Meanwhile, Jordan is riding a two-fight win streak with stoppages over Mike Russow and most recently fan-favorite Pat Barry at UFC 161 in Winnipeg (which took him one second short of a minute). Both men have a combined amount of 1:16 cage-time spent in their last Octagon outings. That’s just how heavyweights roll, my dudes.

Also on the card…


(Nope. Not fuckin’ with that guy.)

By Alex Giardini

A potential heavyweight slugfest and a duel between two lightweights who need to get back to their winning ways have both been reported for UFC 166, taking place October 19th at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Gabriel Gonzaga, fresh off of an obliteration of Dave Herman at UFC 162 earlier this month, meets “The Savage” Shawn Jordan in a fight sure to end with someone on the canvas before the end of the third round. Gonzaga, the man responsible for Mirko Cro Cop’s downfall — and we’ll never forgive him for it, that son-of-a-bitch — looks to keep climbing back into the title mix, six years after his unsuccessful challenge against Randy Couture back at UFC 74. This will be Gonzaga’s seventeenth appearance in the Octagon over the course of eight years.

Meanwhile, Jordan is riding a two-fight win streak with stoppages over Mike Russow and most recently fan-favorite Pat Barry at UFC 161 in Winnipeg (which took him one second short of a minute). Both men have a combined amount of 1:16 cage-time spent in their last Octagon outings. That’s just how heavyweights roll, my dudes.

Also on the card…

KJ Noons, who is in desperate need of a win after dropping his last three, faces Australia’s George Sotiropoulos, who’s also dropped his last three and needs a win just as bad. Sotiropoulos has not fought since his TKO loss to Ross Pearson last December after their coaching stint on TUF: The Smashes. Noons was on the losing end of a questionable decision against Ryan Couture at Strikeforce’s swan song earlier this year but was thoroughly outmatched by Donald Cerrone in his Octagon debut at UFC 160. Noons has earned only one win in his last six fights.

It hasn’t been confirmed if these bouts will take place on the main card or the televised preliminary portion of the event. Headlining UFC 166 is the much-anticipated rubber match for the UFC Heavyweight Championship, between champion Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos. Also on the card is a grudge match between Roy Nelson and Daniel Cormier, alongside a scrap for the ages featuring Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez, and the recently announced Tim Boetsch vs. Luke Rockhold.