UFC 123: By the Odds

Filed under: UFCIn at least one way, UFC 123 is already a disappointment. To me, anyway.

I would have thought that when you put Lyoto Machida – a fighter known for drinking his own urine – together with “Rampage” Jackson – a fighter known for his pla…

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In at least one way, UFC 123 is already a disappointment. To me, anyway.

I would have thought that when you put Lyoto Machida – a fighter known for drinking his own urine – together with “Rampage” Jackson – a fighter known for his played out bad breath jokes – we would have had comedy gold by now. I would have thought the combination of necessity and opportunity would help break some new ground in the field of bad breath jokes. Sort of like the polio vaccine, only much, much less helpful to society.

No such luck so far. Guess that means we’ll have to put our hopes in the fights themselves to entertain us. Let’s start with a look at how oddsmakers think Saturday night’s event will play out, along with some suggestions on where they might be wrong.

Lyoto Machida (-280) vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (+220)

Joe Lauzon Leaning Towards Saying No to George Sotiropoulos’ Fight Gear

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DETROIT — MMA Fighting spoke to Joe Lauzon at the UFC 123 media workouts about his upcoming fight against George Sotiropoulos, why he is leaning towards asking the commission to not allowing the Australian to wear his usual leg gear and the attention he’s received leading into this fight.

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DETROIT — MMA Fighting spoke to Joe Lauzon at the UFC 123 media workouts about his upcoming fight against George Sotiropoulos, why he is leaning towards asking the commission to not allowing the Australian to wear his usual leg gear and the attention he’s received leading into this fight.

George Sotiropoulous Confused by Fight Gear Complaints

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DETROIT — MMA Fighting spoke to George Sotiropoulos at Thursday’s UFC 123 media workouts about Saturday’s fight against Joe Lauzon, dealing with life in the spotlight and all the talk about whether his leg gear is illegal.

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DETROIT — MMA Fighting spoke to George Sotiropoulos at Thursday’s UFC 123 media workouts about Saturday’s fight against Joe Lauzon, dealing with life in the spotlight and all the talk about whether his leg gear is illegal.

Uproar Over George Sotiropoulos’ Legwear Much Ado About Nothing

(Sotiropoulos using his knee and ankle supports to allow Joe Stevenson to get a better grip on his leg.)
A popular topic of debate surrounding next weekend’s UFC 123 event in Auburn Hills, Michigan has focused on the legality of the in-Octagon ap…


(Sotiropoulos using his knee and ankle supports to allow Joe Stevenson to get a better grip on his leg.)

A popular topic of debate surrounding next weekend’s UFC 123 event in Auburn Hills, Michigan has focused on the legality of the in-Octagon apparel worn by one of the card’s participants.

Fans and pundits alike seem split about whether or not the compression short-ankle and knee support combination worn by lightweight George Sotiropoulos are legal under the Unified Rules of mixed martial arts.

Even G-Sot’s opponent, Joe Lauzon has labeled the Australian fighter a cheater because of his in-Octagon apparel.

"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 explained to Ariel Helwani during a recent episode of MMAFighting’s The MMA Hour. "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. I don’t really understand how he gets away with them. We’re definitely going to look into it a little bit."


(G-Sot chose to forgo wearing his knee braces at UFC 116 in July after opponent Kurt Pellegrino called him a cheater for wearing them.)

Lauzon may be wasting his time.

According to reputable officials we conferred with from the Nevada State Athletic Commission and New Jersey State Athletic Control Board – two of the main regulatory bodies responsible for helping develop the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts as we know them today – Sotiropoulos’s choice of legwear is perfectly legal under their jurisdictions, but ultimately, the final call goes to the commission overseeing each event.

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Joe Lauzon Questions George Sotiropoulos’ Controversial Fight Wear

Filed under: UFCUFC lightweight Joe Lauzon said he hasn’t yet decided whether to make an issue of George Sotiropoulos’ somewhat controversial attire when the two meet at UFC 123 on Nov. 20, but judging by his recent remarks, you can bet he’s put some t…

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UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon said he hasn’t yet decided whether to make an issue of George Sotiropoulos‘ somewhat controversial attire when the two meet at UFC 123 on Nov. 20, but judging by his recent remarks, you can bet he’s put some thought into it.

“I don’t really understand how he gets away with them,” Lauzon told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “We’re definitely going to look into it a little bit.”

Sotiropoulos has been criticized in the past for wearing a mix of gear that covers nearly all of his legs, thus creating the same effect as a pair of grappling tights, which are prohibited by many state athletic commissions in the U.S.

George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon Booked for UFC 123 in Detroit

According to a Sherdog report published yesterday, UFC lightweight contenders George Sotiropoulos (13-2, 6-0 UFC) and Joe Lauzon (19-5, 6-2 UFC) will meet in a pivotal matchup at UFC 123 (November 20th, Auburn Hills). Riding a six-fight win streak i…

George Sotiropoulos Kurt Pellegrino UFC 116
Joe Lauzon Gabe Ruediger UFC 118

According to a Sherdog report published yesterday, UFC lightweight contenders George Sotiropoulos (13-2, 6-0 UFC) and Joe Lauzon (19-5, 6-2 UFC) will meet in a pivotal matchup at UFC 123 (November 20th, Auburn Hills). Riding a six-fight win streak including decision victories this year over Kurt Pellegrino and Joe Stevenson, Sotiropoulos would move very close to title contention with an impressive win over Lauzon. The fight would come less than three months after Lauzon’s recent destruction of Gabe Ruediger at UFC 118, which helped him rebound from a lopsided decision loss against Sam Stout at UFC 108.

The Sotiropoulos/Lauzon matchup contradicts an optimistic report in the Sydney Morning Herald that had George taking on BJ Penn or Kenny Florian in his next outing. Though the UFC could have been considering a matchup with Florian, Ken-Flo plans on sharpening his wreslting until the spring.

Related: Tyson Griffin vs. Nik Lentz is also being targeted for UFC 123, and Clay Guida has his next opponent set; he isn’t naming names, but it’s a "big one" against a guy with "ALOT of power in his hands."