Local boy tries to make good as George Sotiropoulos (14-2, 7-0 UFC) squares off against Dennis Siver (17-7, 6-4 UFC). This will be Sotiropoulos’s second time fighting in front of the hometown Aussie crowd under the UFC banner. Last year, he defeated Joe Stevenson in the UFC’s first trip Down Under.
How do these guys stack up?
Sotiropoulos: 33 years old, 5’10”, 71″ reach
Siver: 32 years old, 5’7″, 70″ reach
What have they done lately?
Sotiropoulos: W – Joe Lauzon (SUB), W – Kurt Pellegrino (UD), W – Joe Stevenson (UD)
Siver: W – Andre Winner (SUB), W – Spencer Fisher (UD), L – Ross Pearson (UD)
How did these guys get here?
Prior to fighting in the UFC, George Sotiropoulos was best known for kicking Shinya Aoki in the groin during a Shooto bout in 2006. In 2007, he joined the cast of the Ultimate Fighter 6, advancing to the semi-finals as a welterweight. Sotiropoulos won two fights coming off the show, but a knee injury kept him out of action for a year between the spring of 2008 and summer of 2009. He returned as a lightweight, and has maintained an undefeated streak in five fights at the weight.
Dennis Siver arrived in the UFC at UFC 70, losing to Jess Liaudin by submission. After knocking out Naoyuki Kotani at UFC 75, he dropped consecutive fights to Gray Maynard and Melvin Guillard. Since then, Siver has compiled a 5-1 record in the UFC.
Why should you care?
It seems like the UFC is trying to use their top lightweight talent to thin out the herd while Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar prepare for their title fight rematch. Siver’s mainly been used as fodder for European cards, but those days might be coming to an end with the WEC merger. Sotiropoulos is “in the mix” for a shot at the winner between Maynard and Edgar, and the Aussie crowd should be out in full force.