UFC 110: Joe Stevenson vs George Sotiropoulos in the works for Feb. 21 in Australia
by MMAmania.com on Nov 29, 2009 12:19 AM EST
31 comments
Lightweights Joe Stevenson and George Sotiropoulos are currently in negotiations to collide at UFC 110 from the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia, on Feb. 21, 2010.
Bout agreements have been distributed to both fighters; however, nothing is official at this time. The good news is that MMAmania.com has learned that Sotiropoulos is eager to sign on the dotted line as soon as possible so he can compete in front of his hometown crowd for the first time ever as a UFC fighter.
And he'll likely have to do it against his stiffest competition to date.
Stevenson has picked up momentum after losing three of four bouts in a 13-month span, most recently defeating Nate Diaz and Spencer Fisher in back-to-back bouts. The victory over Diaz -- who was making a run at a potential title shot -- was perhaps the most impressive and important of his young, yet distinguished, mixed martial arts career.
A former number one division contender, Stevenson has experienced somewhat of a rebirth thanks in large part to his training under guru Greg Jackson and his gang down in Albuquerque, New Mexico. "Daddy" will look to keep the streak alive in hostile territory when he takes on the Aussie native.
Sotiropoulos has not tasted defeat in more than three years, winning five straight, four of which have come under the UFC banner. The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 6 alum has stopped all four of his contests inside the Octagon with a dangerous mix of submissions (three) and (technical) knockout power (one).
Jason Dent was the last man to try and derail the Sotiropoulos progress at UFC 106 earlier this month; however, he was forced to tap because of a slick armbar submission. Sotiropoulos is very talented on the ground, but won't have an easy go at it when he tangles with the submission-savvy Stevenson.
UFC 110 is expected to feature a heavyweight showdown between Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira and Cain Velasquez to determine the next number one division contender. In addition, a 185-pound brawl between Michael Bisping and Wanderlei Silva in a bout that may have future title implications (especially with Dan Henderson being MIA) is also expected to fill out the top of the card.
Stay glued to MMAmania.com for more breaking news on the still-developing UFC 110 card in the days, weeks and months ahead.
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oh boy
Sotiropoulos is really good, and Joe looked great in his first fight after joining team Jackson. To me this seems like a huge step up in competition for Sotiropoulos. He probably wouldnt be getting such a big name right now if it were not for the Austrailian at home angle.
by JRE on Nov 29, 2009 12:24 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
agreed hometown helps
I think you hit the nail on the head. Also dent went the distance with Tibau and Griffin and George had his way with him so eventually it had to happen big test should show what George is capable of.
by TapSnaporNapBJJ on Nov 29, 2009 1:15 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Tibau and Griffen have improved so much since then
and enless this home crowd gives george super power’s he is gunna lose
by GOLDIGGAH on Nov 29, 2009 3:39 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
This fight makes no sense
but i love it. Sotiropoulos has a decent shot against him if he can keep it standing. He’s dynamic on the mat but i doubt he can overcome Joe’s top game. It could very much go like stevenson’s fight with florian especially with George’s speed and workrate on the ground. At least he presents a more challenging opponent to take down than any diaz. I say Stevenson UD but if the betting lines are what i expect then there is serious value here.
by NNR (formerly NameNotRequired) on Nov 29, 2009 3:42 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Dent has never fought griffin
he fought tibau and huerta and then got kicked out of the ufc but he did hold his own
i think joe wins this if he can keep it on his feet and i believe he has the wrestling to do so
i actually believe that joe is a safe bet, easy money
by ufcaddict on Nov 29, 2009 9:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
George finally gets his chance at the gatekepper
by PHISH NATION on Nov 29, 2009 11:49 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
What does it say about Nate Diaz, Spencer Fisher, Gleison Tibau, and Kurt Pellegrino since they lost to this gatekeeper?
by chrisbboy82 on Nov 29, 2009 1:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Can I get Joe Silva's job?
NNR: Basically agree with your entire assement. Fight makes little sense for Joe daddy, but it gives George a greaty opportunity to put himself on the map. George isnt a flashy guy, but he is very skilled and is a hard worker. I dont think people realize just how good his jits is. This guy had a grappling WAR with Aoki a few years back…
On paper this looks like a UD win for stevenson via being on top for most of the fight….but George could have some nice value here.
I like the step up in competition for George but I would prefered a better stylistic match up, Seeing him lose because he is an inferior wrestler to Joe isnt all that appealing. A better match up would be:
George the Greek vs. Dustin Hazlett….Thats an evenly matched fight that would provide great grappling scrambles without being decided by wrestling!
Can I please get Joe Silva’s job?
by John G. on Nov 29, 2009 3:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
George-Dustin would be a great fight but I don’t see it happening anytime soon, they’re at different weight classes and Dustin’s already skinny at 170 whilst George was outsized at WW.
This is a good fight but too much too soon for George, especially considering that Joe Daddy is finally training properly at a legitimate camp, he’s suddenly become relevant at 155 again. It reminds me of Swick-Saunders, too big a leap for the TUF 6 alumni while not a big scalp for the more experienced veteran. It would have made more sense to keep Neer around and have George face him than throw him at a top 10 LW after only facing TUF cast-offs since the show.
NNR, don’t compare Nick’s TDD to Nate’s, Nick is much better than his brother, I’m a fan of both but Nick has finally bulked up and become a tough guy to takedown as well as a top BJJ black belt and good boxer, Nate is still a hit and miss fighter with a quality guard and a good reach, he needs time to grow into his body like Nick did. It’s unfair to dismiss the TDD of Nick just because of his past defeats and his brother’s recent defeats to better wrestlers, they aren’t the same fighter by any means.
by David W-S on Nov 29, 2009 7:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
that’s a HUGE jump in competition. I would have preferred to bring him along more slowly and give him guys like Kurt Pellegrino. If Joe Daddy beats George as expected, it knocks down a rising star and doesn’t really do anything for Joe.
by Pantherhare on Nov 29, 2009 12:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
is george playing a zombie in that picture or did he flat out die?
by daniel worby on Nov 29, 2009 12:39 AM EST via mobile reply actions 0 recs
haha
I dunno if he died, but I think he’s gonna look like that after the fight, lol
I got joe daddy by sub, or tko like fisher fight
George is cool but I don’t think he’s quite there yet
by Phenomenal Angel on Nov 29, 2009 1:06 AM EST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
no way
no way does joe daddy win by sub, george’s jits is off the charts
by ufcaddict on Nov 29, 2009 9:31 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Off the charts but it can happen. Joe subbed a few black belts.
by Phenomenal Angel on Nov 29, 2009 2:57 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
I really really really really dislike Joe Stevenson
Can’t stand him – I’d love to watch a match with him against another TUF disaster – Kalib Starnes. Now if they could only get him away from the carwash for a couple hours…..
George has no standup but if he gets Stevenson to the groud, it is game over.
by hairybumcrack on Dec 4, 2009 5:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
George Finally Gets His Shot . . .
Its great to see George finally get his shot – and more importantly, get on the main card for once. its going to be great to see Joe fight live also . . .
by DownUnder on Nov 29, 2009 1:16 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Tommy Speer
Completely controlled him on TUF, but that was a weight above and way back when. But I think Joe has the expierence/skills/camp to beat him. Hope this is one of those losses where George just comes back better and stronger. George is a cool dude
by IrishKev on Nov 29, 2009 9:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Been a while since I saw that fight, by if I recall correctly, Speer poked him in the eye and George went downhill fast after that.
by Pantherhare on Nov 29, 2009 12:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I've been wanting George to take a step up for a while now
Every guy he has beaten has been booted from the company, so its not like he’s faced some stellar competition. He is really good vs those weaker guys, and now we’ll see how good he really is. I will buy into the hype on this one. George by Sub. But Joe Daddy could just as easy pull a TKO-esque win like previously mentioned Spencer Fisher. I could also see Joe grinding a decision like he did over Nate. Looking forward to this one.
by Synyster_08 on Nov 29, 2009 1:50 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
damn this is going to be good. hope you do well george
by Ronnie Liddle on Nov 29, 2009 4:05 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Will I have to stay up?
What time will this event start in the U.K?
by Icefish on Nov 29, 2009 7:29 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Sydney is 11 hours ahead of GMT..
The show is supposed to be starting at 2pm, so the show starts at 10pm in the US, so we’re going to end up watching it at 3am as usual. Thanks a lot UFC, for taking away the biggest fights involving British fighters and messing around with the local start time of a foreign card to suit the North American audience, so we have to watch the show at an inconvenient time as usual. We feel so priviledged Zuffa.
by David W-S on Nov 29, 2009 7:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
George is going to get his ass beat
Joe Daddy wins this decisively.
by Lester The Pimp on Nov 29, 2009 8:36 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Respectfully disagree
George is seriously skilled, dont sleep on him.
Not sure who will win (leaning towards George though) but in no way will George get his “ass beat”.
by WallyBallz on Nov 29, 2009 2:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
good stuff
George has been great in the bigs for a while now. He was great on the show also. Big break for him if he wins. Title shot in the near future.
by ElStIkO on Nov 29, 2009 10:26 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
George can definitely take this
George is an animal. The only way I see him losing is getting takin down and layed on just like Joe-daddy did to diaz. Joe is NOT gonna submit George seeing as Aoki didnt submit him in the round+ that they fought. I’d like to see George take this just bc i dont see daddy doin anything in this division other than gatekeeping
by TimTebow on Nov 29, 2009 12:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
This fight
will have good pace and lots of action, should be a good one.
by HEELHOOK on Nov 29, 2009 3:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
d'oh!
off the top of my head I thought of 20 guys at 55 & 70 (the 2 classes in which GS has fought) with better ground
start w/the obvious: GSP BJ Fitch KFlo Aoki Shaolin JZ Alvarez KOS Shields Galvao also Serra both Diazes Sherk Hughes (even at this stage of his career) as well as guys like Din & John Hendricks
Joe’s BJJ is good. He is a Robert Drysdale BlackBelt. He has a judo blackbelt too & wrestled plenty So enuf about the ground
Jackson’s training Joe. AND Joe is just so much stronger.
Joe already beat 4 guys who could take GS: Tibau, Diaz, Fisher, Kurt.
AOKI fight was a WAR? He hung on & did nothing for 5 min … Aoki went for heels, knees & ankles … in RD. 2 he kicked Aoki in the nuts at the bell
Since then has beaten nobody, 2 guys who were never were really in the UFC but fought him b/c of TUF then Dent & Roop … one of those guys just cut to 135
Guy trains hard & will have a packed arena going crazy but joe has been fighting since he was 16, he is not getting rattled
Silva figures if George somehow wins he is a national hero & if not once a yr UFC goes to Oz the fans still root for him
by wandaxe on Jan 23, 2010 2:30 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
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