"He was in his home town for the first time and he stepped up tonight, and I tell you, I'm proud of him. He was amazing. He didn't just beat Joe Stevenson, he dominated Joe Stevenson. All the judges had 30-27 [on their scorecards]. He just catapulted himself right into the mix. If he continues to improve like that, I wouldn't be surprised to see him fighting for a title in the next year. To go in there and beat Joe Stevenson, and to do what he did tonight is huge and very promising."
-- UFC President Dana White gushes over the dominating performance of George Sotiropoulos at UFC 110: "Nogueira vs. Velasquez," which took place in front of raucus hometown crowd in Sydney, Australia. Sotiropoulos was an early favorite to win The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 6, but never reached his full potential, getting stopped by eventual tournament runner up, Tommy Speer, in the semifinals. The 32-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt was plagued with injuries shortly thereafter, taking (and winning) just one fight in 2008. He managed to fight twice the following year (both wins) and now has one under his belt in early 2010. If Sotiropoulos can stay busy, is he top-level enough to one day contend for a 155-pound title or is the lightweight gauntlet just too top daunting for him to ever earn that status?
Quote transcript via SMH.com.au
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