The worst thing about being a fighter is that there are no second chances. A loss is forever engraved on your record. No ounce of blood, pain or hard work can wipe it away. George Sotiropoulos’ last bout was a loss he wasn’t meant to have. UFC 132 gives him another shot.
The weeks and months following a fight are the worst.
Days go by where you replay the fight over and over in your head, critiquing every punch, every round, every move, remembering the moments that ultimately cost you in the end.
What hurts the most is that you can’t do anything about it.
You have all the answers now, but you didn’t have them when you needed them the most.
George Sotiropoulos is a man wishing he could have his time over. He’d love to right the wrongs and eradicate his latest loss from his record.
The best solution for any fighter is simply to get in there and do it all over again. That exactly what George Sotiropoulos has wasted little time doing.
There’s that old saying in the fight game: “You’re only as good as your last fight”. It is a saying that doesn’t do Sotiropoulos justice.
His last fight, against Denis Siver at UFC 127 in Sydney, was his first loss since 2006, and first since entering the UFC.
Prior to his fight with Siver, he was seemingly just a win or two away from finally securing a shot at the UFC Lightweight Title, having disposed of everyone the UFC had placed before him.
Some even argued they had made him wait too long, how he deserved a shot long ago. Long before Siver.
Yet now, after the loss, he finds himself on the outskirts of the title picture. Sotiropoulos is fighting on the preliminary card, not even on the main card that the Pay Per View audience will see.
The move to the preliminary card would have to hurt.
It was only in his last fight that he was the brightest name on the marquee. He was the hometown boy fighting in front of a sold out, Acer Arena in his home of Australia.
He was the man everyone came to see.
You get the sense when interviewing him that he doesn’t like talking about the Siver fight, and that he can’t wait to get in the cage at UFC 132 and change everyone’s thinking.
Whilst he is calm and methodical in his answers, an eagerness to tear Dos Anjos apart wouldn’t surprise.
He bristles at my question on whether he would follow Kenny Florian to Featherweight if title opportunities continue to evade him.
My question isn’t a sign of disrespect or indication of where I have him in the lightweight scene, but merely something I think is a good idea for fighters to consider in avoiding the log jam to the lightweight title, given the anonyminity of the Featherweight fighters.
But he is calm, and answers my question comfortably, saying “no chance” and that such a move would be “a little extreme”.
You sense his outlook on things hasn’t changed from not being given a title shot before his loss to Siver. His outlook showed in his actions, as if saying: “They won’t give me a shot. So I’ll go through everyone they put in front of me until they do.”
A move to Featherweight or back to Welterweight is not how George Sotiropoulos operates. That would be the easy way out.
George Sotiropoulos didn’t travel around the world to learn his craft, from flat broke sleeping on floors in dubious places, to then take the shortcut to the UFC belt.
The road back to the title starts at UFC 132 against Rafael Dos Anjos.
Whilst you’re sure he is looking to the future, he is definitely not looking past Dos Anjos.
Sotiropoulos defines Dos Anjos is one word: tough.
George says of Dos Anjos: “He has got great ground skills, very good stand-up skills; I mean he is tough as hell. I don’t think his UFC record does him justice and with that being said I see it being a tough fight.
“I’ve prepared for every aspect, I’ve prepared for his stand-up, I’ve prepared for his takedowns, I’ve perfected takedowns and I’m prepared in my grappling, I really think this fight will be fought in every area, we are both well rounded, we both work well in all positions and in all ranges of the fight game and that’s where I think the fight will take place, I think it will take place everywhere.”
We have seen how timing can work for fighters in the fight game.
Shane Carwin showed it best when he stepped into a number one contenders fight against Junior Dos Santos, following Brock Lesnar’s withdrawal.
Often in the fight world, memories are short term. People remember what you have done lately, your past just makes up the numbers. “You’re only as good as your last fight”
At UFC 132, if George Sotiropoulos can shake up the lightweight division, there will be no question that he is a title contender once again.
[Full transcript of The Roar’s interview with George Sotiropoulos]
Adam Santarossa for The Roar: George you are just about a week and a half from UFC 132, how has your training camp been in the lead up to this fight?
George Sotiropoulos(GS): – It’s fine. It’s gone really well. Obviously I have progressed really well through my training, and I’m exactly where I need to be. Honestly, it couldn’t be any better.
Leonard, my boxing coach has done a tremendous job organising everything and doing a great job with the training and I’ve had an outstanding training.
The Roar: You were originally meant to take on Evan Dunham but he pulled out with injury. Has his withdrawal changed anything in terms of your preparation for the fight?
GS: It didn’t change things too much. Obviously there are some subtle differences between the two fighters, but also they have some similarities in that they are both southpaw, which made things a lot easier in that the guys I was training with were southpaw.
You know, I’ve got good wrestlers training with me and good grapplers. Really good boxing, as well. So I’ve had great preparation going into this fight.
Roar: There are people talking in the sport that there is an “injury crisis”, with Dunham pulling out of your fight and Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez both being injured. Is it an injury crisis or just the nature of the fight game?
GS: Definitely the nature of the fight game. An injury crisis is a little harsh. It’s like a media screaming outrage. It’s really not a crisis. There is an event on every month and sometimes there are two or three events every month.
With that being the case, obviously fighters are going to have to be active and because they’re so active, these things happen. It’s such a multi-faceted sport where we are grappling, kicking, wrestling, punching … our bodies are being worked to the limit. That’s the reason why there are injuries. But saying there are stacks of injuries is just stupid.
I mean, there are times where there are more injuries than others and that’s always going to be the case. That’s never going to change. It’s always going to be a factor in the sport.
It’s happened to me twice. I’ve had to pull out of two fights through injury, and hopefully that’s the last. If you can’t deal with the consequences of being an athlete, then don’t do it. It’s been written in history books.
If you want to go to the Olympics, you may get hurt, you may get thrown, and maybe when you get through all that, then maybe you can compete. It’s simply part of it.
Roar: Your most recent fight against Denis Siver at UFC 127 in Sydney was your first loss since October 2006, and your first in the UFC (not counting The Ultimate Fighter). How has that affected things? What are you working on following that fight?
GS: In this sport, you have to work on everything, you can’t just work on one aspect at the expense of another. It doesn’t work that way. You have to have a holistic approach; you can’t work on solely just one thing. But obviously, it raised some problems and highlighted some problems and I have made adjustments in my training to address these problems.
Roar: How do you see the fight with Rafael Dos Anjos going? I mean, he is coming off a loss against Clay Guide and he hasn’t fought since August of last year. What are you preparing for?
GS: Well, he’s tough. He has got great ground skills, very good stand-up skills. He is tough as hell. I don’t think his UFC record does him justice, and with that being said, I see it being a tough fight.
Roar: The lightweight division is a log jam at the moment, with Maynard-Edgar, Clay Guida, and Anthony Pettis. Firstly, where do you see yourself in the division, and secondly, has Dana White given you any indication as to where you figure in title calculations?
GS: No, he hasn’t. I don’t have a personal relationship with Dana White. Obviously I see him at the events, but he is a busy man. I still see myself up there with the best of them in the division and in the sport. And the last fight, I don’t think set me too far behind or back despite the result.
Roar: Kenny Florian dropped down to Featherweight, citing the long queue for the big fights in the lightweight division. Is this something you would consider, if indeed you are able to given you have fought as a Welterweight?
GS: No, that’s a little extreme. My last fight was a close fight, if you take away those two drops in the first round. I definitely won round two and round three could have gone either way, so the fight could have been a draw or split decision. And it could have gone my way.
I think it’s a little extreme to make the drop, I don’t think I could even make that weight and I wouldn’t really consider it, either.
Roar: Can you give us a prediction for your fight at UFC 132. How do you see the fight going?
GS: I don’t know. I’ve prepared for every aspect, I’ve prepared for his stand-up; I’ve prepared for his takedowns; I’ve perfected takedowns; and I’m prepared in my grappling. I really think this fight will be fought in every area. We are both well rounded, we both work well in all positions, and in all ranges of the fight game. And that’s where I think the fight will take place. I think it will take place everywhere.
Thanks for your time George and all the best at UFC 132
GS: Thank you. Good talking to you.
George Sotiropoulos’ UFC 132 fight will be on Channel ONE from 10am Sunday as part of their Preliminary fight coverage – with the Main Event from 11am
Let’s get ready to rumble! Pick a fighter and place your bets with PlayUp for great odds. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Nikita Tszyu defended his Australian super welterweight crown. But a fightback from opponent Danilo Creati threatened to spoil everything in the sixth round.
Nikita Tszyu has overcome a nasty mid-fight moment to score a unanimous points win over Danilo Creati and retain his Australian super welterweight title…
A bloodied Tim Tszyu has been cruelly denied in his quest to emulate his legendary father Kostya and become a unified world boxing champion…
Liam Wilson has suffered further heartbreak in Arizona, the Australian boxer losing his super-featherweight world-title fight against Mexican Oscar Valdez. In front of a…
Tim Tszyu has the chance to emulate his legendary father as a unified world boxing champion after the stakes were dramatically raised for his…
Australia's Alexander Volkanovski has lost his UFC featherweight title to Ilia Topuria, with the Spaniard scoring a stunning second round knockout in the main…
