Day 11 – 12/11/10
Day 10 – 12/10/10
Day 9 – 12/9/10
Day 8 – 12/8/10
Day 7 – 12/7/10
Day 6 – 12/6/10
Day 5 – 12/5/10
Day 4 – 12/4/10
Day 3 – 12/3/10
Day 2 – 12/2/10
Day 1 – 12/1/10
14. George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Stevenson
When it happened – UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez (February 20, 2010)
In my opinion, this fight put George Sotiropoulos on the UFC Lightweight Division map. I’ve been a fan of the Australian Lightweight since around the time that he fought Kyle Noke. As a matter of fact, that was when I firmly jumped on both guys band wagon (which leads me into a long winded story about my bias for Kyle Noke during his stint on TUF 11. Some other time, maybe).
A few of my friends are pretty casual UFC fans and at the time had no idea who George Sotiropoulos was. By the time his fight with Joe Stevenson came to an end, he gained the respect of those fans. The fight was an entertaining fifteen minute war, that at least at that moment, made me a firm believer in the rubber-guard and 10th Planet Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I had never seen anyone use it so effectively in the UFC.
Since February, Sotiropoulos has continued to tear through his opponents including Kurt Pellegrino and Joe Lauzon. However, the fighter who firmly welcomed Sotiropoulos as his first tough test in the UFC will always be Joe Stevenson. Once again, this is another fight that you need to see if you haven’t already.
