George Sotiropoulos - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

George Sotiropoulos is an Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n mixed martial artist

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

who is currently fighting in the UFC in the lightweight

Lightweight (MMA)

The lightweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:* The UFC & Strikeforce lightweight division with upper limit at 155 lb...

division. He is well known for appearing as a fighter on the TV show The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra
The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra
The Ultimate Fighter 6: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra is the sixth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter, and premiered on September 19, 2007 on Spike TV, after UFC Fight Night 11. This season features only welterweight fighters...

, fighting on Team Serra

Matt Serra

Matthew John Serra is an American mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion and an ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship silver medalist. He began practicing martial arts at an early age, first studying kung fu...

. Sotiropoulos holds notable wins over Joe Stevenson

Joe Stevenson

Joseph Christopher Stevenson is an American mixed martial artist fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada. Competing as a welterweight, he won The Ultimate Fighter 2 welterweight tournament. Stevenson fought most of his UFC career as a lightweight, and made his featherweight debut at UFC Live: Kongo vs....

, Kurt Pellegrino

Kurt Pellegrino

Kurt Joseph Pellegrino is a retired American mixed martial artist. He is best known for competing in the lightweight division of the UFC. Pellegrino's first fight in the UFC came in 2006...

, Joe Lauzon

Joe Lauzon

Joseph E. Lauzon Jr. is an American mixed martial artist from Brockton, Massachusetts. He currently lives in Massachusetts and is training at Lauzon MMA in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.-Early life and background:...

and Kyle Noke

Kyle Noke

Kyle Noke is an Australian professional mixed martial artist who currently fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Noke has also fought for EliteXC and the Australian fighting promotion Spartan Reality Fight...

Background

Sotiropoulos began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...

in 1997. He was promoted to black belt in 2004. In 2003 and 2007, he represented Australia in the Submission Wrestling World Championships. He has also competed in amateur boxing, and in 2004, won a Victorian State

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

Amateur boxing

Amateur boxing is practised at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, and in many other venues sponsored by amateur boxing associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration and fighters wear head protection, so this type of competition prizes point-scoring rather...

title. Prior to his MMA career in the UFC, George Sotiropoulos trained with veteran UFC and Pride Fighting Championship fighter Enson Inoue

Enson Inoue

Enson Inoue is a Japanese American mixed martial artist. He has a professional MMA record of 12-8-0. He is a former Shooto Heavyweight Champion. He had also previously fought in Pride Fighting Championships, the biggest mixed martial arts organization at the time...

. The two met during a winning bout Sotiropoulos had with Sergio Lourenço in Guam

Guam

Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

. He has remained affiliated with Enson Inoue

Enson Inoue

's Purebred gyms throughout his career since then.

Following his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra
The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra
The Ultimate Fighter 6: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra is the sixth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter, and premiered on September 19, 2007 on Spike TV, after UFC Fight Night 11. This season features only welterweight fighters...

, Sotiropoulos moved to Long Island, NY to train at Serra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Matt Serra

. George Sotiropoulos then relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

and trained at Xtreme Couture. During this time period he also trained at 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu

10th planet jiu-jitsu

10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu is a non-traditional style of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu developed by Eddie Bravo. The characteristics that distinguish it from traditional grappling are its strong focus on alternative and unconventional techniques, and its foundations without using a gi...

with Eddie Bravo

Eddie Bravo

Eddie Bravo is a Mexican-American practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who holds a second degree black belt under Jean-Jacques Machado...

. He relocated in 2009 and is currently training at an Enson Inoue

Enson Inoue

Purebred affiliate, Fisticuffs Gym located in Vancouver, Washington

Vancouver, Washington

Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...

.

In a UFC published article spotlighting Sotiropoulos, he is quoted that the reason for the move was to train with his boxing coach, Leonard Gabriel. In addition, Sotiropoulos trains his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with Impact Jiu Jitsu in Beaverton, Oregon. There, his main training partners include Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belts and Grappler's Quest champions Michael Chapman, Keisuke Andrew and Armand Debruge.

His wrestling coach is former Wisconsin All-American wrestler Eric Jetton, a BJJ Black Belt who can be found cornering his fights. Sotiropoulos is considered to be one of the best Australian fighters since Jeff Fenech

Jeff Fenech

Jeff Fenech is a retired Australian boxer and a three-time world champion who is now a boxing trainer.-Boxing career:...

Early career

Sotiropoulos made his Mixed Martial Arts debut in 2004 against fellow Australian MMA fighter Gavin Murie, in which George was able to win via Armbar in the first round. He went on to win two more fights until his first career loss to Kyle Noke

Kyle Noke

in 2005, one year later he was able to avenge his first loss by defeating Noke by Unanimous Decision. Sotiropoulos went on to have a 7-2 record in small MMA organizations, until he was invited to participate in The Ultimate Fighter

The Ultimate Fighter

The Ultimate Fighter is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts competition produced by Spike TV and the Ultimate Fighting Championship , and soon to be shown on FX. The show features unknown, professional MMA fighters living together in Las Vegas, Nevada, and follows them as...

in 2007.

The Ultimate Fighter

Sotiropoulos defeated Jared Rollins

Jared Rollins

Jared Rollins is an American professional mixed martial artist. He was formerly a fighter on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra, fighting on Team Hughes. He received his brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the São Paulo based lotus club jiu-jitsu camp and black belt professor...

in the first round of the competition by KO. He went on to defeat Richie Hightower

Richie Hightower

Richie Hightower is an American mixed martial artist. He was a fighter on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra, fighting on Team Serra....

in the quarterfinals via submission due to a kimura. Sotiropoulos was then defeated by Tommy Speer

Tommy Speer

Tommy Speer is an American professional mixed martial artist. He received national exposure on The Ultimate Fighter 6: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra, fighting as a member of Team Hughes.-The Ultimate Fighter:...

in the semi-finals by knockout, shortly after an accidental thumb to the eye.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Sotiropoulos defeated Billy Miles

Billy Miles

Billy Miles is an American mixed martial artist who appeared on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra, fighting on Team Hughes.-Ultimate Fighter:...

at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra

The Ultimate Fighter 6: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra is the sixth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter, and premiered on September 19, 2007 on Spike TV, after UFC Fight Night 11. This season features only welterweight fighters...

Finale via submission (rear naked choke

Rear naked choke

The Rear naked choke is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. Depending on the context, the term may refer to one of two variations of the technique, either arm can be used to apply the choke in both cases...

) at 1:36 in round 1. Sotiropoulos defeated Roman Mitichyan

Roman Mitichyan

Roman Mitichyan is an Armenian-American professional mixed martial artist HyeFighter, actor and stuntman. He briefly appeared on Spike TV's reality show The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs...

at UFC Fight Night 13

UFC Fight Night 13

UFC Fight Night: Florian vs Lauzon referred to by the media as UFC Fight Night 13 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 2, 2008 at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colorado. The event was a lead-in to the premiere of The Ultimate Fighter 7 on...

on 2 April 2008 by TKO in the second round.

He was scheduled to fight Karo Parisyan

Karo Parisyan

Karapet Parisyan is an Armenian-American mixed martial artist. From his days as a UFC mainstay Karo holds notable wins over Ryo Chonan, Shonie Carter, Drew Fickett, Matt Serra, Nick Thompson, Chris Lytle, Nick Diaz and Antonio McKee.- Early life:...

at UFC 87

UFC 87

UFC 87: Seek and Destroy was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 9, 2008, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Background:...

, however Sotiropoulos was forced to withdraw due to injury. He was then to face Matt Grice at UFC Fight Night 17, but was again forced to withdraw due to injury. After an 18 month break in his career, he switched weight classes, winning his 155 lb debut at UFC 101 on 8 August 2009 against George Roop

George Roop

George H. Roop is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He was a cast member of SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir, winning his preliminary and first round fights...

. He showed his Jiu Jitsu skills and passed Roop's guard with ease, eventually getting the kimura lock in the second round; making Roop tap out.

Sotiropoulos defeated Ultimate Fighter 9 alumni Jason Dent

Jason Dent

Jason William Dent is an American mixed martial artist. The Lightweight competitor has held several regional championships, most recently he won the IFBL Welterweight Championship. He runs the GriffonRawl MMA Academy in Mentor, Ohio, and previously hosted an MMA oriented radio talk show on WWGK...

in the second round by armbar on 21 November 2009, at UFC 106

UFC 106

UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 21, 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.-Background:...

. In a post-fight interview following the win, Sotiropoulos stated his desire to compete at the UFC 110

UFC 110

UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday, 21 February 2010 in Sydney, Australia, at the Acer Arena. The event marked the UFC's first trip to Australia. The main card was scheduled for 2:00 pm Sunday in Sydney to cater...

card, in Sydney, Australia. Sotiropoulos' wish was granted and faced Joe Stevenson

Joe Stevenson

on 21 February 2010 at UFC 110

UFC 110

.

Making his first appearance on the main card of a UFC pay-per-view event, Sotiropolous improved to 5–0 in the UFC as he defeated Joe Stevenson

Joe Stevenson

via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) in a dominant performance, prompting Dana White

Dana White

Dana White is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship , a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.- Biography :...

to say that Sotiropoulos was "in the mix" for a title shot. The fight earned Sotiropoulos his first "Fight of the Night" award in the UFC.

Sotiropolous fought Kurt Pellegrino

Kurt Pellegrino

Kurt Joseph Pellegrino is a retired American mixed martial artist. He is best known for competing in the lightweight division of the UFC. Pellegrino's first fight in the UFC came in 2006...

at UFC 116

UFC 116

UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 3, 2010 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States...

in July 2010, and won by a commanding unanimous decision. Sotiropolous then faced Joe Lauzon

Joe Lauzon

on 20 November 2010 at UFC 123

UFC 123

UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 20, 2010 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan...

. Sotiropoulos survived a fast start by his opponent, thus gassing Lauzon in one round, and allowing George to dominate the next round, winning by kimura in the 2nd round in a bout that won Fight of the Night honors. The win pushed Sotiropoulos to a perfect 7-0 record in the UFC and established him as one the top contenders for the UFC lightweight championship.

Sotiropoulos was defeated by Dennis Siver

Dennis Siver

Dennis D. Siver ; born January 13, 1979) is a Russian-German mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of July 2011, Siver is ranked as the #8 lightweight fighter in the world by MMAWeekly...

via unanimous decision at UFC 127

UFC 127

UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday, 27 February 2011 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. Due to the time zone difference it aired live on Saturday, 26 February in North America...

. Sotiropoulos was unable to take the fight to the ground and was forced to strike with the German kickboxing champion Siver. The loss setback Sotiropoulos' chances of a title shot.

Sotiropoulos was expected to face Evan Dunham

Evan Dunham

Evan Dunham is an American mixed martial artist who currently fights for Ultimate Fighting Championship in their lightweight division...

on 2 July 2011 at UFC 132

UFC 132

UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.-Background:UFC 132 was originally set to feature a rematch between B.J...

. However, Dunham was forced out of the bout with an injury, and replaced by Rafael dos Anjos

Rafael dos Anjos

Rafael dos Anjos is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. Dos Anjos trains out of Evolve MMA in Brazil and Singapore and is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under Aldo "Caveirinha" Januario de Olivera...

. Sotiropoulos was knocked out just 59 seconds into the first round.

Sotiropoulos is expected to face Takanori Gomi

Takanori Gomi

, is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Gomi is a former Shooto Welterweight Champion and was the last and only Pride Lightweight Champion. He is also a four-time All Japan Combat Wrestling champion. During his time in Pride he was considered...

on February 26, 2012 at UFC 144

UFC 144

UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson is an upcoming mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event is expected to take place on February 26, 2012 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan....

Personal life

Sotiropoulos has a Bachelor of Business in Banking & Finance, Associate Diploma of Business in International Trade from Victoria University

Victoria University, Australia

Victoria University is a multi-sector tertiary institution based in Melbourne, Australia with 10 campuses.VU offers qualifications in higher education, vocational education , and short courses...

in Melbourne, Australia. Prior to competing in mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

, he worked in the finance industry. George married his wife Cliona on 16 August 2009, in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. He currently resides in Vancouver, Washington

Vancouver, Washington

Mixed martial arts record

|-
|Loss
|align=center|14-4
|

Rafael dos Anjos

|KO (punch)
|UFC 132

UFC 132

Las Vegas, Nevada

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|14-3
|

Dennis Siver

| Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 127

UFC 127

|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Sydney, Australia
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|14-2
|

Joe Lauzon

| Submission (kimura)
|UFC 123

UFC 123

Auburn Hills, Michigan

Auburn Hills is a city in Metro Detroit, Oakland County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 census. The city was formed in 1983 when Pontiac Township became the City of Auburn Hills.-Economy:...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

| Fight of the Night
|-
|Win
|align=center|13-2
|

Kurt Pellegrino

Kurt Joseph Pellegrino is a retired American mixed martial artist. He is best known for competing in the lightweight division of the UFC. Pellegrino's first fight in the UFC came in 2006...

| Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 116

UFC 116

UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 3, 2010 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States...

Las Vegas, Nevada

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|12-2
|

Joe Stevenson

|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 110

UFC 110

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, Australia

Australia

| Fight of the Night
|-
|Win
|align=center|11-2
|

Jason Dent

|Submission (armbar)
|UFC 106

UFC 106

UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 21, 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.-Background:...

Las Vegas, Nevada

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|10-2
|

George Roop

|Submission (kimura)
|UFC 101

UFC 101

UFC 101: Declaration was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|9-2
|

Roman Mitichyan

Roman Mitichyan is an Armenian-American professional mixed martial artist HyeFighter, actor and stuntman. He briefly appeared on Spike TV's reality show The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs...

Broomfield, Colorado

The City and County of Broomfield is a prominent suburb and tier of the Denver metropolitan area in the State of Colorado of the United States. Broomfield has a consolidated city and county government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|8-2
|

Billy Miles

Billy Miles is an American mixed martial artist who appeared on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra, fighting on Team Hughes.-Ultimate Fighter:...

Las Vegas, Nevada

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|7-2
|

Shinya Aoki

is a Japanese mixed martial artist, grappler, and former police trainee who is noted for being the DREAM Lightweight Champion and former Shooto Middleweight Champion. Aoki holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Yuki Nakai, as well as a black belt in judo. He is one of the most prominent...

|DQ (groin strike)
|Shooto

Shooto

Shooto is a mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the Shooto Association and the International Shooto Commission. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, as an organization and as a particular fighting system derived from shoot wrestling. Practitioners are referred to as shooters,...

|
|align=center|2
|align=center|0:05
|Yokohama, Japan
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|6-1
|

Shigetoshi Iwase
|Decision (unanimous)
|Kokoro: Kill Or Be Killed
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|5:00
|Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|5-1
|

Kyle Noke

|Decision (unanimous)
|Warriors Realm 5
|
|align=center|5
|align=center|5:00
|Sydney, Australia
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|4-1
|

Mangilao, Guam

Mangilao is a village on the eastern shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village's population has increased slightly following the island's 2000 census....

|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|3-1
|

Kyle Noke

|Decision (split)
|Warriors Realm 4
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Sydney, Australia
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|3-0
|

Gold Coast, Queensland

Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...

, Australia

Australia

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|2-0
|

Kelly Jacobs

Kelly Jacobs is an American writer of paranormal and gay romance. Known for The Dead Heart and other works of romantic fiction concerning gay male characters.- Personal life :...

Southport, Queensland

-Sport:The Southport Sharks Australian rules football club has a presence in the area, including a club and function centre.-Transport:The Broadwaterway is a foreshoreway that encourages pedestrians and cyclists to travel along the Broadwater foreshores of Southport.A ferry terminal is planned for...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1-0
|

Southport, Queensland

External links

Official UFC Profile

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