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UFC 116: George Sotiropolous vs. Kurt Pellegrino
2021-07-06

The two lightweights will make for an interesting fight on July 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Both are small, of course. Kurt Pellegrino, a native of New Jersey, measures in at just 5 foot 8 and 155 pounds. George Sotiropolous, a native of Australia, also weighs in at 155 pounds but owns a two-inch height advantage at 5 foot 10. The two are also similarly aged.

Sotiropolous, nicknamed “The Wizard of Oz”, has little training in wrestling but learned from some of the best MMA fighters in the field of Brazilian ju-jitsu, much to the joy of UFC betting.

Pellegrino, on the other hand, has an extensive wrestling background but is also trained in Brazilian ju-jitsu. The two are each fairly new to the world of UFC, as Pellegrino first fought for the UFC in UFC 61 but didn’t earn his first win until UFC 64, and Sotiropolous first fought for the UFC in an April 2008 Fight Night event in which he TKO’ed Roman Mitichyan.

Each of the two fighters’ overall MMA records are very solid, with Pellegrino holding a 21-4 overall record and Sotiropolous’ record a pristine 12-2.

They have never fought against each other, but the two fighters’ recent records can go a long way toward determining who should be expected to win this bout.

The thing is, they both have been very efficient in the Octagon of late. Since he beat Mitichyan in 2008, Sotiropolous has not lost a UFC bout, beating his last three opponents — George Roop, Jason Dent and Joe Stevenson.

Pellegrino has won his last four fights, dating back to September 2008. Two of those victories came by the same form of submission, a rear naked choke that has become a specialty of Pellegrino’s.

In Pellegrino’s ten-match UFC career, only three fights have gone the full final minutes — and he’s won two of them. Only one of Sotiropolous’ four bouts have gone the distance.

So what can you expect out of the fight when Sotiropolous and Pellegrino meet on July 3? Two things. One, Pellegrino will attempt to wrestle his way out of everything Sotiropolous attempts. He has proven — especially in his fight against Josh “The Dentist” Neer last year — that he can withstand damage and outlast fighters, even when his effort is questionable as it was during that fight. And two, Sotiropolous will attempt just about everything, as he typically does in his bouts. The Australian fighter is just about as well-rounded as they come in UFC, and if past fights mean anything, it’s likely he will be able to find something that neutralizes Pellegrino’s wrestling and ju-jitsu focus.

Essentially, expect the two fighters to be abnormally well-prepared to face each other, and expect Pellegrino to do his best to outsmart Sotiropolous, but Sotiropolous may just be the favorite because of his ability to pull a variety of moves out of his bag of tricks.

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The second matchup of UFC 116 on July 3, 2010 will be an enticing battle between 33-year-old wunderkind Wanderlei Silva and 34-year-old Japanese middleweight and judo-master Yoshihiro Akiyama. UFC betting is keeping a close on these two older fighters.

Both fighters are aging, but each of them is more than capable of providing exciting action in the ring. Silva will turn 34 on the day of the fight, but here’s what else to look for in the battle between Silva and Akiyama.

Five years ago, Silva was at the top of his game, manhandling every fighter in PrideFC. But when he switched to UFC a while back, the transition didn’t go so well. Silva has now won only two of his last seven battles in the Octagon and only one of his six before he beat Michael Bisping at UFC 110.

The one win came by virtue of a first-round knockout of Keith Jardine in May 2008, but Silva lost battles to fighters including Chuck Liddell, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and Rich Franklin. Silva’s record is a solid 32-10-1.

As for Akiyama, he hasn’t lost in five years. His last loss came in 2005 to Jerome LeBanner, and his current record is a sparkling 13-1.

UFC president Dana White only announced this fight after Silva beat Bisping, but he will be glad he did. Silva and Akiyama will give the fans something to be excited about before Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin later that night.

In February, White said that the battle would not just be looked forward to by fans but also by the actual fighters.

“Akiyama wants to fight Wanderlei very bad,” White said.

But instead of this battle being held in Japan — as was speculated to be a possibility by some media members and fans because of Akiyama’s roots and his known wishes to hold a fight there at some point — it will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas as a precursor to the Lesnar v. Carwin matchup.

Who can you expect to win?

That depends on what kind of style you expect to prevail. Will it be Silva’s frantic style, adjusting to a new weight class at 185 pounds? Or will it be Akiyama’s calm and calculated judo-style that prevails?

Keep in mind that Silva will be more powerful than Akiyama. Silva typically weighs more than 200 for UFC fights while Akiyama has made his living at 185.  That may mean that Silva won’t be as powerful as usual, but it will also likely mean that his stamina will be longer than usual — and that is a very good thing for Silva.

If the fight ends in a knockout, look for Silva to be the winner. If it goes the distance, look for Akiyama to win, as it’s unlikely that Silva’s questionable ability to defend himself from kicks will last him throughout the fight.

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