George Sotiropoulos (born 9 July 1977) is an Australian former professional mixed martial artist who most notably fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in their Lightweight division. He is well known for appearing as a fighter on the TV show The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra, fighting on Team Serra and as the coach for Team Australia on The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes.
Background
Sotiropoulos grew up in Geelong, Victoria, changing schools multiple times due to occasional physical altercations he got into. Despite the scuffles, Sotiropoulos fared well in his studies and got his associate's diploma in international trade from Victoria University, Melbourne. Subsequently, he graduated with bachelor's degree in banking and finance, and international trade in 2001.
Sotiropoulos began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 1997 at the age of 19, and was promoted to black belt in 2004. In 2003 and 2007, he represented Australia in the Submission Wrestling World Championships. Sotiropoulos has also competed in amateur boxing, and in 2004, won a Victorian State Amateur Boxing Championship.
Mixed martial arts career
Prior to his MMA career in the UFC, Sotiropoulos trained with veteran UFC and PRIDE fighter Enson Inoue. The two met during a winning bout Sotiropoulos had with Sergio Lourenço in Guam. He has remained affiliated with Enson Inoue's Purebred gyms throughout his career since then.
Following his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra, Sotiropoulos moved to Long Island, NY to train at with Matt Serra Sotiropoulos then relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada, and trained at Xtreme Couture. During this time period he also trained at 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu with Eddie Bravo.
Early career
Sotiropoulos made his professional debut in 2004 against fellow Australian Gavin Murie, in which Sotiropoulos was able to win via armbar submission in the first round. He went on to win two more fights until his first career loss via split decision to 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 in 2007.
The Ultimate Fighter
Sotiropoulos defeated Jared Rollins in the first round of the competition by KO. He went on to defeat Richie Hightower in the quarterfinals via submission due to a kimura. Sotiropoulos was then defeated by Tom Speer in the semi-finals by knockout, shortly after an accidental thumb to the eye.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Sotiropoulos defeated Billy Miles at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs Team Serra Finale via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:36 of the first round.
Sotiropoulos defeated Roman Mitichyan at UFC Fight Night 13 on 2 April 2008 by TKO in the second round.
He was scheduled to fight judoka Karo Parisyan at UFC 87, however Sotiropoulos was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Sotiropoulos was then expected to face Matt Grice at UFC Fight Night 17, but was forced to withdraw due to another injury and was replaced by Matt Veach.
Move down to lightweight
After an 18-month break in his career, Sotiropoulos switched weight classes, and was expected to face Rob Emerson at UFC 101 on 8 August 2009. However, Emerson withdrew from the bout due to a cut and was replaced by George Roop. During the bout, he showcased his high level grappling skills, passing Roop's guard with ease. Sotiropoulos eventually forced the tap out with a kimura lock in the second round.
Sotiropoulos defeated Ultimate Fighter 9 alumni Jason Dent in the second round via armbar submission on 21 November 2009, at UFC 106. In a post-fight interview following the win, Sotiropoulos stated his desire to compete at the UFC 110 card, in Sydney, Australia. Sotiropoulos' wish was granted and faced Joe Stevenson on 21 February 2010 at UFC 110. Making his first appearance on the main card of a UFC pay-per-view event, Sotiropoulos improved to 5–0 in the UFC as he defeated Stevenson via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) in a dominant performance, prompting Dana White 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.
Sotiropoulos fought Kurt Pellegrino at UFC 116 on 3 July 2010, and won by a commanding unanimous decision.