UFC 123 REVIEW: GEORGE SOTIROPOULOS VS. JOE LAUZON

Crazy. That's one way this fight could be described. Back and forth incredibly fast striking, nonstop scrambles on the ground, and, at least for me, a very surprising ending. I'm a big fan of both of these fighters and feel that they are true top prospects that will eventually get title shots. I predicted that Lauzon would take this, though. Both look to be about equal on the ground, but I figured that Lauzon has the faster, crisper boxing and footwork, and would be able to outmatch Sotiropoulos that way.

ROUND 1

Lauzon's game plan is apparently to keep the fight standing and knock Sotiropoulos out. Sotiropoulos, meanwhile, wants to transition to a takedown via his own boxing and submit Lauzon.

George Sotiropoulos gains top position over Joe Lauzon

Lauzon seems to be the one executing his game plan more successfully, though. He's faster and lighter on his feet and his takedown defense seems perfect.

Near the end of the round, though, Lauzon takes Sotipoulos' bait and follows him to the ground, where George attains the dominant position and eventually gets his back.

Lauzon defends very well throughout, though, and not only manages to defend and escape all the submission attempts thrown at him, but even manages to reverse Sotiropoulos and get in some quick, clean elbows from the top position, just as the bell rings. The first round definitely belonged to Joe Lauzon.

ROUND 2

George Sotiropoulos attempts to submit Joe Lauzon

Oddly enough, Joe Lauzon seems to have gassed himself out after the first round. He comes out not only throwing less strikes, but also defending less. Compared to how he looked in the first round, he might as well have been moving in slow motion this time.

Sotiropoulos, meanwhile, kept his pace constant, and managed to successfully transition to a takedown with his strikes, get Lauzon to the ground and gain the dominant position.

From here, it was just a matter of time. There was no second wind, and no comeback of any sort for Joe Lauzon on this night. Sotiropoulos gets hold of an arm and locks in a Kimura, forcing Lauzon to tap.

FINAL THOUGHTS

My predictions were correct, at least for the first round. I never in a million years would have thought that Joe Lauzon would gas in the second round, though. If he kept up his pace, he would have easily taken the fight. Not to take away anything from Sotiropoulos, though, who turned in yet another magnificent performance, which resulted in a well-deserved Fight of the Night bonus, and maintains his unbeaten winning streak in the UFC. He'll definitely get a title shot in the near future, which I can't wait to see!

Check out more amazing photos of UFC 123 at the official UFC website!