UFC 127 Fight Card: Will George Sotiropoulos Become the Next MMA Superstar?
George Sotiropoulos will face his toughest test to date at UFC 127 Saturday night when he goes up against Dennis Siver in one of the most anticipated fights on the card.
Sotiropoulos has made quite the name for himself in a pretty short time. He joined UFC in 2007 as a cast member on "The Ultimate Fighter: Hughes vs Serra," and has been an unstoppable force in the lightweight division since that time. He has a perfect 7-0 record, and he has been moving up on the ranks with each victory.
Still, there is a lot that Sotiropoulos has to prove before he can stand alongside Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard atop the UFC lightweight rankings. He can move one step closer to those two with a victory over Siver this weekend.
But can he become a superstar in MMA?
Obviously, the easiest way to become a star is by winning, and Sotriopoulos has been doing that. But it takes a little more to become a superstar, and it remains to be seen if he has all the tools necessary to do that.
We will present five reasons why Sotiropoulos can become a superstar and five reasons he might not, then we will follow that up with a conclusion/prediction on how high his star can soar in this sport.
Reason No. 1 He Will: His Fights Are Exciting
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One of the easiest ways to become a superstar is to put on exciting fights. There have been very few of Sotiropoulos' fights that haven't been exciting. In fact, off the top of my head, I can't think of one of his UFC fights that hasn't been, at the very least, good.
Two of his last three fights have earned him "Fight of the Night" honors. A majority of his fights are decided inside the octagon, not at the judges' table.
Sotiropoulos is one of the more exciting fighters in the lightweight division, and that makes him a prime candidate to become a superstar.
Reason No. 1 He Won't: His Age Could Catch Up To Him
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The prime fighting age for an MMA fighter is much longer than say, that of an NFL or MLB player. So despite the fact that Sotiropoulos is 33, he could just be entering his prime.
However, let's not gloss over the fact that he is 33 years old. Unless he is a Randy Couture-like freak of nature, there is not a lot of time left for Sotiropoulos to maintain his current level of performance.
That's not to say he can't do it, just that it will be more difficult to do it because he will be going up against younger, potentially more athletic guys in the future. The other top lightweight fighters in UFC are Frankie Edgar (29), Gray Maynard (31) and Anthony Pettis (24). If you want to throw Ben Henderson in that mix, he is 27 years old.
So even at 33, he is the elder statesman of the group. That could be a detriment on his rise to superstardom.
Reason No. 2 He Will: The Best BJJ In The Division
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There's something to be said for being the best at something, and there aren't many lightweight fighters that can say that they are better Brazilian Jiu Jitsu artists then George Sotiropoulos.
He holds a black belt in BJJ right now, and he makes damn sure that he uses every bit of it in every single one of his fights.
Don't underestimate the power of Sotiropoulos' BJJ.
Reason No. 2 He Won't: The Lightweight Division Doesn't Have Superstars
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I know pro-wrestling and MMA are two vastly different things, but there is a time-honored tradition in the wrestling business that when the old guy is leaving, past his prime or whatever the case may be, they do a job on the younger guy who will take over their mantle.
While things don't necessarily work that way in MMA because this is a real sport, a superstar can be made by defeating another superstar—just look at what happened to Cain Velasquez after he beat Brock Lesnar.
Who is the superstar of the lightweight division? Frankie Edgar is a great fighter, but people don't pay money to see him. Gray Maynard is almost universally disliked because his fights are "boring." The biggest star in the division is probably Anthony Pettis because of that amazing Matrix kick to Ben Henderson at WEC 53.
There's no one Sotiropoulos can beat that will make him a superstar.
Reason No. 3 He Will: All It Takes Is One Great Performance
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Before you can become a superstar in MMA, you have to lay the foundation by winning some fights. Sotiropoulos has done that already by going undefeated up to this point in his UFC career (7-0).
Now all that he must do is put on one great performance inside the octagon. It doesn't even have to be the best performance of his career, but as long as he looks like a guy who can beat anyone, that will be enough.
If Sotiropoulos goes out on Saturday night and controls Siver, getting him to submit or knocking him out (though the latter is unlikely given his Sotiropoulos' style), he can become an instant superstar.
Reason No. 3 He Won't: He's Not A Great Talker
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One part of being a superstar is having the ability to talk. Sure, not everyone who is a superstar is a great talker,—looking at you Georges St-Pierre—but it certainly doesn't hurt your cause either.
This is the trickiest part of being a superstar because talking is something you are born with—you either have it or you don't.
Sotiropoulos doesn't have it.
In the grand scheme of things, winning and putting on great performances inside the octagon are what make stars, but it's the work you do on a microphone that can make you a superstar.
Reason No. 4 He Will: The Lightweight Division Is Looking For Someone
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Earlier I mentioned the fact that the lightweight division doesn't have any real superstars in the division. That doesn't mean there aren't a number of talented guys in the division, or that one guy can't step up to take control of the division.
Every division should be able to churn out at least one true superstar. Given the exposure these fighters get by fighting for the UFC, the biggest MMA organization in the world, it should be easy to create a superstar. Of course if it were easy, then almost everyone would be a superstar.
This division, while not the deepest in the UFC, does have its share of talent at the top. Why can't Sotiropoulos make the move from very good fighter, to great fighter, to superstar?
Reason No. 4 He Won't: He's Not Naturally Charismatic
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In keeping with the previous "won't" slide, Sotiropoulos just doesn't have the natural charisma people gravitate toward.
Perfect example, look at Jon Jones.
He is in the embryonic stages of his MMA career, but he is already a mega-star. He has done that by winning all of his fights (the DQ loss was a fight he was winning) and being a naturally charismatic personality.
Sotiropoulos is great inside the octagon, but the casual fan doesn't typically get that excited when they see his name on the fight card. If you have to explain to your friends why someone is a great fighter, it's difficult to label them a superstar.
Reason No. 5 He Will: On Talent Alone, He Is Becoming One Of The Best In The Biz
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George Sotiropoulos has as much pure talent as anyone in MMA. I firmly believe that, and I think he will prove that this weekend against Dennis Siver.
He has only been in the UFC for four years, and in that time, no one has been able to stop him. He has put away five of his seven opponents,—four via submission, one via TKO—and in the other two fights, he dominated his opponents for all three rounds.
UFC has started to put him on some of the bigger shows that they do,—his first appearance on the main card of a pay-per-view event was UFC 116, then again at UFC 123—and he has looked very good in both of those fights.
All that is missing is his opportunity against one of the elite fighters in the division. If he wins this weekend, those opportunities will come.
Reason No. 5 He Won't: He Hasn't Proven Himself Against Elite Competition
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When you look at Sotiropoulos' resume there are some nice wins, but not one against anyone you would call an "elite" fighter. In his career, his two biggest wins are against Joe Stevenson and Joe Lauzon. Those two guys are quality fighters, but they aren't guys who make you stand up and take notice.
Even this fight against Dennis Siver is not going to be a fight that makes you stand up and say, "Wow, did you see who George Sotiropoulos just beat?" Now, if he is impressive in victory, that can work wonders for him. But if it's an uninspiring performance, then what will it matter?
UFC 127 is a big night for Sotiropoulos, and with one great performance, he can become one of the top stars in the lightweight division. I believe he can (and will) do it, but there are obvious scenarios where he can come out of the event looking the same as he does now, or possibly worse.
Conclusion: Will George Sotiropoulos Ever Become An MMA Superstar?
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When I started this slideshow, I really wanted to answer, "Yes." The problem is, as I kept going and noticing what I was writing, I just didn't see George Sotiropoulos ever becoming a superstar in the world of MMA.
Now, does that mean he won't be a great fighter? Absolutely not. Does that mean he won't be a champion at some point? Absolutely not.
For me, the definition of a superstar is someone who not only puts on great performances when they are inside the octagon, but makes even the most casual of fans tune in to watch him fight. Being a superstar is about drawing money, as much as it is about winning fights.
Sotiropoulos has put on great performances in the past, and he will keep doing it in the future. He will get a lightweight title fight sometime in the future and will probably win, depending on who he is fighting. But he won't be someone who is going to draw a ton of money.
So I guess the answer to this question really comes down to what your definition of a superstar is.
For more news and information, check out UFC 127: Penn vs Fitch News, Results And More.
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