Before losing a decision to German kickboxer Dennis Siver in his native Australia at UFC 127, George Sotiropoulos had strung together seven straight victories in the UFC.
There are only an elite handful of fighters able to claim such a feet.
The loss to underdog Siver destroyed all of that momentum.
Where does he go from here? Can he get back to his winning ways?
His first chance to bounce back is against Rafael Dos Anjos.
Like Sotiropoulos, Dos Anjos is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert—an absolute demon on the mat.
They are also both in crucial rebound positions as Dos Anjos is coming off of a significant loss and jaw injury, while Sotiropoulos is coming off of the aforementioned momentum derailment.
The biggest difference between the two fighters is their age. Sotiropoulos is 33, while Dos Anjos is probably just entering his prime at 26.
Will Dos Anjos be hungrier to get his career back on track, or will the composure of the older Sotiropoulos prevail?
We have seen Sotiropoulos out-grapple fellow submission specialists, so it is possible that he will do it again.
Submitting Dos Anjos, however, seems highly implausible.
Sotiropoulos may very well get back to his winning ways, but if he does, my opinion is that it will not be by explosive finish, but rather by a calculated and relatively conservative game plan that is based on control.
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