Wtf g-sot?

[Michael Sioda]

I finally got around to watching the UFC on FX 6 from the weekend - kind of a bummer. I was pulling for George Sotiropoulos in the main event. In the past I loved seeing him implement his slick jiujitsu game with some nice finishes & is one of the few guys out there that has displayed the usefulness of the rubber guard in the UFC (see his fight against Joe Daddy Stevenson). Sure he was on a bit of a skid & had a lot of time off with injuries but I was expecting a comeback here.

G-Sots boxing is good but he was obviously losing the stand up fight with Ross Pearson. I suppose even he knew this & worked hard for the take-down but only really had success once at the end of round one. Noteworthy that when jiujitsu finally came into play he dominated & nearly finished Pearson.

He was knocked down several times & what I just can't understand is why he was so quick to get back to his feet when he was obviously wobbly, losing the stand up fight & already demonstrated his grappling was superior. You see a lot of jiujitsu killers happily lay on their back for 15-20 seconds to let some cobwebs clear & if their opponent wants to try some GNP - they put their jiujitsu up to the test & work from bottom guard position. But G-Sot didn't even attempt to fight from his back, not once - and predictably got KTFO.

Did anybody else notice this & wonder WTF G-Sot was thinking? I mean I understand wanting to avoid GNP & it's better to grapple from the top in MMA - but risking GNP vs a solid jiujitsu game seems like it would have been a hell of a lot better of an idea than standing up on rubber legs (repeatedly)!

At least we got Vinny back in the UFC collecting arms!

[Sean Marshall]

I thought G-Sot was on the side of worrying about losing points for being on bottom. I could be wrong though. I think I remember Eddie mentioning it a little while ago

[Sam Sales]

George is amazing on the ground but he really seems to struggle to get it there sometimes against solid strikers with good takedown defense. Like when he fought Siver. Was a similar story then.
On another note, one thing I found puzzling when watching the live twitter feed for the event whilst I was watching the fights was the fan 'concern' over Georges body shape haha. I noticed one guy saying it was due to, and i quote 'too much ground work with poor breathing technique'. Is there such thing as too much ground work? haha :-)

[Derek Stewart]

Pull guard !

[Carson]

That post seems kinda harsh coming from his own team.

[Jeremy Gates]

Ross is a beast especially at this weight class. He hit g-sot with a bomb and he was able to come back and still take Ross's back and threaten. Too bad the clock was low. George then got rocked twice more. He kept coming forward and tried hard but I'm assuming getting rock once is hard to come back from physically and mentally.

[David Rosado]

You're not alone. I've never been a fan of good grapplers who want to fight like strikers. Unless you're a gifted guy like Aldo, JDS, Cain, or Jon Jones, learn how to strike so you can learn how to deal with it. Don't learn how to strike so you can become a striker. I think a great example of this is Randy Couture. Always a grappler first. Cain is the same way. I was rooting for Gsot and hoping for him to make more of an effort to get it to the ground.

I mean, what's worse? Losing on points due to playing a game that you're losing? Or losing on points playing a game where you have an advantage? Personally, if I'm getting beaten on the feat, and my guard is slick, I'd rather take my chances on my back.

[SebG]

Yes, I was pulling for George as well. Kept yelling at him to take it to the ground - on top or bottom didn't matter. It was too late to worry about losing points being on the bottom given that he was losing the stand up so clearly. Still, easier to fight from an armchair so not sure of his plan - wonder if he has done any interviews yet?

[Adam1987]

George has lost me after this fight. Such talent being wasted on poor game plans. Trying to strike with a guy who is about 6 classes above you is about as clever as if Pearson's gameplan had of been to take Sots down and submit him.

George, use your striking to setup the takedown. Thats all!

[Michael Sioda]

I'm still a fan & think he did try to get it to the ground. Sometimes though, when you get your ass knocked to the ground repeatedly & are seeing double - you might want to pull guard & recover - not scramble to your feet in 2 seconds. I've seen Werdum, Nogera, & Mir all do this (and others). Either they come into your guard & you can play bottom or they dance around & you can clear your head.

It's like Eddie says - pulling guard is an option to be considered when you are losing on your feet & aren't able to secure the take-down. I'm just disappointed because I really like George as a fighter & was hoping for some rubber guard on the big stage this weekend!