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Australian lightweight George Sotiropoulos could be on the verge of a title shot in the UFC, according to a report from the Sydney Morning Herald this weekend.
Per the report, Sotiropolous could face either B.J. Penn or Kenny Florian this November in a "title eliminator" bout, and a win could earn him a shot at the winner of the Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard rematch.
Sotiropoulos is 6-0 in the UFC after his stint on The Ultimate Fighter's sixth season. Most recently he defeated Kurt Pellegrino in an impressive unanimous decision at UFC 116 in July.
Sizing up his thoughts on the UFC Lightweight Champion, Sotiropoulos said, "I see [Edgar's] strengths and weaknesses, and I look at how my strengths and weaknesses match up against his and I've got a lot of confidence in myself."
Penick's Analysis: If there's any legitimacy to the article's claims, this sets up an excellent lightweight fight in November. Sotiropoulos has earned a shot at one of the top contenders in the division, and if he can earn a victory over either Florian or Penn he will absolutely deserve his crack at the Lightweight Title. He's been increasingly impressive in win after win in the Octagon, and if he gets matched up with Penn it could be highly entertaining. Both fighters have excellent top games on the ground, and it could be one hell of a battle should the two of them meet. That's the fight I'd rather see right now, to see where Penn is at after two losses to Edgar and to see just how good Sotiropoulos can be.
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