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George Sotiropoulos won't be getting quite the step up in competition that was reportedly in the works, as MMAMania.com brings word that the Aussie will face off against Joe Lauzon at UFC 123 in November.
The Sydney Morning Herald over the weekend reported that Sotiropoulos would face either B.J. Penn or Kenny Florian with a chance for a title shot with a victory, but that is not to be with the news of this fight.
Lauzon is coming off of a destructive victory over Gabe Ruediger in front of a rabid hometown crowd in Boston at UFC 118, and is looking to bring his name back to the forefront in the lightweight division.
After a nearly year long layoff that kept him out of action for most of 2009, Lauzon returned to the cage in January, falling to Sam Stout by decision. With ring rust a clear factor in his performance in that fight, Lauzon came out much stronger at 118 and blew through Ruediger en route to a first round submission win.
Sotiropoulos is a wholly different opponent, however, and will be out to continue his steady climb up the lightweight ladder. Taking out Kurt Pellegrino by decision in his last bout at UFC 116 in July to move to 6-0 inside the Octagon. A win over Lauzon keeps his name in the mix in the title picture.
UFC 123 is set to air live on pay-per-view from The Palace of Auburn Hills outside of Detroit, Mich. on November 20. The event will be headlined by a light heavyweight bout between former division champions Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto Machida.
Penick's Analysis: While I really would have liked to see a B.J. Penn-George Sotiropoulos fight, I still like this matchup. Lauzon looked really good against Gabe Ruediger, but let's be honest Ruediger wasn't brought in as a stiff challenge at this point, and he's not Sotiropoulos. This is going to be Lauzon's toughest fight since his loss to Kenny Florian, and Sotiropoulos' top game is such at this point that it may be a more difficult fight for Lauzon. He'll keep it competitive, but I like Sotiropoulos to continue his run at the outset here. But this is a good fight and a very good addition to the 123 card.
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