Siver Pulls Off An Upset
Posted on February 27, 2011, 12:07 AM by codemasterBuilt like a castle/rook chess piece, and only slightly taller, Dennis Siver defied the odds-makers and arm-chair pundits by defeating the home-town hero George Sotiropoulos.
Siver nearly knocked G-Sot out in the first round with a powerful left hook and several other shots, but Sotiropoulos hung on gamely, and survived the round badly shaken and battered. Siver easily stuffed G-Sot's inept takedown attempts. Joe Rogan made a telling and accurate comment upon the weakness of many BJJ fighters--takedowns.
No matter how good your ground game is, it is useless unless you can take your opponent down. G-Sot grabbed Siver's leg a number of times, but he never drove in with power (like a wrestler), turning to put his opponent down--instead, at one point, he held Siver's leg at head height as Siver agilely bounced backwards on one foot, avoiding the takedown.
The next two rounds, like the first, were essentially a kick-boxing match, at which the German kick-boxing champ Siver was in his element. While G-Sot came back with a credible performance, getting some decent shots for the balance of the fight, so did Siver get his own shots in, making the first round crucial.
G-Sot just could not get the fight to the ground, and Siver stuffed every takedown attempt and literally threw his opponent to the canvas, clearly demonstrating his compact power. G-Sot persisted in his takedown attempts, which became feebler and half-hearted as the fight progressed.
Siver revealed the gaping hole in the much- hyped Sotiropoulos' game--if you stuff G-Sot's takedown--he is relatively toothless. G-Sot's takedowns were poor and should be his primary focus along with his stand-up as he begins the long climb back up the ladder.
Siver has grown in his past few fights--as evidenced by his excellent takedown defense. He also has excellent conditioning, keeping up with a very fast-paced fight With this win, he will move up the ladder in the heavily stacked LW division. He still has a few fights to go to see a title shot, but he has earned a chance against some top ten fighters with tonight's performance.
Comments
IMPRESSED OUTTA MY FREEKIN MIND is what I said to myself once that fight finished. Siver is a real threat in the LW division now especially with that TD defence. G-Sots is a superb fighter and he got completely dominated and almost got his head taken off!
siver is a great kick boxer! his win was impressive ! wow
I would've loved to seen Guida vs. Siver next. If Guida gets passed Pettis i know he will be in line for the title shot but that would be a sick match! Pretty sure he'll get Miller if he wins, will still be a fight to watch!
I think that would be a good fight. That being said, I would love to see Gomi vs Siver, I think that would be awesome. Two heavy hitters going at it.
What more do you want? :D
Good breakdown of the fight, Codemaster ;)
Although, as you say. I think Siver's TD defence was made to ''look'' good by G-Sots lacklustre shots. Still impressive though. I'll look forward to both men's next fight.
Thanks Jamie.
I thought I would do this piece after noticing so few articles about this upset of G-Sot.
I have been following Siver and I believe he is learning and improving. Although his submission against Winner was set up by a strike, he jumped for it and locked it in expertly, trapping Winner's arm in the process. He is working on his BJJ and wrestling, recognizing his weaknesses.
I am not so sure G-Sot is learning and improving. While he said at the post-fight press conference that he would 'make adjustments', I feel he needs to do more than that--he needs a complete re-work of his fight game. I hope his relative nonchalance at losing was just typical Aussie macho posturing, and not a sign he does not see the writing on the wall.
As you know, the LW division is stacked. If G-Sot is overwhelmed by Siver, how would he fare against the top ten? I think Siver could have finished George, but was playing a cautious and smart game by not following G-Sot to the ground.
I like Siver. I don't think he gets enough respect--and he is like the maytag repairman, one of the lonely few German UFC fighters who have made a mark in the promotion.
Siver vs Guillard
They've already fought. Guillard won by tko. Although I wouldn't mind seeing a rematch....
I think both Siver and Guillard have changed since they fought, but I would like to see Guillard moved up the ladder quickly, to fight one of the top 5, and then get his title shot if he wins.
Guillard's explosive striking and improved ground game promise to make it a memorable title fight.
I am curious whether Guillard's and Siver's new-found takedown defensive skills will stack up against top wrestlers.
not a fan of rematches unless they make sense but i had no idea they fought already lol Siver vs Sherk would be good tho to see how good his TDD really is
I picked Siver to win on the predictions.....and i'm an Aussie.
Reason being that Siver has impressed me in his recent his with how well he prepares for fights. His take down defense was excellent and forced Georgie to stand with him. Even though Georgie was holding his own (especially after being rocked) his stand up was no match for Siver.