Joe Lauzon

I have no idea if all the gear George Sotiropoulos wears under his shorts and on his legs are legal or not, but we might find out if Joe Lauzon goes ahead and complains to the commish about it leading up to their fight at UFC 123:

"I don't see how you can wear your regular fight shorts, compression shorts under that that go to your knee, then wear knee pads on both sides that go halfway down your leg, then ankle supports that go halfway up your leg and down to your toes," Lauzon said. "I don't know what the deal is with the commission, if he'll be allowed to wear those or not, but we're prepared for him either way."



Some have claimed that Sotiropoulos is gaining an unfair advantage by artificially increasing the friction between his legs and his opponent's body with the attire. Kurt Pellegrino, the last fighter to face Sotiropoulos, went so far as to suggest that the Australian was a "cheater" because of the added accessories.



Lauzon said he had adjusted his training to prepare for it, grappling with sparring partners dressed in gi pants to simulate the added friction, though he said he hadn't decided yet whether he would press Michigan officials to take a stand on Sotiropoulos' outfit when the two face off in Detroit.



"We'll think about it. I don't know if it will make a huge difference, but at the same time, why give him that advantage? Maybe we'll make a formal request to not let him wear them."

The fun thing about all this is that while pants are illegal in MMA (much to the sadness of Karate masters around the world), tights, kneepads, and ankle braces are all legal - even when all thrown together Sotiropoulos-style! Ridiculous, but still legal.

In between news about a lawn bowler pulling his penis out during a match and some dog race betting info (screw that, bet on humans beating eachother up, pussy!), the Sydney Morning Herald has some interesting news about their great Aussie hope George Sotiropoulos:

George Sotiropoulos is one fight away from setting up a dream UFC world title fight in Sydney next February. Geelong-born Sotiropoulos will face either B.J. Penn or Kenny Florian in a lightweight title eliminator in November, and victory would likely earn him a bout for the championship belt when the UFC returns to Sydney next year.

Sounds pretty good to me, although it's kinda like saying "George will get a title shot if he beats two guys he has no chance of beating." Fortunately, the UFC has been a bit more realistic and has matched him up against Joe Lauzon at UFC 123.

So the big question now: if the Herald was wrong about his next opponent, were they wrong about the title shot too? Well, the timing is still right - 123 is in November and the UFC has said February in Australia will be a regular winter escape plan. Plus with Tyson Griffin blowing that Gomi fight, there's not a lot of other top guys at lightweight in a good position to get a shot. Considering we were one non-choke away from ANOTHER Kenny Florian title shot, I think it's safe to say there's openings available for a new contender.

(image via Sherdog)