George Sotiropoulos was Jim Miller before Jim Miller. Sotiropoulos was the next Jon Fitch, the lightweight version of Yushin Okami. He was the guy who simply kept winning and yet still never got a title shot. After winning eight straight fights, including seven inside of the UFC, fans finally believed that George Sotiropoulos would challenge for the lightweight belt. 

It didn't happen. 

The logjam at the top of the division made it nearly impossible for contenders to challenge for the title. Complicating matters ever further was the instant rematch between Frankie Edgar and B.J. Penn and the draw between Edgar and Gray Maynard at UFC 125. 

So instead of headlining a major pay-per-view event, instead of challenging for one of the most prestigious titles in all of mixed martial arts, Sotiropoulos was fighting Dennis Siver at UFC 127.

The fight was made immediately after his impressive submission victory over Joe Lauzon at UFC 123. Many fans felt that it was simply a "gimme" fight in front of his hometown people to keep him busy while Edgar and Maynard worked out their differences. 

We all know just how wrong that was.

Siver pummeled Sotiropoulos for the opening round of their bout, dropping the Australian twice with vicious shots. Sotiropoulos simply couldn't get the fight to the mat, meaning that he couldn't work his beautiful Jiu-Jitsu. As a result he was forced to stand and trade with the German kickboxing dynamo. 

"I just figured it would be a matter of time before the fight ended up on the ground," Sotiropoulos told MMA Fight Corner presented by FiveKnuckles.com. "He did a good job keeping it on his feet. He just did a good job, good defense."

Sotiropoulos is rightfully upset about the defeat, it was his first in nearly five years. Even that loss was a disqualification, his last actual defeat was back in 2005 to middleweight Kyle Noke. Some fighters look at defeats like that as almost positive things. Fedor Emelianenko said after his defeat to Fabricio Werdum "Those who don't fall, don't stand."

"I don't look at a loss like a blessing," Sotiropoulos said. "It certainly highlights things that you can work on. I'm always trying to improve my game and just get better at what I do. This obviously highlighted some certain things that I need to work on. It's just the nature of this business. There's so much to learn and I'm still learning, that's the bottom line."

While Sotiropoulos may not subscribe to the same train of thought as the stoic Russian, his words are not any less true. The UFC/WEC merger disposed a whole truck load of talent into an already stellar 155 pound weight class. The merger brought in guys like Ben Henderson, Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone, all legitimate threats to the top of the lightweight division. 

This influx of talent has put a strain on the stable of fighters currently under contract with Zuffa. Guys are being cut faster than ever, especially at 155. Sotiropoulos knows this and is well aware that he puts his job on the line every time he steps inside the Octagon. When guys like Gerald Harris are getting cut after one loss, it's hard not to worry about job security. 

Sotiropoulos is scheduled to fight against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 132 in July, it will mark his first fight since the loss to...