Kurt Pellegrino vs. George Sotiropoulos possible for UFC 116
by Jacob Camargo on April 19, 2010

A very pivotal divisional match up between rising lightweight contenders Kurt Pellegrino and George Sotiropoulos is reportedly in the works for UFC 116 on July 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

UFC 116 is expected to be headlined by a UFC heavyweight title unification bout between UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and interim heavyweight champ Shane Carwin. Also, middleweights Yoshihiro Akiyama and Wanderlei Silva will face each other in the night's co-main event.

Pellegrino (16-4) is currently riding a four fight winning streak, which include wins over Thiago Tavares, Robert Emerson, Josh Neer and in his last fight scored a second round submission win over Fabricio Camoes at last month's UFC 111 event, which was in front of his hometown crowd in Newark, New Jersey.

Pellegrino's resurgence came at a much needed time after posting 1-2 mark inside the Octagon prior to his current winning streak, which included losses to Joe Stevenson and Nate Diaz. He has put together a solid 7-3 UFC record, with other Octagon wins coming over Junior Assuncao, Nate Mohr and Alberto Crane.

Sotiropoulos (12-2) is also streaking, winning six straight including a recent win over Stevenson at UFC 110: "Nogueira vs. Velasquez" in February. 

Since his time as a cast member on the sixth season of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter reality series, Sotiropoulos has put together a perfect 5-0 mark with the UFC, scoring previous Octagon wins over fellow TUF 6 cast members Billy Miles and Roman Mitichyan, as well as George Roop and Jason Dent. The Aussie hasn't been defeated since Oct. 2006, where he suffered a disqualification loss against current Dream lightweight champion Shinya Aoki at a Shooto event.

Make sure to check back with us the day of the event for free, live, round-by-round coverage of UFC 116 right here at FiveKnuckles.com! Join expert analyst Mike Williams as he takes you through the entire fight card blow-by-blow and then keep it right here for all the post-fight news and notes you can handle!

 |  (13) Comments Ares: Good match-up, makes a lot of sense. I think I'd give the edge to Sotiropolous. Mtx: War George! Wandering_Minstrel: I think Pellegrino is gonna get a spanking. George is no joke, I think he's got the advantage anywhere the fight goes. IwishIwasMMA: If there is one thing I can say, it is that the Aussie has improved to an extreme amount since TUF. That being said.. I dont think Pellegrino looks too much different in each fight... I see him losing this to Soto... Soto doesnt just look good on the ground anymore, but also on the feet. He is becoming more well rounded and you can see it too. I think Australia has a real MMA star on their hands for once other then Elvis....................................................... The Hitman: This is kinda a step down in competition for George IMO. Esquilinho: It would be a fun grappling match. GO HARD: i like the match up... possibly a bit of a step down but obviously ufc doesnt see it that way. kurt is a good fighter and hes tough to finish and hes fun to watch. i like george... not decided on submission, tko, or decision. D_V: Meh. This is a stupid fight. i don't think Georges has the striking to compete with decent LHWs but then again, Kurt hasn't proven to all that decent. I would have preferred a Bocek match up. We'll see. I think Kurt can actually beat Georges on the mat. He'll have superior position and won't be caught off guard like Joe, who I actually think won the last round easily and the second round was close as well, leaning towards a draw. Georges is waaaaaaay over rated. he might win but it won't be impressive because he's not impressive. GO HARD: before his last match i always felt he was underrated... it seems like hes at the rite spot now... and will rack up some wins and possibly be a contender down the road
HOW WILL THE THIAGO ALVES VS. MARTIN KAMPMANN FIGHT END AT UFC ON FX 2?
Alves def. Kampmann via TKO/KO
Alves def. Kampmann via submission
Alves def. Kampmann via decision
Kampmann def. Alves via TKO/KO
Kampmann def. Alves via submission
Kampmann def. Alves via decision
TAKE ANOTHER POLL!