George Sotiropoulos

George Sotiropoulos is an Australian former professional mixed martial artist, born on 9 July 1977, who fought most notably in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He grew up in Geelong, Victoria, and earned a bachelor's degree in banking and finance and international trade in 2001. He began training Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 1997 at nineteen, earned his black belt in 2004, represented Australia at the Submission Wrestling World Championships in 2003 and 2007, and won a Victorian State Amateur Boxing Championship in 2004. He appeared as a fighter on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra, trained with Matt Serra, Xtreme Couture and 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu, and later coached Team Australia on The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes. He made his professional debut in 2004, beating Gavin Murie by armbar.