UFC boss says Fitch vs. Penn, Siver vs. Sotiropoulos booked for UFC 127

[Teashi]

UFC boss says Fitch vs. Penn, Siver vs. Sotiropoulos booked for UFC 127 | MMAjunkie.com With Saturday's UFC 123 event in the books, UFC president Dana White is already busy determining his promotion's 2011 plans. With that in mind, the UFC boss on Saturday night announced a pair of additions for the company's return to Australia, UFC 127. A resurgent B.J. Penn, who needed just 21 seconds to dispatch of Matt Hughes, meets perennial contender Jon Fitch, and UFC 123 winner George Sotiropoulos gets his wish and fights in his homeland against German contender Dennis Siver. While not yet officially announced by the promotion, UFC 127 is expected to take place Feb. 27 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. Fitch had been expected to face Jake Ellenberger at UFC 126 in February, but White said he'll now find a new opponent for Ellenberger. While Penn (16-7-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) is best known for his exploits as a lightweight fighter, he is also a former champion of the 170-pound division. At UFC 123, Penn returned to the class for the first time since a January 2009 loss to Georges St-Pierre and stunned rival Matt Hughes with a 21-second knockout that earned the Hawaiian the evening's "Knockout of the Night." Fitch (23-3 MMA, 13-1 UFC) enters the contest on the strength of a five-fight win streak in the octagon and with 21 wins in his past 22 fights overall. Nevertheless, Fitch has dealt with much criticism for his fighting style and has admittedly often lacked fan support in his bid for the UFC welterweight title. A win over Penn would certainly change that. Siver (17-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC) recently picked up a key win over Andre Winner at UFC 122, and the German lightweight also scored the evening's "Submission of the Night." While Siver opened his UFC career just 1-3, he's bounced back with six wins in seven fights, a run that includes a 5-1 mark in the octagon. Prior to his UFC 123 win over Joe Lauzon, the Australian-born Sotiropoulos (14-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) made little effort to hide his desire to fight in his native land. At Saturday's event, the grappling ace put the controversy around his sometimes-excessive fightwear and forced Lauzon to submit in the evening's "Fight of the Night." Now undefeated in seven trips to the cage, a win over Siver would unquestionably put the Eddie Bravo disciple in line for a title shot.

keine liebe für Fitch.