Ben Sosoli
Combat Wombat
Australia
Cut from UFC after jail sentence
The UFC released Sosoli on Wednesday, Guilherme Cruz and Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com report.
ANALYSIS
Sosoli's dismissal comes after he recently received a 22-month jail sentence in Melbourne for punching a man in the face outside a bar. The 29-year-old last fought back on Feb. 22, when he lost to Marcos Rogerio de Lima via first-round knockout.
Sosoli's dismissal comes after he recently received a 22-month jail sentence in Melbourne for punching a man in the face outside a bar. The 29-year-old last fought back on Feb. 22, when he lost to Marcos Rogerio de Lima via first-round knockout.
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Chin can't hold up under onslaught
Sosoli lost to Marcos Rogerio de Lima via TKO (punches) at 1:28 of Round 1 at UFC Fight Night 168 in Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Sosoli came into this fight having never been knocked out, so it may be the case that he didn't feel as though a former light heavyweight would be up to the task. He was mistaken, however, as a flush counter shot had him on the mat in the opening minutes of the fight. Most of Sosoli's wins have come by KO/TKO, but he generally doesn't fight in such a reckless manner, which has to make one wonder exactly what he was thinking on this occasion. Whatever the case may be, he has now lost just one official fight in the UFC after his last contest with Greg Hardy was changed to a no-contest, so it will be interesting to see if he gets another shot with the organization. He falls to 7-3 in professional MMA as a result of the loss.
Sosoli came into this fight having never been knocked out, so it may be the case that he didn't feel as though a former light heavyweight would be up to the task. He was mistaken, however, as a flush counter shot had him on the mat in the opening minutes of the fight. Most of Sosoli's wins have come by KO/TKO, but he generally doesn't fight in such a reckless manner, which has to make one wonder exactly what he was thinking on this occasion. Whatever the case may be, he has now lost just one official fight in the UFC after his last contest with Greg Hardy was changed to a no-contest, so it will be interesting to see if he gets another shot with the organization. He falls to 7-3 in professional MMA as a result of the loss.
Pegged for UFC Auckland
Sosoli will fight Marcos Rogerio de Lima in a heavyweight bout Feb. 22 at UFC Auckland, Alexander K. Lee of MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Sosoli is 7-2 at the UFC level, and he'll take on Rogerio de Lima, who has dropped two of his last three decisions since re-entering the heavyweight division.
Sosoli is 7-2 at the UFC level, and he'll take on Rogerio de Lima, who has dropped two of his last three decisions since re-entering the heavyweight division.
Loss changed to no contest
Sosoli's loss to Greg Hardy in Boston on Friday was changed to a no contest due to Hardy's use of an inhaler, MMAJunkie.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Hardy said that he got permission to use the device, but the result was nevertheless overturned shortly after the match ended. That means Sosoli will remain without a win or a loss in the UFC with one fight under his belt.
Hardy said that he got permission to use the device, but the result was nevertheless overturned shortly after the match ended. That means Sosoli will remain without a win or a loss in the UFC with one fight under his belt.
Struggles against Greg Hardy
Sosoli lost to Greg Hardy via unanimous decision (28-29, 28-29, 28-29) at UFC Fight Night on Friday in Boston.
ANALYSIS
What was expected to be a hard-hitting affair turned out to be a snooze fest. The debuting Sosoli was credited with just 16 total strikes landed over the course of the 15-minute bout. Hardy, who landed 37, wasn't much better. While Sosoli appears to have lost for the moment, there might be light at the end of the tunnel. Hardy was apparently using an inhaler between Rounds 2 and 3, which according to UFC rules expert Marc Ratner on the ESPN broadcast, is totally illegal. Depending on what the Massachusetts regulations say, Sosoli may be the rare fighter with grounds for a legitimate appeal.
What was expected to be a hard-hitting affair turned out to be a snooze fest. The debuting Sosoli was credited with just 16 total strikes landed over the course of the 15-minute bout. Hardy, who landed 37, wasn't much better. While Sosoli appears to have lost for the moment, there might be light at the end of the tunnel. Hardy was apparently using an inhaler between Rounds 2 and 3, which according to UFC rules expert Marc Ratner on the ESPN broadcast, is totally illegal. Depending on what the Massachusetts regulations say, Sosoli may be the rare fighter with grounds for a legitimate appeal.
To debut in Boston
Sosoli will take on Greg Hardy in a heavyweight matchup at UFC Boston on Oct. 18, Brett Okamoto of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
Sosoli competed on Dana White's Contender Series this past summer, but his fight against Dustin Joynson was ruled a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke. Prior to that appearance, he had picked up four conseuctive TKO victories on the regional circuits. Hardy is equally inexperienced, but packs a massive power punch that Sosoli will need to be ready for. Sosoli has at least seen three and five-round fights during his run as a pro, while Hardy only made it to the second round once, and that's a fight he lost via DQ. Sosoli's best bet for a win will be to use his grappling and drag Hardy into deep waters, but he'll have to first withstand an aggressive, early onslaught. Not many of Hardy's opponents have been able to overcome the early rush of pressure.
Sosoli competed on Dana White's Contender Series this past summer, but his fight against Dustin Joynson was ruled a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke. Prior to that appearance, he had picked up four conseuctive TKO victories on the regional circuits. Hardy is equally inexperienced, but packs a massive power punch that Sosoli will need to be ready for. Sosoli has at least seen three and five-round fights during his run as a pro, while Hardy only made it to the second round once, and that's a fight he lost via DQ. Sosoli's best bet for a win will be to use his grappling and drag Hardy into deep waters, but he'll have to first withstand an aggressive, early onslaught. Not many of Hardy's opponents have been able to overcome the early rush of pressure.