Dennis Siver: George Sotiropoulos should serve as Conor McGregor's cautionary tale

Dennis Siver

(This story appears in today’s edition of USA TODAY.)

Counted out and viewed as a stepping stone in his opponent’s quest for a UFC title shot? Veteran mixed martial artist Dennis Siver has been here before.

Siver (22-9 MMA, 11-6 UFC) enters Sunday’s “UFC Fight Night 59: McGregor vs. Siver” main event opposite hotshot featherweight contender Conor McGregor (16-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at Boston’s TD Garden (7 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1) as a roughly 10-1 underdog.

The betting line predicts a drubbing for McGregor, but Siver says he has different plans. He’s previously scored upsets in his lengthy UFC career, most notably his UFC 127 win over George Sotiropoulos, who was on the cusp of a title shot with a 7-0 UFC record at the time.

While the Sotiropoulos fight was nearly four years ago, Siver is experiencing déjà vu ahead of his clash with McGregor.

“I fought Sotiropoulos, and I was in the same position I’m in right now,” Siver tells USA TODAY Sports and MMAjunkie through an interpreter. “He was the one being favored by everybody, and he was being promised title shots. I came in and ruined that for him. His career never recovered. I will repeat it on Sunday.”

Siver outworked Sotiropoulos over three rounds and handed the Australian fighter the first loss in what’s now a five-fight slump. Sotiropoulos’ last victory came in November 2010, which was the contest prior to the Siver bout.

McGregor has been pegged as the next big thing in the UFC’s 145-pound division. Described by UFC President Dana White as “the most marketable fighter of all time,” the event promotion has been all McGregor. From commercials to shoulder programming to interviews with the nation’s biggest media outlets, McGregor Mania has dominated the buildup to Sunday’s event.

However, he now faces an experienced opponent, and a pretty talented one at that. Siver’s made 18 UFC appearances since his 2007 debut. That’s as many fights as McGregor has on his entire resume, yet the brash Irishman receives all the attention.

“I feel a little bit disappointed that I haven’t got more support for my whole career and position in the fight,” the 36-year-old German says. “But at the end of the day, it’s only going to be good for me. Conor’s got the exposure, and by beating him, I’ll change the trajectory of my career.”

Siver doesn’t speak fluent English or drop catchy one-liners like McGregor does, but he’s been a consistently successful performer in the UFC octagon while racking up seven of its lucrative fight-night bonuses for outstanding performances. Yet, McGregor has confidently predicted he’ll knock him out within two minutes. Siver, though, has been knocked out just twice – and not in the first round since 2008.

“At the end of the day, it’s wishful thinking,” Siver says. “He’s using how quickly he’s going to finish me to promote the fight. He’s full of sh-t, and it’s not going to happen.”

The UFC is clearly putting its eggs in the McGregor basket, and if victorious, the Irishman has already been promised the next shot at 145-pound champion Jose Aldo.

If history has taught any lessons, though, it’s that no victory is guaranteed, especially when fists are involved. It’s a reason UFC President Dana White insists this isn’t a mere showcase fight for McGregor.

“Anything can happen in a fight, especially with a guy that can punch like Siver,” White says. “Siver has been in a ton of big fights. … That dude has been in the UFC for a very long time. He’s fought big guys even at 155 pounds.

“Anything can happen in a fight, and Dennis Siver is no joke. This guy isn’t some bum that was swept in.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 59, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.