Fresh off what many feel to be a major success with its first-ever show on July 19 dubbed, “Banned,” Affliction MMA will go for an encore in the backyard of the promotion that “banned” it in the first place.
Indeed, Affliction has its sights set on Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 11 for its next show, according to Yahoo!Sports.com. And anyone who’s anyone knows that “Sin City” is UFC turf — the organization that forbid its fighters to don the clothing company’s apparel at its events.
But who really cares about that because the same report confirms that former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski will challenge the last man to hold the Pride FC heavyweight strap, Fedor Emelianenko, likely for the Russian’s newly-won heavyweight WAMMA title in the main event of the evening.
It’s a dream match that most fans have fantasized about for years.
And perhaps the only thing that can top that news is what ace the UFC pulls from its sleeve to once again counter this latest bold move. Perhaps it once again includes UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva.
This is getting good. Real good.
332 Comments »
YYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Arlovski wants payback for the Russian oppression of Belarussia!!!! lol just kidding… what a match up!
Full Steam ahead, finally a company that knows how to compete and promote in the MMA world. I was just the kind of we’ll wait and see fan with Affliction, so now lets wait and see if they make necessary adjustments to the event itself. Lets wait an see if Elite XC makes necessary adjustments. I get the feeling both of these companies r going to make it.
HOLY SH*T!!!! Ok if that fight happens then I’m sold for that card. I just hope they dont use the same guys over and over. Dam now I cant wait to see that!!!
Dope fight… I guess I will have to buy this one. I just hope AA will make it more competitive than Timmy. And you know they will have to use the same fighters as last time, but just mix them around. The only problem is they won’t be able to do that for more than a few shows.
BNF, AA’s only problem is his chin is suspect??? And yea I know they will use the same guys
I’d like to see Barnett against somebody that matters. Barnett looks like a old school WWF wrestler trying to look tuff.
They do have some really good potential matchups already, and IF they manage to get off to a successful start that could be sustained, then I have no doubt they could attract more talent just from the payouts they’re offering compared to the UFC.
Yea Scott, their pay is crazy! If they stay in business, they will attract free agents for sure.
I can’t think of a fight right now that the UFC could make to eclipse this match up. It would be kinda lame to use Anderson again, and Liddell will be fighting too close to that card to slip him in.
I think Fedor may win, but I will be hoping for Arlovski to come out on top.
Me too. Feelin’ giddy as a little girl just waitin’ for this fight to happen. I remembered that somebody here in this site mentioned that this is supposed to happen. Well here it is.
I don’t wanna count Arlovski out. But Fedor just seems to crush the opposition with relative ease. It’s just like he’s breezin’ through whatever fighting organization he’s in!
Thorazine, Affliction may make it as a promotion but I believe Elite XC is in a world of Financial Hurt already. Large payouts and ok attendnce have not balanced out. From what I last read about 2 months ago. I wish I remember where I saw the article, but I am pretty sure about that.
Affliction does have a great opportunity, with its fighters and buzz to make things happen, hopefull they attractthey have to get otherweight do some of the bigger free agents and some not so big fighters who are allowed to compete wher they want.
Hopefully they do compete, it will keep UFC honest.
They will not just be using the same fighters from last time! I have read that they are on a vast recruitment campaign trying to lure away top fighters. I expect to see TIto compete on this card hopefully against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
Vitor wants them to bring Frank shamrock over so he can kick his ass at 185 lbs.
As for Fedor vs. Arlovski….Great fight, but I dont really want to see it. Arlovski just turned back into the pitbull of old, he should ride that streak a little, instead of jumping right in there with Fedor. Andre is one of my favorite fighters but he is not on Fedor’s level….nOt at all!
I dont really want to see this fight because I hate to see Arlovski take a beating! He will get completley outclassed and then I will have to listen to Dana’s BS about how Arlovski isnt a real fighter anyway, or some stupid stuff like that!
Bottom line, FEDOR will dRESTROY Andre!
I agree John. There is no aspect of Andrei’s game that is better than Fedor’s.
Plus, It took Arlovski almost 3 whole rounds to finish Rothwell. It took Fedor 36 seconds to beat Tim Sylvia who has 2 wins over Arlovski. MMAmath doesn’t work, but that fact can’t be ignored.
Initial reports were saying that Atlantic City was the front runner to host the event. We already had a team of maniacs ready to make the trip… Dissapointing.
And Affliction is out there trying to sign more talent.
Very disapointing that it wont take place in Atlantic City. HOwever, I do hear that they want to expand to the East coast, and that they wont ignore our Coast the way the UFC does. I will be shocked if their 3rd event in March wont take place on our coast!
I would rather see Fedor vs. Barnett at this point in time. Arlovski just got back to being the pitbul, once Fedor destroys him, he will revert to being the gunshy fighter that has bored us to death since fighting Sylvia for the 3rd time. I would like to see some more exciting fights out of the pitbull before Fedor destroys him and sends him packing for Boxing.
As a fight, I am very excited about this match up (then again, I am always excitied when King Fedor fights). BUt as a fan of Arlovski, this fight is a really bad idea for him. Fedor is going to really hurt the pitbull!
As a fighter, Arlovski’s best attribute is his speed and agility as a heavyweight…Guess What? Fedor is even faster! The pitbull is in trouble and as much as I dreamed of this match up…I am not to crazy about seeing Arlovski get destroyed! i would rather see Couture or Barnett get Crushed than Arlovski, and that exactly what will happen once he gets in the ring with KING FEDOR!!
Arlovski is one of my favorite fighters and I have been wanting this fight for years now. As good as I think Andre is, there is just no way I can bet against Fedor. I will always consider Arlovski in the top 3 or 4 of Heavyweights, but as long as Fedor is around, he will never be number 1. He does have a puncher’s chance, so I hate to rule him out completely but then again this is Fedor we’re talking about.
john….dood, no body is on Fedors level, but if anyone comes close it has to be Arlovski, he definately poses a threat in all aspects. The main thing is, this time Fedor is fightting some one who isnt a ‘freak’ (too tall, too short, too heavy…) I can see Fedor winning as usual, but just like couture, you cant count out the pitbull.
you guys are all wrong , you underestimate Arlovski, Fedor will never fight a tuffer opponent than Andrei Arlovski, and while all you homos are betting on Fedor Arlovski will Crush him and take that title proving you all wrong , theres no way Fedor can match up with power and speed to this guy NO WAY.
Good News: Tom Atencio of Affliction said that thy are very pleased with the outcome of their 1st event, but he admits that there must be a lot of changes made for their second show. He talked about the Camera angles, and the production being improved. this is a great sign, it tells me that they are really commited to refining their product. With the match ups that continue to be booked, and their commitment to getting it done the right way, I think Affliction will survive!
My predictions for match ups for the 2nd Affliction show:
Fedor vs. Arlovski
Barnett vs. Sylvia
Babalu vs. Arona (I hear that affliction is actively pursuing him)
Vitor vs. Frank Shamrock (Keep in mind Frank’s contract with EliteXC is not exclusive, and neither are Afflictions, so it could work out)
Nogueira vs. tito ortiz for the Wama LHW title
mypoint exactly. how could it be for the wamma title? it’s not an affliction title, it’s an unbiased title going to top fighter in division. neither of these are that!
Match-up hell. Fedor wins in the first by strikes. Guarantee it!
FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
…i’ll put money on the “pitbull” arlovski!!
winner: arlovski by first round submission
I hope you don’t put too much on it. Nog couldn’t submit Fedor.
haha.. i know, BUT he’s bound to go down…..SOON! in other words, he will taste defeat.
I’ll take you bet!
lol
good to see affliction getting straight to the point!!!!! are you listening joe silva??? matching top guys up with warm ups just doesnt make any sense…put the matches people want to see and maybe we can excited like this kind of matchup. we dont care to much for anderson silva vs james irvin or chuck lidell vs rashad type of matches. We want to see the best fight the best like lyoto vs anderson or wanderlei vs anderson…dont beat around the bush with bad matchmaking like vera vs reese!
now we know for sure dana white is an idiot, signing fedor would prevent affliction from putting together this crazy matchup that for sure will be a success.
according to fedor’s camp they were wanting to line up fedor vs. aa in oct., fedor vs. cro cop on NYE, and then fedor vs. couture in march!!! WOW, if he(fedor) comes out of that little spell of fights without a loss, then no one could argue that he’s not the greatest ever
Arlovski better work on that wrestling or hes in trouble!
he is a sambo champ back home he trains cops
But Fedor’s Sambo is on another level than Andrei’s
yeah, there Sambo isnt even close. Fedor has a big edge in the submission department!
arlovski trains cops in sambo and fedor trains russian special forces soldiers
where did you hear that BS about Fedor trains special forces? Special Forces guys train Special type Sambo which teaches how to kill ppl instantly. This type of sambo is not for general public/sportmen or mmaers
oh you’re talking about the sambo that was on that tv show on either national geographic or discovery channel with the big bald-headed ex-football player and the dark headed mma fighter
nope, that was kid’s stuff what they’ve shown on History Channel. This type of SAMBO they would never show on TV
the sambo fedor is taught, combat sambo, doesnt get more effective than that. there is no such thing as ninja sambo that can kill a man instantly.
you have seen too many kung fu movies:)
and u full of crap. You know nothing about sambo so STFU yankee
LMFAO! I didn’t know Sambo had a “death touch.”
yep, called Fedor’s touch
I personally think its a mistake to stage a show in the UFC’s backyard. Other promotions that have tried it havent done too well. Vegas is for sure fight town but its also proven to be UFC town when it comes to MMA.
But I guess they know what they are doing, and I definitely dont know shit about promoting. Good luck to them, hope its a huge success.
Hell yea! Viva la competition. Whatever the UFC does pull out of it’s ass is gonna be pretty awesome.
Does anyone give arlovski a real chance? Fedor is much better at sambo and arlovski’s chin is suspicious.
No way the UFC is gonna be able to compete with this match up… A. Silva vs Lidell might match it though… but thats not happening
The UFC already has cards set for October 18th and 25th. There is no way they will be able to put together a quality card to compete on the same night.
they could probably easily move ufc 89(the free one, maybee with silva/cote). from the 18 up to the 11th.
B.W., they could, except for the fact that people already bought their tickets for the live event. Consider some people have already booked flights from around the world as well. UFC 90 was supposed to be PPV. That would mean it would have to go to a free event… 2 free UFC events in 1 month is unlikely.
B.W. its not that easy to just move a show a full week ahead that is already booked and selling tickets. You would have to assume that nobody else has the venue booked the previous Saturday which seems unlikely (although not impossible).
Most likely your going to get the standard UFC rerun style counter programming that EliteXC is getting used to dealing with.
they will most likely just replay an older ppv like they are doing this saturday possibly a ufc 87. That is a pretty sick card so if they replayed that free that might strike interest.
oct is 3 months from now. thats a long ways off, so if people have already bought tickets, how hard could it be for them to change their plans to 1 week earlier 3 months in advance. as far as the stadium being booked for that week i can understand, but im no expert in that matter. im not trying to be a party-pooper, but affliction is only planning on holding a show every 4 months, how hard do you think it will be for the ufc to come up with a free live event with its huge stable of fighters and stars every time affliction announces a fight on ppv. it wont be hard at all and it will happen, so i guess we fans luck-out and and get more mma than our minds can handle.
What about people who booked a plane ticket as well as a hotel room? There is no way they will move the date of 89, it won’t happen. They could make it PPV and move UFC 90 up to the 11th and make it free. Then, of course, UFC 89 would turn into UFC 90 and vice versa.
only time will tell.
all that debate but none of it is going to even come close to this match up anyways
haha i thought the exact same thing!
Arlovsky is still quick as hell for a HW, has good takedown defense, and hits extremely hard.
We atleast know that Fedor isnt going to blow through him with quickness like he did Sylvia. Arlovsky is more of a threat in terms of being a more versatile striker then Sylvia. Plus Arlovsky has never been submitted.
Honestly I think this fight could be like Fedor/Cro Cop, which would make it one of Fedor’s hardest fights. Still expect Fedor to beat him but I think people are writting him off too easily…
good call with the cro cop comparison… i could see this fight going that way as well… but this is a 5 round fight so maybe arlovskis conditioning will wear out fedor
I’ve never seen Fedor gas. He’s been in some really long ones.
Fedor gassed a little bit against Nog.
JASON said “We atleast know that Fedor isnt going to blow through him with quickness like he did Sylvia. ”
I can easily see Fedor winning this fight in 30 seconds as well. I’m not guaranteeing it, but there is no way that someone can KNOW at this point, like you claim that everyone knows Fedor can’t to the same..
AA is a fighter and Tim is a pansy, you don’t curl up into the fetal position when you get hit like that. There was no KO punch Tim went down of his own will because he didn’t like getting punched in the face. Then he rolled around on the ground like a girl while Fedor just rained on him. Tim then gave Fedor his back hoping he could just lay on him like he did Randy except Fedor isn’t a 40 year old LHW. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t do the same thing against Fedor but thats what seperates me from the top 10 HW list, that and I suppose the fact that I’m not a HW.
ViolentMike, your miss understanding what i’m saying
Fedor beat Tim using his quickness. I cant see him doing that to one of the quickest HW’s in the game in Arlovsky.
why not??? Tim spanked AA twice…Im sure Fedor wouldnt beat tim in 39 seconds again….But I see Fedor eating AA..no matter how long it takes him to do it..Tim is better than AA…he already proved it.
Ya, and even the bottom of UFC’s thin HW’s finished Cro Cop easily.
Fedor, on the other hand, couldn’t finish Cro Cop and it was a hard fight for him.
Bottom line, MMA math doesn’t work, so stop using it.
It doesn’t matter if Tim is better than AA. Your using trying to use mmamath which doesn’t work. Elvis Sinosic beat Jeremy Horn so he cleary better than Horn, Horn beat Liddell so hes clearly better than him, Liddell beat Wanderlei so hes better than him. So Sinsoic could take Liddell or Wanderlei easily.
Is Tim really even better than AA? I mean Arlovki clearly won the first fight, (Tim got rocked) but got back up to clearly take the second fight, but the third fight was hard to really even call a fight. I didn’t see any winners in that fight. It was like a dance off.
Agree with this. I dont see how anybody can say that Tim is clearly better than AA. The third fight didnt feature a dominant performance by either fighter. Not to mention that Arlovsky didnt use kicks for the majority of the fight which was later revealed to be a result of a leg injury.
Styles make fights and Tim clearly has a style that gives AA some trouble but if they were to fight again (and it sounds like they are going to at some point) I dont see it being an easy win for Tim at all, especially considering how the first two fights went.
Arlovski of old is by no means an easy fight for Tim Sylvia. However, Arlovski on his best day is still an easy for Fedor.
I dont think Arlovski is an easy fight for anyone, any day
Agreed, Arlovski is not an easy fight for anyone, stupid comment. I thought the Pitbull deserved this fight and the opportunity to become the number one heavyweight in the world. But Fedor is scary. If AA gets on the inside, maybe use his body lock/leg trip combo, he could pull it off. He needs to stay away from Fedor’s power punches. What an amazing dream match!
AA has really improve his whole game. He used to fear the ground,now he seems to welcome it, even to the extent of taking a very good wrestler like Jake O’brian down. His takedown defence has allways been top notch. This is going to be a very tough fight for Fedor. He has fought bigger guys than him, but none as fast,explosive and with pin point powerful strikes. Not to mention getting AA to the groung is no easy task. I think AA has the best shot at Fedor and if he can’t beat him ,no one will, at least no one in the game right now.
It is very easy for an elite fighter to get Andrei to the ground. Punch him in the face, preferably near the chin, and he will go down. Then Fedor will pounce on him with some vicious hammer fists until Andrei turtles up. At this point, its up to Fedor if he wants to win by GnP or by submission.
That is really the only way I can see this fight happening. I gotta keep building my BetUs account back up to where it was because I will be putting it all on Fedor. (Minus what ever I bet on a parlay for that card as well)
yeah, after seeing What Fedor did to Tim, I think I will start betting most of my account on all his fights! he is Simply, THAT GOOD! Keep in mind, he is even younger than Anderson Silva…..thats a scary thought!
I use to dream of this fight back when Arlovski was better. Fedor will kill Arlovski today.
I would agree with you except that fight showed his aggression revamped man. Plus the ring tends to favor a striker. Then again, he was fighting Ben Rothwell. That isn’t top 10 competition. At the same time, he showed that he can stay aggressive for the entire fight if it comes down to it.
jardine beat liddel he was not a top 10
KONGO BEATS CROCOP HE WAS NOT A TOP 10
FORREST BEATS RAMPAGE AND TITO BEATS FORREST RAMPAGE BEATS LIDDEL, LIDDEL BEATS TITO
BOTTOM LINE MMA MATH DOES NOT WORK
SO CUT THE TOP TEN BULLSHIT
WAR ARLOSKY
I was the same way. I actually used to think arlovski would beat fedor.
AA is a better fighter now then he ever was. He is using all his tools now, like high kicks, knees and some wrestling.
Yeah he started using that stuff exactly 5 days ago
lol
Great news. Fedor by armbar rd1/2.
Awesome fight. But it’s almost certain that Arlovski will lose. I don’t think poorly of Arlovski, I just think Fedor is in fact a machine.
Yes a cant miss event! good luck pulling me away from this one ufc. honestly the ufc will have to have nothing but giant fights. anderson vs wandy would help.
No please don’t. I like Wandy way too much for that.
As much as i want this i really don’t want it… the pitbull is one of my favourite fights, and i would hate to see him get ruined..
100% agree
affliction has another ppv buy from me! hopefully the rest of the card will we good
will be good** lol
If it is MMA I will be watching.The competion will be great.
I can do without the free concert.
I do wonder if Fedor wins and Randy can not get out of all
the drama from the ufc contract,lets have them fight at the
end of the year.Promotion vs. Promotion and the winner will
take a check for at least 1 million given by the opposite
promotion Pres.Lets say Fedor wins(i hope not)have Dana give
him the check and the belt.This is the only way to end all
the drama who is the best.This is getting to be like boxing.
yuuukkk.
HuH??????????? Fedor is the best rofl! Thats now a fact not something you can argue anymore. But sure Fedor vs Couture would be interesting i wonder if Coutures headmovement can keep him from getting TKO/KO’d in the first.
we all want to see the dream match up.What a night of
action that will be.Somthing has to give or we will
see a lot of lawyers and empty seats.Randy will be
ready no matter how long it takes.Remember in mma
it is all about match ups.
Fedor beats Tim, who pretty much everyone thinks is over rated, and now not only is he the best, but it is a fact? I think Fedor may very well be the best, but I wouldn’t be Shocked beyond belief if AA or Randy beat him.
To say that Fedor being the best is a FACT, he would have to throttle every single heavyweight alive. Until then, it is just an opinion.
He has already “throttled” every single elite HW in PRIDE. How he is in Elite, and he fought the highest ranked HW they had on the roster, Tim was 4, Fedor is 1. Now that he is in Affliction, he will have the opportunity to “throttle” Arlovski and Barnett. I think that Barnett will give Fedor a MUCH tougher fight than Arlovski will, but Arlovski/Fedor will sell much more PPV’s in the USA than Barnett would, so wise choice by Affliction.
After Fedor beats Andrei, he is most likely fighting Cro Cop in DREAM on NYE (or possibly Randy, depending on court case), and then he will face Barnett in March in Affliction. At that point, assuming Fedor wins, he would have “throttled” every top HW walking the planet outside of Fabricio Werdum, Gabe Gonazaga, and Brock Lesnar. LOL.
You need to realize that Fedor is indeed the BEST HW alive.
Do you also think that Anderson SIlva isn’t the best MW alive right now because he has yet to “throttle” Robbie Lawler or Paulo Fihlo or Matt Lindland?
great post! I doubt Couture will fight Fedor in DREAM because that would be a big money fight in the USA. At this point, the best chance of seeing Fedor vs. Couture will be at Afflictions 3rd show in March because Fedor clearly has his sites set on Arlovski (october) and then Cro Cop on New Years eve. Hopefully, the ruling on Randy’s court case happens soon, and allows him to fight. If that happens in a timely fashion I would expect Fedor to Fight Arlovski in October, then fight Barnett in DREAM on New years eve (since both Barnett and Fedor are gods in Japan), and then Fedor could fight Couture in March.
any way we look at it, thanks to Affliction we will get to see Fedor fight 3 top HW’s that he has never fought before.
Fixing my second sentece where I sound dyslexic:
“How he is in Elite,”
should be
“Now he is in Affliction,”
WOW
Gonzaga, Kongo, Brock all have huge holes. The only legit Heavy in UFC Fedor hasn’t already beaten is Werdum.
How do you give Nog’s belt to Fedor, after Fedor cracks Randy’s skull? Doesn’t quite add up. Randy is not the UFC champ anymore. He hasn’t been ever since his temper tantrum.
Not in the eyes of a lot of fans he’s not. But due to legalities, Couture is still UFC Heavyweight champ while Nog is the interim HW champ.
Last time I saw Nog by the ring at the UFC, they still had him listed as interim champ. I haven’t checked the website though.
Yeah I realize all that legal crap, but Randy not fighting in a year is what makes me say that. If he comes back to the UFC he should have to fight Nog before “defending” a belt that shouldn’t belong to him.
He’s already beaten Nog stop being ridiculous