Affliction:Trilogy

[Marquis]

MAIN CARD

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett (for WAMMA heavyweight title)
Gegard Mousasi vs. Renato "Babalu" Sobral
Vitor Belfort vs. Jorge Santiago
Paul Buentello vs. Gilbert Yvel
Takanori Gomi vs. Rafaello Oliveira

PRELIMINARY CARD

Paul Daley vs. Jay Hieron
Chris Horodecki vs. Dan Lauzon
Ben Rothwell vs. Chase Gormley
L.C. Davis vs. Javier Vazquez
Mark Hominick vs. Deividas Taurosevicius
Lucio Linhares vs. Mikhail Zayats
Rob Broughton vs. Jessie Gibbs

Wow is this card stacked. Definitely the best card of the year so far in my book. Let's just hope the fights aren't let downs.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett. Can't wait for this one. Fedor will be fighting his first damn good opponent in awhile. Although his last two fights were against top heavyweights, i wouldn't put them above Barnett. A win over Barnett would solidify Fedor's top spot in the HW division. I see this one being on the feet mostly, Barnett will probably look to takedown Fedor, but Fedor has the best scramble in the sport, so I can't see Barnett keeping Fedor down in a dominant position for too long. On the feet i would give Fedor the edge. I feel this one will go to decision. Fedor is impossible to finish, and Barnett ain't easy to finish either. I got Fedor via unanimous decision.

Gegard Mousasi vs. Renato "Babalu" Sobral. Damn am I split for this one. You have the greatest young talent out there today against a veteran in Babalu who's having another good run with his five fight win streak. I really don't know who will take this one. Stand up i would definitely give the edge to Moussasi. Both have a good ground game, but credentials would say Babalu is far superior on the ground due to being a black belt in BJJ. Don't let this fool you though, Gegard has submitted a black belt in Denis Kang, and he trains in the Red Devil gym, the very same gym that Fedor trains at. So I'm sure Gegard can hang on the ground with highly regarded submission fighters. As i said earlier I'm really split on who will take this, I'm also a big fan of both, but i find myself siding for Babalu more. I wouldn't be surprised to see this turn into a great back and forth submission fight. I'll go out on a limb here and say Babalu takes this one via submission

Vitor Belfort vs. Jorge Santiago. Well ever since his release from the UFC Santiago has apparently much approved. Hes looked great in his matches in Sengoku, but outside of Kazuo Misaki, i would say Vitor is Santiago's first top tier MW since his recent run. I honestly don't think Santiago brings anything to the table that Vitor isn't better at. Both are black belts in BJJ, though Santiago holds more submission wins, Vitor's black belt should be more then enough to keep himself safe on the ground till he can scramble back to his feet. On the feet Vitor's hand speed would be too much for Santiago i feel. I got Vitor winning this one via KO.

Paul Buentello vs. Gilbert Yvel. Originally Tim Sylvia was suppose to take on Buentello, but i guess with his recent embarrassment losing to Mercer, they didn't want him on the card. Which i feel is a damn good call. For Sylvia to lose to Mercer in a fuckin MMA just embarrasses the sport. Especially consider Sylvia isn't a nobody, he belongs in the bottom of the barrel for that. Anyway, back on topic. With Yvel now as the replacement for Sylvia, i expect this fight to be slugfest. Both of these guys like to stand and bang, both have pretty sloppy technique i feel also. So like i said, a slugfest. I got Yvel winning this one via TKO

Takanori Gomi vs. Rafaello Oliveira. Wow, just fuckin wow. The Takanori Gomi fighting over here in the US, for the 2nd best biggest promotion in the state(till it folds). Gomi, Babalu, Barnett, Fedor, Gegard, Vitor, damn is this main card stacked. Maybe its just because I'm a big fan of all the fighters i mentioned, but like i said best card of the year in my book. Adding Gomi is just icing on the cake. I'll be honest and say I've never heard of Oliveria until this fight was announced. Hes 8-1 against nobodies, so really nothing of note. From the few fights i found he seems to have a decent ground game. This is a big opportunity for Oliveria. A win over one of the greatest LW's of all time would give him some name recognition, and would probably be brought back by Affliction. Nonetheless i don't know enough about Gomi's opponent to really make a guess here, but i really do hope Gomi pulls the win here. He hasn't looked great as of late, but helpfully hes on top of his game for this fight.

 

[jmt225]

This is a great looking show. I wish I could order it.

Fedor vs. Josh Barnett is going to be awesome, and Fedor's toughest fight in nearly five years. I cannot wait to hear what happens and watch it for myself. I think Fedor is superior than Barnett standing up (though he does need to be careful because Barnett does have devastating knockout power) and on the ground, whereas Barnett is better at wrestling. At the end of the day... while I do think Barnett stands more than a chance of the pulling off the upset, I just don't see him having enough tools to beat someone like Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor wins by unanimous decision.

Mousasi vs. Babalu should be a good fight. I'm not a big fan of Babalu, so I'll be pulling for Mousasi, but I still don't believe Mousasi has what it takes to defeat Babalu. Babalu is just too well rounded and I think he'll catch Mousasi in the 2nd or 3rd.

Vitor Belfort vs. Jorge Santiago is going to be a stand-up war and perhaps Fight of the Night, or contain the Knockout of the Night, all depending on Jorge's chin. Vitor finally seems to have his personal and professional life all in the right place, and I think that's going to lead him on a war path, with guys like Jorge Santiago being nothing more than casualties. So, obviously... I have Vitor winning this fight by Knockout, and hopefully, afterward, he's on his way back to the UFC.

And OF COURSE I'm stoked about Takanori Gomi. In Gomi's last fight, he finally looked like his oldself again, you know... the very best Lightweight in the World, so I think he's got his head on right again and will continue on making this awesome comeback. I'm calling it right now... Gomi by KO in the 1st Round. I guarantee it. I can't wait to see when he proves me right.

 

[jmt225]

HUGE rumor regarding this show!!!​

Affliction Entertainment and M-1 Global are looking for a new opponent to face Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction “Trilogy” on Aug. 1 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Multiple sources have told Sherdog.com that the California State Athletic Commission will not license Josh Barnett after a positive result on a pre-fight test. Calls to the California State Athletic Commission and Affliction Entertainment were not immediately returned.

Barnett said he had not been notified of any issues with his eligibility as of Tuesday evening.

“I took my test three weeks ago. I would have thought I would have heard something by now,” Barnett told Sherdog.com.

However, the former UFC heavyweight champion said he had not checked his phone messages recently and later added, “No matter what happens with this, I can assure you I will clear my name. This will not be something that I am defined by.”

Vitor Belfort has agreed in principle to face the world’s No. 1 heavyweight on 11 days’ notice, according to two separate sources close to the negotiations. One source told Sherdog.com that Emelianenko will have the opportunity to choose between Belfort and Bobby Lashley. Lashley has denied knowing anything about replacing Barnett, though.

"I don't know if I would want it right now. Since the last fight, I haven't really been into training again," he said. "That fight is next week. That would be something I would really have to take a look at. To just jump in there probably wouldn't be the smartest thing for me right now. A lot of people would say that might be a money fight. They figure, 'If we give him enough money, will he do it?' That's what people tend to look at. I don't want to get into fighting for the money so much right now.

Belfort, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, is scheduled to face American Top Team standout Jorge Santiago in a middleweight bout on the Aug. 1 card.

Holy fuck... if this is true... unbelievable.

What do you guys want to see happen? Do you want Barnett to be able to fight, or would you rather Vitor Belfor or Bobby Lashley get a shot at the best Heavyweight in the World?

What three options, huh? Personally, I really like Josh Barnett and I hope no steroids were found in his urine (this has happened to him before), but at the same time... Fedor vs. Vitor? That would be absolutely INCREDIBLE. And Fedor vs. Lashley? Well, simple to call that one... Bobby takes Fedor down, Fedor catches Bobby in a submission and the fight's over. That or Bobby strikes and gets destroyed. Either way, that fight will draw some huge interest, to say the least. Fuck... either fight would, really.

 

[Marquis]

So its been confirmed on Sherdog now that the fight is off. Barnett is out of the Fedor fight. And recently confirmed by The Fight Network is that Vitor Belfort will indeed step in as Barnett's replacement.

This situation is fuckin ridiculous. First off, I lost most respect for Barnett, he single handedly practically destroyed this event. Fedor we set to take on the 2nd ranked HW, in Barnett, finally being able to silence his critics about not taking on "top competition" in the last year or so. This fight was expected to cement Fedor if he won, as THE Pound 4 pound greatest right now, but due to Barnett testing positive for whatever it is, we now get to see Fedor fight a middleweight. A middleweight(Vitor) who only has a week and 3 days to put on weight. As if it wasn't bad enough that Fedor has to square off againt a MW, he will face off against one who isn't even prepared to fight 2 weight classes above him.

Fedor has nothing to gain from this fight
Vitor has everything to gain.

If Fedor wins, then he just beat a middleweight who only had one week and 3 days of preparation. If he loses, then he got beat by a middleweight who only had a week and 3 days of preparation time. Vitor has everything to gain here, if he loses its as expected. If he wins its a fucking shock and really hurts Fedor's stock.

I got Fedor via ground and pound. There's no way Vitor comes in with proper weight for this fight, and i doubt Fedor wants to stand with someone of Vitor's hand speed, so i see Fedor tossing and taking Vitor down. And giving him some vicious ground and pound. Round 2 TKO.

 

[jmt225]

Fedor has nothing to gain from this fight
Vitor has everything to gain.

Agreed.

But fuck... I'm still extremely stoked for this.

I got Fedor via ground and pound. There's no way Vitor comes in with proper weight for this fight, and i doubt Fedor wants to stand with someone of Vitor's hand speed, so i see Fedor tossing and taking Vitor down. And giving him some vicious ground and pound. Round 2 TKO.

I actually don't see Fedor taking it to the ground. I think he'll test himself and stand-up with Vitor.

And if Fedor does take it to the ground, I don't see Vitor having too much trouble. Tito Ortiz is bigger than Fedor technically and Vitor was able still able to defend himself and work himself back up whenever Tito found a way to get on top of him on the ground. Plus... you have to remember, Vitor is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, so I'm sure he's more than comfortable working off his back.

How it ever goes... it should be a very fun fight.

 

[Marquis]

And if Fedor does take it to the ground, I don't see Vitor having too much trouble. Tito Ortiz is bigger than Fedor technically and Vitor was able still able to defend himself and work himself back up whenever Tito found a way to get on top of him on the ground. Plus... you have to remember, Vitor is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, so I'm sure he's more than comfortable working off his back.

How it ever goes... it should be a very fun fight.

His fight with Ortiz was at light heavyweight, even if Tito was bigger, Vitor was conditioned properly for Light heavyweight. Vitor is currently a middleweight who only has a week to gain weight to fight at HW. Big difference of being able to scramble yourself out of Tito's ground game when fighting him at LHW, and trying to scramble out of a multiple time Sambo world champion who fights two weight classes above you ground game. Fedor is no stranger to controlling black belts on their backs.

 

[jmt225]

His fight with Ortiz was at light heavyweight, even if Tito was bigger, Vitor was conditioned properly for Light heavyweight. Vitor is currently a middleweight who only has a week to gain weight to fight at HW. Big difference of being able to scramble yourself out of Tito's ground game when fighting him at LHW, and trying to scramble out of a multiple time Sambo world champion who fights two weight classes above you ground game. Fedor is no stranger to controlling black belts on their backs.

Well, from what I gather... fighters don't start cutting weight until the week of the fight. So... Vitor was probably around 200 pounds anyway, if not more.

And I understand Fedor has a great Sambo game, but Tito was still much stronger than Fedor when he fought Vitor and his Ground 'N Pound was no joke, as I'm sure you know. The fight Vitor put up that night against Tito just tells me Fedor won't be able to beat Vitor on the ground as easy as you think. Vitor won't get caught in a submission, and Vitor will be able to get himself out of vicarious situations on the ground; that is... IF it goes to the ground in the first place, which I don't think it will. I think Fedor will trust his chin and iron fist, and go at Vitor full force on the feet.

 

[Marquis]

Well, from what I gather... fighters don't start cutting weight until the week of the fight. So... Vitor was probably around 200 pounds anyway, if not more.

200 pounds of walk around weight I'm sure. I don't think fighters like B.J, who took 8 months off, and George who wants to take 6 months off to build weight do it for no reason. Proper muscle buildings takes time i assume, thus why they take the time off. Vitor will come weighing a lot more, but most of it will probably be fat.

And I understand Fedor has a great Sambo game, but Tito was still much stronger than Fedor when he fought Vitor and his Ground 'N Pound was no joke, as I'm sure you know. The fight Vitor put up that night against Tito just tells me Fedor won't be able to beat Vitor on the ground as easy as you think. Vitor won't get caught in a submission, and Vitor will be able to get himself out of vicarious situations on the ground; that is...

Tito's ground and pound was no joke, but neither is Fedor's. I would say Fedor's is better since he controlled Nog in his prime on the ground. I'm sure Vitor is a fine black belt, but on Nog's level in MMA? Don't think so. If Fedor can control Nog, there's no doubt in my mind he can control Vitor on the ground, especially a MW Vitor.

IF it goes to the ground in the first place, which I don't think it will. I think Fedor will trust his chin and iron fist, and go at Vitor full force on the feet.

I really doubt this, his throws are a big part of his arsenal in a fight. Besides Fedor has to be the most humble person in the sport, I'm damn sure he will respect Vitor's hands and take him down at some point.

 

[jmt225]

200 pounds of walk around weight I'm sure. I don't think fighters like B.J, who took 8 months off, and George who wants to take 6 months off to build weight do it for no reason. Proper muscle buildings takes time i assume, thus why they take the time off. Vitor will come weighing a lot more, but most of it will probably be fat.

Vitor's a pretty ripped dude; I highly doubt he'll have some noticeable fat on him. Not that it matters, because size means shit at the end of the day. It's Vitor's fatigue that should be getting worried about, but I'm sure Vitor and his trainers have a solid plan not to throw his body out of wack, otherwise I'm sure he wouldn't have taken the fight. No one's stupid enough to take a fight of this magnitude without knowing for a fact that you'll be 100% prepared for it.

Tito's ground and pound was no joke, but neither is Fedor's. I would say Fedor's is better since he controlled Nog in his prime on the ground. I'm sure Vitor is a fine black belt, but on Nog's level in MMA? Don't think so. If Fedor can control Nog, there's no doubt in my mind he can control Vitor on the ground, especially a MW Vitor.

If Fedor takes it to the ground, there will be points throughout the fight where he'll control Vitor for a certain amount of time, no doubt. I'm just saying he won't be able to finish Vitor off there, just like he couldn't finish Big Nog.

I really doubt this, his throws are a big part of his arsenal in a fight. Besides Fedor has to be the most humble person in the sport, I'm damn sure he will respect Vitor's hands and take him down at some point.

The only way Fedor would be able to get a throw on him is if Vitor goes for the clinch, and I HIGHLY doubt Vitor is that fucking stupid. Most likely... Vitor's going to keep his distance and in a ring, it's a lot easier to do that and avoid the takedown. That is, like I said, if Fedor has any intention of taking him down in the first place, which I really don't think he will be. Sure... if something goes wrong, he can then rely on his takedowns, but coming out the gate... I'm pretty confident Fedor's going to strike with him.

 

[Marquis]

Vitor's a pretty ripped dude; I highly doubt he'll have some noticeable fat on him. Not that it matters, because size means shit at the end of the day. It's Vitor's fatigue that should be getting worried about, but I'm sure Vitor and his trainers have a solid plan not to throw his body out of wack, otherwise I'm sure he wouldn't have taken the fight. No one's stupid enough to take a fight of this magnitude without knowing for a fact that you'll be 100% prepared for it.

Ripped he is, but i doubt we can say the same when he has to fight two weight classes up in around a week. Size means a lot on the ground when you have someone on top of you, they can out power you, and can control you easier from the top. A solid plan in a week? I doubt it. In no way is he stupid for taking this fight unprepared. First off, I'm sure affliction offered him a lot to take this fight up, they had to with such little options. Secondly he has NOTHING to lose from this fight. If he loses hes a middleweight fighting way above his weight class in a weeks notice, if he wins he fuckin shocks the world and his stock skyrockets. He has nothing to lose here, so being unprepared won't matter.

If Fedor takes it to the ground, there will be points throughout the fight where he'll control Vitor for a certain amount of time, no doubt. I'm just saying he won't be able to finish Vitor off there, just like he couldn't finish Big Nog.

He couldn't finish Nog cause of his chin. Vitor doesn't have Nog's chin, no one does.

The only way Fedor would be able to get a throw on him is if Vitor goes for the clinch, and I HIGHLY doubt Vitor is that fucking stupid. Most likely... Vitor's going to keep his distance and in a ring, it's a lot easier to do that and avoid the takedown. That is, like I said, if Fedor has any intention of taking him down in the first place, which I really don't think he will be. Sure... if something goes wrong, he can then rely on his takedowns, but coming out the gate... I'm pretty confident Fedor's going to strike with him.

I wouldn't highly doubt they end up in a clinch at the corner of the ring. It happened in the Arlovski fight, who is also considered a great striker with good hand speed. I think Fedor will feel him out perhaps in the opening of the first round, but i can't see him standing with Vitor for long periods. Fedor is no stupid fuck, you don't stay undefeated against the best of the best of the HW division and not be smart. I'm sure he will respect Vitor's hands and get him down when he can.

 

[Marquis]

A week of misfortune turned to disaster for Affliction Entertainment on Friday, as the promotion canceled Affliction “Trilogy,” which had been scheduled for Aug. 1 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

“Finding an opponent for the number one-ranked MMA heavyweight champion in such a short period of time was a huge endeavor, and I’m thrilled at the amount of fighters willing to take on this challenge,” Affliction Entertainment Vice President Tom Atencio said in a news release. “But in the end, we just didn’t have enough time to promote a new fight to our standards.”

SI.com reported the news first Friday morning, and Sherdog.com confirmed shortly after. The cancellation -- which could spell the end of Affliction's year-long run as a mixed martial arts promotion -- comes on the heels of heavyweight Josh Barnett's failed drug test, which forced him out of the “Trilogy” main event against Fedor Emelianenko on Wednesday. Barnett, 32, tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid and was denied licensure by the California State Athletic Commission.

Promoters scrambled to find a replacement opponent for Emelianenko and reportedly considered middleweight Vitor Belfort, light heavyweight prospect Muhammed Lawal and heavyweights Brett Rogers, Paul Buentello, Jeff Monson and Bobby Lashley.

Atencio declined to comment further when reached by Sherdog.com

Well, Barnett single-handedly destroyed a whole event. Without a doubt the greatest event of the whole month. This was card was stacked from top to bottom with names like Fedor, Barnett, Babalu, Vitor, Mousasi, and Gomi, but thanks to Barnett testing positive for steriods the whole event was canceled. I was pretty damn pissed to read this earlier today since i was heavily looking forward to this event. The canceling of Affliction trilogy could pretty much be the final nail in the coffin for Affliction. I wouldn't be surprised to see them flop and sink. The only possible positive thing that comes out of this is one thing.

Strikeforce

Strikeforce could be saved by Affliction canceling its show. Strikeforce's upcoming event "Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg" has lost two of its main card fights. Alistar Overeem was set to face off against Fabricio Werdum, but due to Overeem's hand injury acting up he had to pull out. Nick Diaz Vs. Joe Riggs was also suppose to go down, but Riggs had to pull out due to having a bad reaction to some drug. So with Affliction now canceling there show, Strikeforce can sign some talent from Affliction for their show since they don't have exclusive contracts over at Affliction. I think most likely we will see Jay Hieron step in for Riggs and fight Nick Diaz. Or maybe if we're lucky a Gomi Vs. Diaz rematch? I would mark the fuck out hard for that, but due to weight differences now it might not happen. For Werdum i think they would bring in either Paul Buentello, or Gilbert Yvel. And hopefully Strikeforce can now get Babalu Sobral back on the card now that Affliction canceled.

Pissed off that the event was canceled, but looking forward to see if Strikeforce takes advantage of this.

Edit: Breaking news, Affliction folds.

By any measure, UFC 100 was a jaw-dropping success. It sold in excess of 1.5 million pay-per-view units. It was among the best selling closed-circuit events in history. It was available in more than 300 million homes in 17 languages worldwide.

Media coverage was intense, with headlines on the front page of the newspaper, highlights on ESPN’s SportsCenter and countless articles on the Internet. It was, essentially, a monument to the brilliant work done over the last 8½ years by Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and president Dana White.

The truth of where MMA stands in the American sporting landscape, though, will be told not by the extraordinary success of UFC 100 but rather by the reaction to a month of far less-hyped cards in August.

There is a significant MMA card on three of the five weekends in the month and would have been four had Josh Barnett’s positive steroid test forced cancellation of his fight with Fedor Emelianenko that was to headline the Affliction card on Aug. 1 in Anaheim, Calif.


Later on Friday, Affliction opted to get out of the promoting business and, in a joint statement with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, announced it would become a sponsor of the UFC. The fate of the fighters under contract with Affliction is not known yet.

Yup, reported by yahoo sports. Jump on that talent now Strikeforce before the UFC does.