MMA FanHouse

Fabricio Werdum Talks Antonio Silva, Affliction Promotes Strikeforce Fight

Michael David Smith — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction, MMA Videos, Strikeforce

I was just thinking that CBS and Strikeforce haven't done enough to promote Saturday night's Fabricio Werdum-Antonio Silva fight, so I searched YouTube to see if there was a promotional video I hadn't seen. Well, it turns out that there is -- but it was produced not by Strikeforce or CBS, but by Affliction, which is no longer promoting MMA but still sponsors Werdum and other fighters.

In the video, Werdum talks about his upcoming fight with Silva, but he doesn't say anything all that newsworty. Werdum is one of the best Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioners in the world, so it's no surprise that he says he wants to take the fight to the ground and win by submission.

What is surprising about the video is the nasty cut Werdum has over his eye. It's not clear when the video was shot, but I hope it wasn't recent: That's a cut that needs some time to heal.

In any event, I'm glad to see that Affliction is helping Werdum promote his fight. I think there's a pretty good chance we'll see the Werdum-Silva winner take on the Fedor Emelianenko-Brett Rogers winner some time in 2010, so any help that Affliction can give Strikeforce in hyping Werdum vs. Silva is a good thing.

Fabricio Werdum Talks Antonio Silva, Affliction Promotes Strikeforce Fight originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Matt Lindland 'Very Confident' He Will Make Strikeforce Debut in Fall

Ariel Helwani — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive

Matt Lindland was last seen losing to Vitor Belfort via knockout in just 37 seconds at "Affliction: Day of Reckoning" in January. Since then, his name has come up as a potential opponent for several young middleweights, but nothing every materialized.

When FanHouse learned that Lindland was involved in serious negotiations with Strikeforce, we contacted him to find out when he will be fighting and against who. The full interview is below.

You're currently a free agent, right?
Yes.

Will you be fighting Jake Shields for the interim Strikeforce middleweight title in October?
I'm not exactly sure what all the deals are. We're certainly in talks with Strikeforce. I don't know what their plans are with any of their belts or any of their titles. But that would certainly be a tough fight. Jake is a great opponent. I couldn't tell you, honestly. I don't know what Strikeforce or Showtime's plans are for filling their belts or titles.

So, you've been talking to Strikeforce about a new contract, right?
Certainly regarding a contractual agreement, but not specifically for any opponents or any belts or titles.

Are you confident that you will be fighting for Strikeforce next?
Oh yeah. I'm very confident that we can work something out. They're great guys; they got Showtime backing them; they're easy to work with; they're putting on great events. I'm very confident that's where I will be at in the near future.

Are you fielding offers from any other organizations?
You know, I'm a free agent. I'm open to whatever's out there and available. But right now, they seem to be the most willing to work with [me]. I mean, look, they just got a deal done with Fedor Emelianenko, and the UFC couldn't figure out a way to get a deal done with him. So obviously, they are doing something right.

When do you expect to be back in action?
As soon as possible. That's all I can tell you.

Have you been impressed with Shields as of late?
I've been impressed with Jake since he was a young man starting in this sport. He's a very athletic, talented guy. I was certainly impressed with the way he dispatched of Rob Lawler in such a quick fashion, and the efficiency of being able to do that.

Why haven't you fought since January?
Well, there were a lot of guys who were expecting to fight on that Affliction show, and Affliction, first of all, they said to me that I wouldn't be on their August show but they would use me on their next one, which didn't give me much comfort knowing that I was going to be on the fourth edition when they couldn't even pull off their third event. So I wasn't too confident with Affliction's abilities to continue fulfilling their obligations and their promises. They actually screwed over a lot more guys than just me, you know, when they cut that show a week out. Fortunately for some of those athletes, they were able to get picked up by some other promotions.

Do you hold any ill feelings towards Affliction?
I don't hold a grudge; I don't have any ill feelings. It's just disappointing to see these organizations pop up, make obligations, and not be able to fulfill them. It's a lie. If you offer somebody an agreement and you don't pay them, you are a fraud or a liar. But you know, that's not the first time this has happened with an organization. I've been involved with quite a few of these start-up organizations, and I would consider them all frauds when they can't fulfill their obligations and contractual duties.

Dana White has been burying the hatchet with a lot of long-time rivals lately. Any chance you could be next?
I haven't really had an opportunity to speak openly with Dana directly. I've tried to make myself available for that, and that's just never come to fruition for us. So, if I ever got an opportunity to sit down with Dana one-on-one or even on the phone, and be able to discuss what any of the issues were because I certainly didn't have any issues with him or the organization personally. I don't know if that's just public perception or if there actually is some bad blood against me. I don't know. Honestly, I don't know. We're just not on speaking terms. He doesn't have me on speed dial.

I saw you say hello to him when you accompanied Chael Sonnen at the UFC 98 weigh-ins.
I think that's just a professional courtesy we both extend to one another, but I don't know if it goes any farther than that.

Do you still have any interest in pursuing a career in politics?
No, I am not currently actively pursuing any offices [and] the elections aren't for a while. But I am an activist in everything that I do. I'm outspoken about my views, and I can not tell you right now because I don't know if I would consider running for an office again in the future because it wasn't that great of an experience, to tell you the truth.

How come?
Just the process is not about principals and values that you would think it should be based on. It's about money and power and politics, frankly.

That sounds about right. So should we expect to see Matt Lindland back in action come this fall?
Oh yeah, for sure. Certainly by the early fall.

Matt Lindland 'Very Confident' He Will Make Strikeforce Debut in Fall originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Josh Barnett Hopes to Fight Positive Test: 'I Have People Working On It'

Michael David Smith — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 08:28:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction, FanHouse Exclusive

Josh Barnett was supposed to have the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts career this weekend, a bout with Fedor Emelianenko that, had he won, would have made him the heavyweight champion of MMA. But Barnett isn't fighting this weekend, and in a brief phone interview with FanHouse Friday night, Barnett sounded upset and dejected while vowing to keep fighting the failed steroid test that led to his fight being called off.

After news broke last week that Barnett had tested positive for an anabolic steroid, his fight with Fedor was canceled -- as was the entire Affliction Trilogy card. Barnett was clinging to hope that a second test of his urine (commonly referred to as the "B sample") would clear him, but on Friday the California State Athletic Commission revealed that the B sample came back positive, too.

I asked Barnett whether he had any reaction to the B sample coming back positive, and he answered, "Nope. Not yet."

Barnett understands that fans are upset they won't be seeing him fight Fedor, but he said he's not at a point where he can say anything to those fans.

"I wish I could," Barnett said. "But when you get involved in things like this, that's not really an option right now. So I have to just sit back and wait. Things will be released as fast as I can."

Barnett said he doesn't know what, specifically, he can do to fight the California State Athletic Commission's finding that he used performance-enhancing drugs. And at this point, there may not be anything he can do to get any American athletic commission to license him or any MMA promoter to do business with him: According to multiple published reports, this represents the third time Barnett has tested positive for steroids. In American sports, three-time steroid users are pariahs.

But Barnett said he and his representatives are not done trying to clear his name.

"I'm not sure," Barnett said when I asked him what else he can do to fight the positive test. "But I have people working on it."

Josh Barnett Hopes to Fight Positive Test: 'I Have People Working On It' originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sat, 01 Aug 2009 08:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The MMA Hour: Affliction Fallout and Joseph Benavidez Interview

Ariel Helwani — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction, UFC, WEC, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive

On this week's edition of The MMA Hour, MDS, Mike Chiappetta and I discuss the aftermath of Affliction canceling "Trilogy" and joining forces with the UFC. Where does Fedor Emelianenko go from here? How does this affect Strikeforce? What will be Afflction Entertainment's legacy? Those questions and more were answered.

Plus, we were joined by WEC bantamweight contender, Joseph Benavidez, to talk about his upcoming fight against Dominick Cruz on August 9. The winner of that bout looks to be the No.1 contender in the WEC's 135-pound division. Check out the show below.

Click here to download the mp3.

The MMA Hour: Affliction Fallout and Joseph Benavidez Interview originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fedor Emelianenko Turns Down Three-Fight UFC Contract

Ariel Helwani — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction, UFC

Fedor Emelianenko said on Wednesday that he does not intend to sign a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship unless the UFC agrees to promote fights jointly with Emelianenko's promoter, M-1 Global. Since then, several Web sites have reported that Emelianenko had turned down a six-fight contract with the UFC worth $30 million.

FanHouse has learned from a source close to the negotiations, who wished to remain anonymous, that the UFC offered Emelianenko a three-fight contract with a guarantee of less than $2 million per fight.

The source did confirm that Emelianenko was offered an immediate title shot against current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

As Jonathan Snowden, the author of 'Total MMA: Inside Ultimate Fighting,' who also spoke to someone with knowledge of the negotiations, pointed out, it is possible that Emelianenko could make up to or even more than $30 million during his UFC run, but that amount wasn't guaranteed up front.

"The number is based on Zuffa's projections of what Fedor's take of the PPV money would be, and the numbers they are projecting are based on selling a ton of PPV's. The actual guarantee for Fedor is much more modest. It's true that if business stays at record levels Fedor could walk away with $30 million. But that is no guarantee."

If the pay-per-views in which Emelianenko main events do as well as, say, UFC 100, which reportedly generated approximately 1.5 million PPV buys, he could conceivably make that much, if not more once the PPV escalators kick in.

Vadim Finkelstein, Emelianenko's manager and M-1 Global's CEO, replied "no" when Sherdog asked if a deal could be struck with the UFC without M-1 co-promoting the event.

Fedor Emelianenko Turns Down Three-Fight UFC Contract originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Josh Barnett Releases Statement, Denies Intentionally Taking Banned Substance

Ariel Helwani — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:22:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction

Through his manager, Shannon Hooper, Josh Barnett released a statement late Wednesday night about his recent failed drug test, which led to the California State Athletic Commission denying him a license to fight Fedor Emelianenko at the now-canceled "Affliction: Trilogy" event. Barnett was never directly quoted in the release.

"Mr. Barnett vehemently denies intentionally ingesting any banned substances in preparation for the August 1^st fight and he is looking forward to presenting his case to the California State Athletic Commission."

Of course, the key word in that phrase is "intentionally." The release also stated that Barnett was "was shocked at these allegations" and is still awaiting the results of his B sample testing. It went onto say that "the documentation that Mr. Barnett has received raises serious questions about the integrity of the sample and the validity of the results themselves."

The CSAC's executive assistant officer, Bill Douglas, told FanHouse last week that he was confident in the validity of the test.

"The inspector that observed this particular test is one of our drug testing experts in terms of the correction procedure, and works on many events of this nature, and oversees a lot of the drug testing that's performed by our staff," Douglas said. "In this particular case, this was a hands-on test that he performed himself. So in terms of the correction procedure, it was flawless as recognized by the laboratory upon delivery of the sample the same day. And in terms of the lab itself, we have been using the same lab that tests the NFL and the International Olympic Games, as recently as the last Games, they tested every sample ever took there. They test the NCAA for all the sports, all minor league baseball. It's a very, very tough lab to dispute - the best of them all."

Douglas also mentioned that this was the first time the California State Athletic Commission had ever performed a random drug test.

The release also mentioned that Barnett was "extremely disappointed" that Affliction decided to cancel "Trilogy."

"Josh is as disappointed as all of his fans and supporters that he will not be fighting on August 1st. He also empathizes with all of the other fighters that were scheduled to appear on the card and shares their frustration and shock at the cancellation of the entire event."

Josh Barnett Releases Statement, Denies Intentionally Taking Banned Substance originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Josh Barnett Statement on Positive Test

FanHouse Newswire — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:21:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction

On behalf of Josh Barnett and in conjunction with all of his representatives, the following is an official statement regarding the allegations made by the CSAC:

The media has reported that Mixed Martial Arts Heavyweight fighter Josh Barnett would not be eligible to fight Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction Trilogy as he was denied his California license due to an alleged positive test for 2α-methyl-5α-androstan-3α-ol-17-one, which is purportedly a metabolite of a banned substance. Mr. Barnett was shocked at these allegations and was extremely disappointed to learn that Affliction had made the hasty decision to cancel the August 1st event in its entirety. Mr. Barnett vehemently denies intentionally ingesting any banned substances in preparation for the August 1st fight and he is looking forward to presenting his case to the California State Athletic Commission.

In the meantime, Mr. Barnett has yet to learn of the results of the B sample testing and he has not received any of the documentation that provides further details of the alleged positive sample despite numerous requests. In fact, the documentation that Mr. Barnett has received raises serious questions about the integrity of the sample and the validity of the results themselves.

At this time Mr. Barnett would like to thank his fans and colleagues for their ongoing support and faith in him. He intends to vigorously defend himself against these allegations and hopes for a swift resolution to this matter so he can get back to what he does best -- fighting!

I would like to further add that Josh is as disappointed as all of his fans and supporters that he will not be fighting on August 1st. He also empathizes with all of the other fighters that were scheduled to appear on the card and shares their frustration and shock at the cancellation of the entire event.

Josh Barnett Statement on Positive Test originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMA Twitter Mailbag: UFC, M-1 and Fedor Emelianenko

Michael David Smith — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:02:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction, UFC

Today's MMA Twitter mailbag features a whole lot of questions about Fedor Emelianenko, what's next for him now that his fight at Affliction Trilogy is kaput, and whether we'll ever see him fight in the UFC.

Your questions and my answers for our MMA mailbag are below.

uchoo786: Ask him why he has never directly spoken to Dana, because it seems like his manager is the real hinderance a UFC deal.
I did ask Fedor if he would meet one-on-one with UFC President Dana White while he's here in the United States. Unfortunately, Fedor (through the M-1 translator on the conference call) didn't give a clear answer.

WabKinew: Maybe I'm just pissed off, but I think that Fedor's refusal to fight in the UFC should send him down the P4P rankings.
Right now, I consider Fedor the best pound-for-pound fighter in MMA, and I don't think his refusal to fight in the UFC should move him down. But I do think if you're going to be considered the best, you have to keep fighting high-quality opposition. And if Fedor either sits out while he engages in long, drawn-out contract negotiations or starts fighting opponents who aren't among the Top 10 heavyweights in the world, his ranking will suffer. I believe Fedor is the greatest fighter in the world, but I also believe that great athletes need to test themselves against other great athletes. If Fedor doesn't do that, he's not the greatest anymore.

Also, remember this: At UFC 101 on August 8, Anderson Silva is moving up in weight class to face his toughest test yet, former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin. If Silva does something spectacular that day, like destroys Griffin in the first round, I could see Silva moving up to No. 1 in the pound-for-pound rankings.

joelmclaughlin: M-1 is either posturing to try and extract more $ for a UFC deal or they are delusional if they think they can compete.
I honestly don't know what M-1 thinks. I personally think the M-1 Challenge is an interesting concept that has produced some good fights, and I think the presence of Fedor in M-1 makes M-1 relevant in MMA. But M-1 can't compete with the UFC any more than the UFL can compete with the NFL.

WatchKalibRun: Do we know if there is some wiggle room around co-promotion for the UFC. As in call it co-pro but really dont?
Good question. M-1 keeps on insisting that for Fedor to fight in the Octagon, it has to be a UFC/M-1 co-promotion. But as far as I know, M-1 has never defined exactly what "co-promotion" means. I want to see Fedor in the UFC, so I would like to think there is some wiggle room, like maybe having M-1 logos in the Octagon for all of Fedor's fights. But my sense from both M-1 and the UFC is that they don't see any middle ground on the co-promotion front.

chrismichetti: Giant fail. Fedor is a moron being led by the blind.
I would definitely not describe Fedor as a moron. He's the best in the world at what he does and has earned the right to be demanding in his negotiations, even if most fans think his demands sound unreasonable.

Undertones: Ask Vadim what he thinks of Aleksander Emelianenko's recent statements about him manipulating Fedor for financial gain....And tell Vadim to drop dead. : )
Fedor's brother Aleksander criticized M-1 boss Vadim Finkelchtein, but when Fedor was asked about the dispute between Aleksander and Finkelchtein on the call, Fedor made clear that he sided with his manager, saying, "Sometimes I cannot understand some acts of Aleksander."

John_S_Adams: LOL, until Fedor comes to the UFC and PROVES he's the best fighter in MMA, I for one won't believe it.
In fairness to Fedor, he has a stellar record against former UFC heavyweight champions, and so I do think he has proven that he deserves to be considered the heavyweight champion of MMA. But I know a lot of fans like you, John, who think it's time for Fedor to prove he's better than Brock Lesnar. I don't think that's going to happen.

savsci: With what M1 said on the call and the statement Barnett's attorney released today it sure sounds like a lawsuit is brewing.
I think multiple lawsuits are brewing. M-1's lawyer strongly implied that M-1 plans to sue Affliction for canceling Fedor's fight, saying, "We will do everything to protect our rights in the courts of the United States."

Want to be part of our next UFC Twitter mailbag? Post a question or comment on Twitter.com, and be sure to start it with @MichaelDavSmith.

MMA Twitter Mailbag: UFC, M-1 and Fedor Emelianenko originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fedor Emelianenko on Twitter: Live Tweeting the M-1 Conference Call

Michael David Smith — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction

Fedor Emelianenko is set to make his first public comments since his fight with Josh Barnett at Affliction Trilogy was canceled, and when he does, we'll have live coverage here at FanHouse.

Fedor will hold a press conference at 4 PM ET, and he'll be joined by M-1 Global Co-Owner and President Vadim Finkelchtein, M-1 USA VP Jerry Millen and M-1 USA VP of Legal Affairs Steve Bash. Don't expect Fedor to announce that he's signed with the UFC, but do expect to learn directly from the world's best MMA fighter what he thinks of the events of the past week. Follow along by following my MMA Twitter page or regularly refreshing the updates below.

Live Updates on Fedor Emelianenko

follow Michael David Smith on Twitter

Fedor Emelianenko on Twitter: Live Tweeting the M-1 Conference Call originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tom Atencio Discusses the Fall of Affliction Entertainment

Ariel Helwani — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:43:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction, UFC, FanHouse Exclusive

There are still plenty of questions surrounding the demise of Affliction Entertainment and their sudden reconciliation with the UFC. One man who can answer most of them is Tom Atencio. The vice president of Affliction Entertainment was the face of the organization during its short existence.

FanHouse spoke to Atencio via e-mail Tuesday evening and asked as much as we could given the constraints of interviewing someone over the Internet. Atencio requested the interview be conducted in this fashion. This is the first time he has publicly discussed the events that transpired last Friday. The full interview is below.

Ariel Helwani: Why did you ultimately decide to cancel the show?
Tom Atencio: There simply wasn't enough time to promote a new main event, especially for pay-per-view.

Are the rumors true that you were planning on canceling the show even before Josh Barnett tested positive for an anabolic steroid?
No.

Who made the final decision?
The team at Affliction Entertainment.

How close were you to finding an opponent for Fedor Emelianenko?
Quite a few fighters stepped up and were interested in the challenge, but nothing was ever finalized.

How hard was it for you to pull the plug on the show?
Canceling this fight was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

When you announced the cancelation of the show, was there already a deal in place with the UFC?
No. We made the decision to cancel the fight prior to any sponsorship agreement with the UFC.

How did that deal come about?
Based on timing, the deal came about and made sense for both companies.

How difficult was it to bury the hatchet with the UFC after everything that was said about you over the last year?
I've always said I'm about the future of MMA - the sport and the fighters. What happened last year is in the past and I'm looking forward to the future.

Will the fighters who were supposed to compete on the card still get paid?
I have worked out deals with most of the fighters at this time. In one form or another we are working out some type of compensation.

Looking back, do you wish you could have done anything differently?
Sure, hindsight is 20/20 and I probably would have done a few things differently, but overall I'm very pleased with what we were able to accomplish.

What becomes of your relationships with Trump, Golden Boy and HDNet?
Nothing has changed. Our relationship with each of our partners remains strong.

M-1 said Fedor only learned of the cancelation when he landed in the US. Is that true?
We contacted Fedor's reps in the US to tell them about the cancllation immediately. He was already en route to the States.

What is your relationship like with M-1 now?
Like every relationship we have in MMA, it is important for this relationship to remain strong.

What's next for you?
I'm looking forward to doing more of the same: bringing the best opportunities to amazing fighters and helping them secure solid sponsorship deals.

Will Affliction and/or Tom Atencio ever promote another MMA event?
Yes, through sponsorship and the support of MMA fighters.

Where do you think Fedor will fight next?
I hope Fedor goes where he can fight the best heavyweights in the world. He is a true champion and I'd love to see him show the world he is the best fighter on the planet.

Tom Atencio Discusses the Fall of Affliction Entertainment originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Josh Barnett to Wrestle in Japan

Ariel Helwani — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction

Josh Barnett's MMA career may be on brief hold, but his pro wrestling one isn't. "The Baby-Faced Assassin," very much in the news these days after it was announced last week that he tested positive for an anabolic steroid, which led to Affliction Entertainment canceling its upcoming event, will wrestle on Aug. 9 for Inoki Genome Federation in Japan. Barnett's manager, Shannon Hooper, confirmed the news with FanHouse on Tuesday.

Barnett is one of the few athletes who has been able to enjoy success in MMA and pro wrestling.

He has yet to talk publicly since posting a MySpace bulletin about the situation last Thursday.

"My representatives and I are working to gather as much info as possible and handle this situation as best as we can. I am embarrassed and want for nothing more than to resolve this issue and receive a license from the State of California as I have done many times already and for other states as well."

It will be interesting to monitor how the fans in Japan, as well as the Japanese media, react towards Barnett. Barnett has primarily competed in MMA and wrestling in Japan since leaving the UFC in 2002. It will also be interesting to see if Barnett actually comments on the situation.

As for his MMA career, no word on when and where Barnett will fight next, however, former EliteXC heavyweight champion, Antonio Silva, recently told Tatame.com that he would like to face Barnett in Sengoku.

Below is a clip of Barnett wrestling Tank Abbott at an IGF event last August.

Josh Barnett to Wrestle in Japan originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mark Cuban: Affliction Did Right Thing

Ariel Helwani — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction, UFC, FanHouse Exclusive

The demise of Affliction Entertainment will not simply go away after one press release. The fact of the matter is that they had a lot of partners involved. One of those partners was Mark Cuban's HDNet television network, which was scheduled to air the undercard of the now-canceled "Affliction: Trilogy."

FanHouse spoke to Cuban via e-mail about the fall of Affliction and his current relationship with the UFC. Check out the interview below.

Ariel Helwani: How surprised were you to hear that Affliction had canceled "Trilogy," and then joined forces with the UFC?
Mark Cuban: The surprise was Josh [Barnett] testing positive. From there, it was going to be a struggle to make things work with so little time before the event.

Did Affliction consult with you and/or anyone else at HDNet before making any of these decisions?
We definitely had an ongoing discussion with them about possible replacements. But the final decision was all theirs, and I think they did the right thing. I think their deal with the UFC was smart on the part of Affliction and UFC.

Did Affliction violate their contract with HDNet in any way by doing this?
No.

What are your thoughts on the entire Josh Barnett situation?
Not really much to say. I feel bad for Josh. He is a good guy.

Are there any updates on HDNet's relationship with the UFC?
We continue to have conversations with the UFC.

Is it true that you are now a Zuffa bondholder? If so, how did that come about?
It's true. it was a good investment opportunity to take a significant position.

Are you free to elaborate on that position?

No. I'm not going to disclose any numbers.

Mark Cuban: Affliction Did Right Thing originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Strikeforce Adds Gegard Mousasi vs. Renato 'Babalu' Sobral Title Fight

Michael David Smith — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:49:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction, Strikeforce

Picking through the wreckage of the scrapped Affliction Trilogy card, the Strikeforce MMA promotion has added a very good fight between Gegard Mousasi and Renato "Babalu" Sobral to its August 15 show. Although Mousasi-Sobral was originally slated to be part of the Affliction card, Babalu is actually Strikeforce's light heavyweight champion, so this will now be a title fight.

Last week, before Affliction canceled Trilogy, I suggested that Affliction should just combine its show -- including Babalu vs. Mousasi -- with the August 15 Strikeforce card. So I'm thrilled by this development, and hopeful that some more fighters who were scratched off the Affliction show can be added to the Strikeforce show.

Currently, Strikeforce has three title fights scheduled for August 15: Babalu-Mousasi, Josh Thompson vs. Gilbert Melendez for the lightweight title, and Gina Carano vs. Cris Cyborg in the main event for the inaugural women's 145-pound title. It's still possible that Strikeforce could add a couple more fights that were dropped from the Affliction show, and put together a card that would rival the two August UFC shows. Adding Babalu vs. Mousasi was an aggressive move by Strikeforce, and one that shows it's serious about giving MMA fans good fights.

Strikeforce Adds Gegard Mousasi vs. Renato 'Babalu' Sobral Title Fight originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Griffin Reacts to Affliction's Demise

Ariel Helwani — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 07:32:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction, UFC, FanHouse Exclusive

It's safe to say that Forrest Griffin will have a job in the UFC for the remainder of his MMA career. The fighter who is largely credited for resurrecting the promotion as a result of his April 2005 fight against Stephan Bonnar on Spike TV should expect nothing less.

However, that doesn't mean Griffin, who is scheduled to face Anderson Silva at UFC 101 next month, is happy to see organizations like Affliction cease promoting events. In fact, the former UFC light heavyweight champion told FanHouse on Saturday that the demise of Affliction Entertainment really hit close to home.

"The Affliction thing kind of does affect me personally a little bit [because] there were four guys training out of Xtreme Couture that were fighting on that card," Griffin said. "You know, a guy I work with a lot, Shawn Tompkins, basically was going to get money back-end from four guys who were fighting, and you know, it really hurts them. He's been training guys for six and eight weeks. I don't know. It just sucks that they went under the way they did. Now those guys don't get paid. You know, it's rough.

"I was down and nothing actually directly happened to me. But these are your friends; these are your guys. You know they've been working hard because they've been with you months now working hard for this fight that isn't happening."

Griffin also wondered out loud if a UFC-dominated MMA world would ultimately be a good thing for his fellow fighters.

"Does the UFC want everybody? Is there room for all of us under the umbrella of the UFC?

"... Right now, there's only the UFC. You only have to fight in the UFC to make a living fighting, and I mean, everybody can't fight in the UFC, you know. They only got so many fight cards; there's only so many fights. And you know, there's just a wealth of good fighters coming up."

The rest of my interview with Forrest Griffin will be posted later this week on MMA FanHouse.

Griffin Reacts to Affliction's Demise originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sun, 26 Jul 2009 07:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paul 'Semtex' Daley: 'I'm Still in Disbelief'

Ray Hui — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 23:59:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction, FanHouse Exclusive

British striker Paul "Semtex" Daley was wrapping up nearly nine weeks of training for his Aug. 1 showdown against former IFL champ Jay Hieron when he learned of the Affliction "Trilogy" cancellation.

"I was and I'm still in disbelief," Daley tells FanHouse. "I put a lot of effort into this camp, training and financially. It's left me [expletive]."

Daley (21-8-2), who has won nine out of his last eleven fights, says he doesn't hold anything against Affliction or Tom Atencio but wants to be released to fight elsewhere and compensated for the event cancellation.

Already on the lookout for his next fight, Daley expressed interest as the replacement for Joe Riggs against Nick Diaz at Strikeforce "Carano vs. Cyborg" on Aug. 15.

"Nick has been awesome in his last fights, [I've] been real impressed," Daley said. "I would love to fight this guy. Think it would be an entertaining fight for the fans."

Possibly standing in his way could be his scheduled "Trilogy" opponent Hieron, who has also stated interest in stepping in against Diaz.

Paul 'Semtex' Daley: 'I'm Still in Disbelief' originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sat, 25 Jul 2009 23:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fedor Emelianenko Was the Last to Learn His Fight Had Been Canceled

Michael David Smith — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 06:51:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction

On Friday afternoon, the whole MMA world was talking about the cancellation of Affliction Trilogy, the card that was set to feature heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko in the main event. But one person found out about the cancellation long after the rest of us: Fedor himself.

Yes, as I noted on Friday, Fedor was on a plane to Los Angeles at the time that Affliction pulled the plug on the show, and Fedor's promotion, M-1, released a statement Saturday saying that Fedor knew nothing about it until he found out at the airport, several hours after every MMA web site had weighed in on it.

M-1's statement said:

The cancellation took our company completely by surprise, as Fedor Emelianenko, M-1 Challenge fighter Mikahil Zayats, and a traveling party of 35 people from Russia consisting of Fedor's trainers, friends, family, as well as M-1 support personnel were all on a plane en route to Anaheim.
Additionally, Fedor did not learn of the cancellation until arriving at the airport and informed directly by M-1 legal counsel.

Following the California State Athletic Commission's decision not to license Josh Barnett earlier in the week, M-1 Global was confident that a suitable replacement would be found. Fedor was ready, willing, and able to compete against whomever Affliction determined was the most qualified candidate amongst an extensive list of potential replacements.

M-1 Global understands and shares the disappointment being expressed by many fans that Fedor will not be able to compete on Aug. 1 as scheduled. However, we will work to ensure that Fedor returns to active competition as soon as possible.

I hope they're serious about Fedor returning as soon as possible. Strikeforce has a card on August 15 and M-1 has a card on August 28, and M-1 should match Fedor up with a legitimate hevyweight opponent -- perhaps Brett Rogers or Fabricio Werdum -- on one of those cards. Or they should finally settle their differences with the UFC and get Fedor into the Octagon.But the best fighter in the world needs to fight, and he needs to fight soon.

Fedor Emelianenko Was the Last to Learn His Fight Had Been Canceled originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sat, 25 Jul 2009 06:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UFC, Affliction Officially Back Together

Ray Hui — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 23:56:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction

The UFC's ban against Affliction has been lifted.

An official release was sent out Friday evening announcing a "collaboration" that will see the lifestyle brand back at UFC events.

"We are excited about the return of Affliction to the UFC and look forward to seeing our fighters once again walk into the Octagon wearing the Affliction brands," UFC president Dana White said in a statement.

The UFC instituted a policy in January 2008 forbidding fighters from wearing Affliction clothing upon learning of Affliction's intention to enter the fight promoting business.

Affliction initially reacted to the ousting in stride, titling its inaugural event "Banned," but with two unprofitable shows and Friday's cancellation of the Aug. 1 "Trilogy" event, Affliction has made up with the UFC by calling it quits in organizing fight cards and staying in the sport only as a clothing sponsor.

UFC, Affliction Officially Back Together originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 23:56:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Winners, Losers of 'Trilogy' Debacle

Ray Hui — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction

The last-minute unavailability of Josh Barnett and the lack of time to promote a new fight has led to the cancellation of Affliction "Trilogy," the third offering from the event-by-event existing promotion.

FanHouse examines the winners and losers out of the "Trilogy" cancellation.

The Winners:

UFC

Adam Smith, often called the father of modern economics, would tell you competition is a good thing. UFC president Dana White might say otherwise when addressing Affliction... Remember the UFC video blog with White carrying around a tombstone of the logos of the IFL, EliteXC and Affliction with a big smile on his face?
Depending on the ramifications of the fighters' contracts in light of the cancellation, this could open up a new pool of fighters for the UFC to sign.

Vitor Belfort vs. Anderson Silva, anyone?

And as FanHouse's own MDS pointed out, the megafight between Fedor Emelianenko and Brock Lesnar just became more likely. For Fedor to be considered the undisputed number one heavyweight in the world, Lesnar is the fight (besides Barnett) that makes most sense. Fedor could clean out the rest of the heavyweights out there but he'll for the near future be compared to Lesnar.

Strikeforce "Carano vs. Cyborg" and M-1 "Breakthrough"

It's a little too early to tell but with Affliction's friendship with Strikeforce and its partnership with M-1, the "Trilogy" competitors left without fights could be sent to improve its cards on Aug. 15 and Aug. 28, respectively.

The Fighters

Now that Affliction clothing is allowed in the UFC again, that's one extra option fighters have as a sponsor.

The Losers:

The Fighters

Even if you're not the biggest Affliction supporter, there should be no celebration for the fact that up to 24 fighters will be missing out on a pay day. Each fighter trains six to eight weeks, making sacrifices in preparation for a fight only to be called off eight days before fight night. If the event is rescheduled, that's still time missing. During this time, fighters could have provided for themselves elsewhere, or simply taken the time relax with their families. At the end of the day, one less event means one less pay check and one less outlet for the athletes to showcase their skills and hard work.

The Fans

Affliction with the Barnett-Fedor main event was arguably as good on paper as UFC 100, and even without Barnett, had a solid supporting card. Fans miss out on fights involving Fedor, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Vitor Belfort, Gegard Mousasi, Jorge Santiago and Takanori Gomi which could all have shaken up the world top 10 rankings.

Fedor Emelianenko

Before the event cancellation, Fedor was arguably the biggest loser with the absence of Barnett from the card. Barnett is practically the one heavyweight on the world top 10 rankings not tied to the UFC that was worth beating for Fedor. A victory by Fedor over Barnett would have been his sixth against a former UFC champion and would buy Fedor more time as the greatest heavyweight without having to go to the UFC.

Josh Barnett

Like Sean Sherk, Josh Barnett's name could potentially for the remainder of his career be attached to steroids. Already carrying the stigma from his 2002 positive test following his UFC title win over Randy Couture, this current failed test comes at the time of what could have been the biggest fight of his career. While Barnett wasn't issued a suspension and can conceivably be licensed to fight elsewhere in the US (it all depends on the respective commissions), his reputation as a world-class athlete takes a hit. Barnett will likely have to return to Japan. Not that it's a bad thing for the charismatic and talented heavyweight, he's well-loved there.

Gegard Mousasi

Gegard Mousasi, who would have made his US debut, is looking for to make his mark as a 205-pounder after a solid run as a middleweight. Now he goes back to DREAM where's he's slated to take on Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in an open-weight fight. As entertaining as a fight that may be, it won't put him as candidate on top 10 lists as much as win over Sobral might have.

Vitor Belfort

As of last month Vitor Belfort was training for the opportunity to arguably claim the spot as the top non-UFC middleweight in the world with a "w" over Jorge Santiago. He then visited the possibility of facing Fedor, a no-lose situation for Belfort. If he beats Fedor, he just defeated one of the greatest heavyweights ever, and if he loses, he was a middleweight moving up to two weight classes against the No. 1 heavyweight in the world.

Brett Rogers

Any opponent of Fedor has much more to gain than to lose. Brett Rogers in particular, according to his manager, could have earned anywhere from $500,000 to $800,000. Not too shabby for someone who last year was a Sam's Club tire repair man.

Affliction

Coming into "Trilogy," the future of Affliction was unclear, and the abrupt cancellation has sealed the organization's fate.

Winners, Losers of 'Trilogy' Debacle originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMA Twitter Mailbag: What's Next for Fedor Emelianenko?

Michael David Smith — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:45:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction

It was a wild day in MMA, with the shocking news that Fedor Emelianenko won't fight on August 1 after all, and that the UFC and Affliction have joined forces. So there's a lot to get to in our latest MMA twitter mailbag, where we address what's next for Fedor, whether he wants to test himself against the best opponents in the world, or whether Fedor is simply such an amazing physical specimen that no human being can defeat him.

The mailbag begins below.

OrangeChuck: What if Strikeforce gets Fedor and signs Bobby Lashley as well?
I think there's a real chance that Strikeforce will get Fedor: I'm told that Fedor likes Strikeforce better than the UFC, largely because he thinks a Strikeforce contract will offer him more flexibility than a UFC contract will. I wouldn't even totally rule out the possibility of Fedor fighting on the August 15 Strikeforce card, which would be an amazing turn of events. Remember, a very good heavyweight, Fabricio Werdum, is scheduled to fight on the Strikeforce card and doesn't have an opponent because of the injury to Alistair Overeem.

But I really dislike the idea of Fedor fighting Lashley, at least any time soon. Lashley, though a big name from his pro wrestling days and an impressive physical specimen, is simply not ready for an opponent like Fedor.To me, that's just a spectacle, and Fedor should be fighting against the best opponents in the world. Which leads me to...

PJHarrison: Fedor wants to fight people he knows he can beat..I can't wait to watch him lose so all this BS hype is over!
I disagree. A while back, when Fedor was fighting Zuluzinho and Hong Man Choi, you could make the case that he only wanted to fight people he could beat. But for his last three fights, he scheduled Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett: All fighters who were considered Top 5 heavyweights at the time Fedor signed on to fight them. And even after Barnett failed his drug test and had to be pulled from Affliction Trilogy, Fedor's camp was angling for a fight with Brett Rogers, who I consider a tougher test than Affliction's preferred replacement, Vitor Belfort. So I think we should give Fedor credit for doing his best to find the best competition he can, and I give him the benefit of the doubt that he'll keep doing that.

yourfaceblog: They should just have Fedor start fighting progressively larger animals at this point. Maybe start with a jaguar.
Or what about Fedor vs. a hurricane? Hold on, Hold on, Hold on. The name of the hurricane is Hurricane Fedor.

robotplague: How does MMA traffic compare to other sports Fanhouse covers? What type of posts tend to get the most traffic? Surprised?
Interesting question. The short answer is I don't know, because I don't have access to all of our internal traffic data. But I've been told by the higher-ups that they're pleased with MMA FanHouse, both the quality of the content and the traffic numbers. As longtime FanHouse readers know, we've grown from basically just me writing about MMA to a team that includes Ariel Helwani, Mike Chiappetta and Ray Hui, and I wouldn't be surprised if we keep growing. I also took a quick look at the traffic numbers at Alexa and saw MMA FanHouse listed as second only to NFL FanHouse under the heading of "Where people go on FanHouse.com." I don't fully understand how Alexa calculates those numbers, so I'd urge you to take that with a grain of salt, but it seems like a good sign.

As for the posts that get the most traffic, again, I can't say for sure, but from what I can gather I'd say it's usually what we do on the weekends of the big MMA shows. There's so much excitement that builds for a really big fight, and it's exciting to me to see how many people come to FanHouse to read about really big fights before, during (our live blogs have always been popular) and after the events.

Am I surprised by our traffic? Not really. MMA is an increasingly popular sport, and it's a sport that newspapers usually ignore. That means the web is the place to be if you're an MMA fan looking for information about your favorite fighters, and I'm glad a lot of MMA fans have found our corner of the web.

Want to be part of our next MMA Twitter mailbag? Post a question or comment on Twitter.com, and be sure to start it with @MichaelDavSmith.

MMA Twitter Mailbag: What's Next for Fedor Emelianenko? originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Affliction, UFC Bury the Hatchet, T-Shirts Will Return to the Octagon

Michael David Smith — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:31:00 EST

Filed under: Affliction, UFC

In what has to be viewed as a major victory for UFC President Dana White, one of the biggest feuds in mixed martial arts has come to an end, as Affliction and the UFC have buried the hatchet, with Affliction getting out of the MMA promotion business and getting back into the business of putting its T-shirts on the backs of UFC fighters.

Hours after Affliction announced that it had canceled its scheduled card for August 1, Kevin Iole reported that Affliction was dumping MMA promotions completely and would return as a UFC sponsor -- good news for the UFC, and for UFC fighters who wanted to make some extra money with Affliction sponsorships.

Interestingly, Affliction's decision to call off the card was apparently done without the knowledge of co-promoter M-1 Global, whose star, Fedor Emelianenko, was scheduled to fight in the main event. That leaves M-1 in the awkward position of having brought the best fighter in the world to the United States, and not having a fight for him lined up.

Fedor is expected to issue a statement late Friday, but for now, the big news is that "T-shirt guys" who were so often derided by White have now crawled back to him, and there's one fewer promoter in MMA. All because Josh Barnett failed a drug test.

Affliction, UFC Bury the Hatchet, T-Shirts Will Return to the Octagon originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:31:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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