Affliction Banned Preview: Fedor Vs. Sylvia, July 19th!

Affliction, a premier player in the fashion industry among men who love hard rock mixed with MMA, will step into the world of MMA with new partner Donald Trump with it's premier event "Affliction Banned."

Over the years, Affliction has been a huge sponsor for many top fighters not only in MMA but boxing and music as well. The moniker "Banned" comes from the UFC banning the brand from sponsoring any of their fighters. Over six months ago you couldn't tune into a UFC event without noticing a flashy Affliction shirt on the likes of Chuck Liddell or Randy Couture among others.

So why go from sponsoring fighters to promoting fights? Randy Couture, whose Xtreme Couture fashion line is a branch of the Affliction family, decided that he no longer wanted to fight for the UFC since they were unable to sign Fedor Emelianenko to a contract.

Refusing to fight for the UFC, they decided to ban his clothing line (and all Affliction products) from their productions. So in a sense, the UFC has created their own opposition.

Affliction, unable to promote their products on fighters, has decided to promote their own fights. "That's the funny thing about it," said Affliction Entertainment Vice President Tom Atencio. "They (UFC) created their own opposition, their own competition. We would have never done it."

Well a debt of gratitude must go out to the UFC. Due to their actions we have the deepest, most star studded MMA card in history! The long awaited return of Pride heavyweight champion, Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko will headline this inaugural event. He will be taking on the former UFC heavyweight champion, Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia.

The main card also boasts two other former UFC HW Champs in Josh "The Baby Faced Assassin" Barnett and Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski. Barnett will face off with his old UFC nemesis, Pedro Rizzo and Arlovski will battle the former IFL heavyweight standout, "Big" Ben Rothwell.

Rounding out the pay-per-view are middleweights Matt "The Law" Lindland going up against Fabio Negao and two light-heavyweights, Renato "Babalu" Sobral versus Mike Whitehead.

Let's get ready to RUMBLE!

Finally the time has arrived for the most dominant fighter in MMA history to make his return to competitive action. Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko returns to the United States to prove to the world that he is undoubtedly the best pound-for-pound fighter alive as he sets to do battle with former UFC heavyweight champion Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia.

With the UFC's purchase of Japan's Pride Fighting Organization, many had thought that the UFC would collect all the best MMA talent in the world. Thus we could settle the score on who really are the best fighters in each weight division.

As months went by, the UFC had been able to secure such great Pride fighters as, Anderson Silva, Rampage Jackson, Shogun Rua, Mirko Cro Crop, and Wanderlei Silva. All the UFC's weight divisions were looking stacked with all the top ranked fighters, except for one.

The most important weight division is no doubt the heavyweight. The UFC's looked thinner than a toothpick. The problem was fixable, all they needed was the number 1 fighter in the world, Pride Champion Fedor Emelianenko.

Randy Couture came out of retirement to help strengthen a weak division and eventually won the belt. A fight with Fedor was very interesting to Randy, but they needed to sign him to contract. For whatever reason the UFC was unable to sign the Pride Champ. A frustrated Randy Couture; left the UFC to seek a super fight with Fedor in another organization. Since his departure the UFC's heavyweight division continues to suffer.

Fedor "The Enigma" Emelianenko is what I like to refer as truly inexplicable. To the casual MMA fan, the Russian Fedor is not a household name like a Chuck Liddell would be. Ask any hardcore fan about him and you will no doubt receive a huge list of his accomplishments.

Here is a little background on him: Fedor is a four-time Russian Combat Sambo Champion and National judo medalist. He boasts a near perfect record with wins over the who's who of MMA. With notable wins over current UFC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (twice), Heath Herring, UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman (twice), former UFC Champion Kevin Randleman and Mirko Filipovic, just to name a few.

He has been the Pride heavyweight champion since March of 2003 where he beat Nogueira by unanimous decision. He also defeated Nogueira to win the 2004 Pride Grand Prix. His only loss came from Tsuyoshi Kohsaka due to a cut back in late 2000.

The total package is what explains his fighting style. He's not a BJJ expert, nor a world class boxer, nor an Olympic wrestler. This Russian Combat Sambo fighter from The Red Devil Sports Club can stand up knock you out, but can also out grapple you and submit you with a slick arm bar or leg lock.

Fifty percent of his wins have come way of submission. He has pulled off some of the nastiest arm bars in the world, don't believe me? Check out the one he put on Kevin Randleman!

All this build up must mean that he is the biggest, baddest, buffest mofo on the planet. The Mike Tyson of MMA? Nope, Fedor doesn't have the physique of Brock Lesnar, nor the size of his next opponent Sylvia, he's only 6'0 and a soft looking 233 lbs with a little pooch.

He must have a Rampage Jackson like stare down, that scares the crap out of his opponents, right? Nope just an emotionless but focused blank stare, but you know he means business.

The only knock on Fedor is his lack of competition over the past two years. His last fight January 1, 2008 against the Giant Hong Man Choi (7'2") was more of a freak show than a MMA fight. Before that he fought Matt Lindland, who is great fighter but usually fights at 185 pounds.

His last real competitive fight was New Year's Eve 2006 against Mark Hunt. So this might prove trouble for Fedor, because Tim Sylvia is no slouch!

The former UFC HW champ, Tim Sylvia had recently asked for a release out of his UFC contract rumored due to a money dispute. He felt that he should be getting paid more than fighters such as UFC newcomer Brock Lesnar. The split was amicable, and both parties have since went their separate ways.

In an era where being a "big draw" is more important than being a sound fighter, a Brock Lesnar would garner more money than say a Tim Sylvia, who has never really gained a huge fan base. So the UFC's loss is once again Affliction's gain.

Whether you like him or not, Tim Sylvia is a great fighter. The "Maine-iac" is a Miletich Martial Arts fighter, who has trained with some great UFC Champions as, Matt Hughes, Jens Pulver and Rich Franklin.

He has a huge reach advantage over all his opponents, he is a true heavyweight at 6'8" and weighs in at 260 pounds. Tim has a good stand up game with a great jab that keeps his opponents reeling. His jab makes it difficult for his opponents to take him down. His takedown defense is second to none and is very agile for such a huge man.

He was able to defeat Ricco Rodriguez at UFC 41 to win the heavyweight title. He would later lose that title to Frank Mir at UFC 48. Mir was able to lock in a sick arm bar on Sylvia. Sylvia showed a lot of guts and decided not to tap out. The fight was stopped do to Mir breaking Sylvia's arm. The belt was vacated by Mir do to a motorcycle accident and Sylvia lost the vacated title to Andrei Arlovski by submission.

He would later win six fights in a row, beating Arlovski twice and regaining his title at UFC 59. A recently retired Randy Couture came out of retirement to challenge Sylvia at UFC 68.

The heavily favored Sylvia lost a unanimous decision to the much smaller Couture. After that loss he beat Brandon Vera at UFC 77 to set up a title match with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the UFC HW title that Couture vacated. UFC 81 set the stage for this title fight, Sylvia dominated the fight for the first two rounds till he was caught in the third round with a guillotine choke.

The old saying is that styles make fights. Fedor loves to push the pace, where as Tim would like to use his reach to pick you apart. Some say that Tim's style of fight is boring and at times it is. I don't see Fedor letting that happen as he is so relentless.

We've seen that Tim has had his troubles with submission specialists. Three of his four losses have come by submission. Remember fifty percent of Fedor's wins have come by submissions, and he loves the arm bars. So the obvious ground game and submissions edge goes to Fedor. Tim has a slight edge on the striking due to his reach advantage.

Rumor has it that the fights will take place in a ring. We all know Tim hasn't fought in a ring for years, will this be an advantage for Fedor? Fedor has fought in rings for years and it will undoubtedly be an advantage for him.

In order for Tim to win this fight he needs to use his reach and leg kicks to out point Fedor. Fedor has proved time and time again that he can stand and strike with the best of them and he won't get knocked out.

I see Fedor being the aggressor and getting in Tim's face, he might eat a few punches doing so but will use either a judo throw or more than likely a leg sweep to get Tim to the ground.

Fedor will punish him with a little ground and pound than catch him with a slick arm bar! Round two submission victory for Fedor and new WAMMA Champ! Here is some advice for Tim, don't forget to tap this time, no need for another broken arm!

A win here is very crucial for Fedor, to secure his legacy. A loss would also tarnish the luster of a proposed super fight between him and Randy Couture.

To learn more about Fedor check out some of his fights against Nogueira and Cro Crop.

In a night full of the best heavyweights in the world duking it out, the former UFC Champion Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski will attempt to derail "Big" Ben Rothwell and his current 13 fight win streak.

During the process of promoting this card, Rothwell was scheduled to fight, but his opponent was yet to be named. Taking a page from the WWE, Affliction looked to make a big splash with a mystery opponent.

The long rumor on the internet was that his opponent would be Arlovski. Arlovski had just finished out his contract with the UFC and looked to sign elsewhere. During a media conference with new partner Donald Trump, a phone call came in. The person on the phone was Arlovski and he confirmed that he would be Rothwell's opponent.

"Big" Ben is a former IFL fighter and trains with Tim Sylvia at the Miletich Camp. He is currently riding a 13 fight win streak with his last fight being against Ricco Rodriguez. Besides Ricco and a 2001 loss to Tim Sylvia, he really hasn't fought someone of Arlovski's caliber.

The native of Belarus has a very similar fighting style as Fedor. He trains kickboxing, sambo and most recently boxing, with famed trainer Freddie Roach. Roach has trained such great fighters as: Tyson, De La Hoya, Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Obviously there will be no question that his boxing skills will have improved since his last fights. He is coming off a 3 fight win streak after suffering back to back losses to Tim Sylvia.

Arlovski is known for his power punches but can also sink in a nice submission if the fight goes to the ground. His last few fights he seemed to be complacent on getting decision victories. That might be the reason why he's fighting here and not in the UFC.

I see this being a stand up war. I'm very intrigued about how well Arlovski's already sound boxing game will have improved. The all around edge has to go to Arlovski, he needs to push the pace and be that exciting fighter that we all knew. If anyone could beat him it would be Rothwell. I'm sure Tim Sylvia will give him some pointers on the weaknesses of Arlovski's game.

Arlovski wins via TKO, round 2, due to ground and pound.

Look out for Arlovski's pro boxing debut Sept. 13 (HBO PPV), in the opening fight on the Casamayor-Marquez card in Las Vegas, according to Golden Boy.

Ah, what do we have here, yet another former UFC HW Champion, this card is truly stacked! Josh Barnett, the man who dethroned Randy Couture for the UFC HW title way back at UFC 36, looks to avenge an early career loss to Pedro Rizzo. The knockout loss came at UFC 30, the second fight for Barnett in the UFC.

At the start of the new millennium Pedro Rizzo looked too good to be true. The Brazilian entered the UFC undefeated and quickly won his first four fights. He was able to knock out Tank Abbot and won a decision over Mark Coleman.

In his fifth fight in the UFC he was granted a title shot against then champion Kevin Randelman. Randelman won by decision and Rizzo quickly rebounded with wins over Dan Severn and then Barnett.

He again was granted a title shot against Randy Couture; which he lost and was granted a rematch with Couture where he was TKO'd. He's coming off two straight wins and is looking to re-energize his career. A win over Barnett will very much help his cause.

"The Babyface Assassin" is a top five heavyweight with notable wins over, current UFC champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Aleksander Emelianenko, and Randy Couture. He also is a professional wrestler in Japan where he has a huge fan following. He was stripped of his UFC title for alleged steroid use, and made his way to Pancrase where he won their Grand Prix, later he would join the Pride organization.

He would go on to fight the top talent in the world with good results. Josh is truly a great all-around fighter. He trains with a great camp that includes Rampage Jackson and Cheick Kongo.

Barnett has great stand up and bang with best. He also uses his great wrestling background to get his opponents to the ground. Then he is able to use his outstanding submission skills to force his opponents to tap out.

The stand up edge will have to go to Rizzo, but Barnett is vastly improving his striking skills. If this fight goes to the ground, which it will, Barnett will definitely have a huge advantage.

Rizzo is past his prime and will no doubt bring a lot of heart, but Barnett is at the top of his game. First round submission victory for Barnett. He will look for a fight with either Fedor or Arlovski next.

Enough of the heavyweights already! We have a nice middleweight bout between another UFC veteran in Lindland and a relative unknown in Negao.

Lindland has been around the block and then some. He spent five years in the UFC fighting the best in his weight class. He has wins over Ricardo Almeida, Pat Miletich, and Travis Lutter. Two years ago he suffered a tough split decision loss to Rampage Jackson, and a year later lost to Fedor in controversial fight.

The Team Quest fighter will no doubt be prepared for this fight. He has some of the best training partners in, Dan Henderson, Sokoudjou and formerly Randy Couture. His strength is his wrestling, he is a former All-American wrestler for Nebraska back in 1993. He represented the U.S. at the 2000 Olympic games winning the silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling.

Not much is known of Negao but I know he is a striker with a notable win over current UFC fighter Roan Carneiro. Negao will try to keep it standing and look for the knockout punch on Lindland.

I don't see this fight lasting long. Lindland is too polished of a fighter and will take Negao down at will and ground and pound him in the first round. It's too bad Lindland isn't in the UFC; I think he could pose a tough challenge for Anderson Silva.

The tale of two fighters. In one corner we have "Babalu," he has fought many of the divisions best fighters. Whitehead is an up and coming LHW who competed on the second season of TUF as a heavyweight, where he lost a unanimous decision loss to eventual winner, Rashad Evans. His last fight in the UFC was a decision loss to Keith Jardine, since than he has competed in smaller shows, and currently rides a 12 fight win streak.

Whitehead is a strong wrestler with surprisingly good submission skills. He trains with many great fighters at Xteme Couture, which could only help his overall game.

The ever dangerous Babalu is a veteran of the UFC with over ten fights in the organization. He was recently let go by the UFC for blatantly holding on to an anaconda choke for too long. His fight with David Heath at UFC 74, ironically called "Respect," became heated at the weigh-ins. Babalu felt disrespected and made Heath pay for it. Babalu was fined 50,000 dollars and released from his contract for his actions.

Babalu, a Gracie Barra Combat Team fighter, is well versed on the ground and holds a black belt in BJJ. The Brazilian was once thought to be the man to end Chuck Liddell's reign at the top of the 205lb. weight class. This was not the case as he was knocked out twice by "The Iceman." Babalu is only one of three men to hold a win over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Normally I would take Babalu in this fight due to his experience with top competition. The only thing that persuades me to pick Whitehead is that he trains with Xtreme Couture and those fighters are on a tear, see Forrest Griffin, Wanderlei Silva. So I am going with Whitehead via split decision.

There are a few other notable fights that night that you can check out on Fox Sports Net, so check your local listings.

Preliminary Card (FSN)

• Paul Buentello vs. Aleksander Emelianenko
• Vitor Belfort vs. Terry Martin

Aleksander is a top 10 heavyweight and brother of Fedor. Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort will look to comeback and regain his form from his early UFC days that were so promising.

Terry Martin looked to be a promising challenger in the UFC middleweight division till he suffered back to back losses to Chris Leben and Marvin Eastman.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is the twin brother of current UFC HW Champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, he has notable wins over Dan Henderson, Alistair Overeem and Kazushi Sakuraba.

Preliminary Card (May Not Be Broadcast)

• Edwin Dewees vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
• Ray Lazama vs. Justin Levens
• J.J. Ambrose vs. Mike Pyle
• Mark Hominick vs. Savant Young

Conclusion

Performance by Megadeath as well! If you're in Anaheim come support this promotion, if not check out the Pay-Per-View.

Competition is good for all things. I really hope this event succeeds and Affliction will continue to promote such great cards. Having the wallet of Donald Trump can't hurt either. I also predict that Tito Ortiz will headline their next event in October! I will see ya in Anaheim for a great night of fights!