Affliction: Day of Reckoning Preview
> Check out the latest Affliction event and the Affliction Trilogy fight card for the August 1, 2009!
In the public eye for some time due to the enormous success of their clothing company, Affliction gives the aura of a seasoned veteran in the world of MMA promotions. Amazingly enough Day of Reckoning is only the 2nd Affliction event. Don’t let that fool you, Affliction combined with the power of M1-Global and Golden Boy Productions, has the potential to be the first organization within the United States to give UFC a real challenge. Did I mention Donald Trump, Jr. is also supporting the venture? Needless to say, this union of wallets certainly brings a larger balance sheet than the previous entries into the market (see EliteXC, IFL et.al.)
Paraphrasing Trump’s response to a question regarding UFC President Dana White’s lack of respect or even acknowledgment of competition, Trump stated “that is not a good or realistic business model;” eventually competition will arise in any business. Let the battle begin!
There are two great cards between now and until at the very least April. Affliction’s card on the 24th of January is very good and UFC’s St. Pierre vs. Penn II on January 31st presents two of the best fighters in the world. After that, UFC Fight Night, UFC 95 and UFC 96 leave a lot to be desired with no main event quality fights. MMA fans enjoy the next few weeks.
Day of Reckoning offers a deep card with a world class main event. Breaking down the main card:
Paul Buentello vs. Kirl Sidelnikov
Buentello has been in the fight game for a long time with his first victory coming in April of 2007. Paul Buentello will not win physique of the night but don’t let that fool you, he packs a big punch and has the ability to take punishment. It may seem like “The Headhunter” is the same age as the likes of Couture and Coleman, in fact he is only 35 years old. Paul trains with AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) so make no mistake he will be prepared.
Sidelnikov, at only 20 years old, is extremely young for an event of this type. His career record is 5-2 with all seven fights coming since January of 2007. Kirl trains with the famed Red Devil Sports Club and is known as “Baby Fedor”.
Prediction: Buentello will throw some heavy punches but Baby Fedor’s all-around skills will prove to be too much. Kirl by TKO 2nd round.
Chris Horodecki vs. Dan Lauzon
Lauzon has an impressive resume including an appearance on UFC 64. This is a big match for Lauzon’s career. He will bring intensity to the ring.
Horodecki caught the MMA world by storm with his impressive victories in the IFL. He was a fan favorite as the stories circulated regarding his Kickboxing success at the mere age of 15. Now the MMA veteran at the ripe age of 21, Horodecki brings the full package to the match. The unknown is how will the time off affect “The Polish Hammer”? He hasn’t competed since April of 2008.
Prediction: Despite the rust, Horodecki will prove too much, Chris by KO, 2nd rd. Let the cult following resume, Horodecki has the makings to be a big star.
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Renato “Babalu” Sobral vs. Sokoudjou “The African Assassin”
Both fighters are known simply by one word; Babalu and Sokoudjou.
Babalu is one of the most popular fighters in the history of the sport. Known for his multiple tattoos and sometimes outlandish behavior, Babalu is well versed in BJJ. He holds an impressive career record of 31-7 and at one point in his career held a 10 fight winning streak. His resume reads as a who’s-who of MMA; Fedor, Liddell, Horn, Rua, Randlem, Henderson and Overeem. Despite his incredible ground game, Babalu loves to mix it up and can often let his emotions get the best of him. Babalu has not appeared on a UFC event since his victory over David Heath via submission. Despite Heath tapping out, Babalu wouldn’t release the choke.
Sokoudjou burst into the Pride Fighting organization with impressive wins over Ricardo Arona and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira which paved the way to UFC. In UFC, “The African Assassin” was 1-2 including an upset loss to Luis Arthur Cane. Many of the pundits have written Sokoudjou, that is a big mistake. Sokoudjou is an incredible athlete and is only 24 years old. He will only get better and better with every fight.
Prediction: This is a tough fight to pick. If the fight stays on the feet, Sokoudjou may be able to pull off the upset. Babalu’s experience will bring the fight to the ground and result in a victory by tapout in the 3rd round.
Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort vs. Matt “The Law” Lindland
Vitor Belfort at one time had the potential to be the best fighter the sport has ever seen. Many have argued that personal tragedy and lack of focus have held the Brazilian star back. Vitor also often spoke of focusing on boxing instead of MMA. Despite all of his travails, Belfort holds a career record of 17-8 including a 3 fight win streak. Make no mistake, “The Phenom” still has some of the quickest hands in the sport. Incredible as it may seem, Belfort is only 32 years old. He competed at 205 lbs for most of his career. Now at 185 lbs, many believe Belfort will be even quicker as evidence by his current win streak.
Matt Lindland (see our recent Lindland interview) is certainly one of the most decorated fighters in the history of the sport. He possesses an Olympic Silver Medal in wrestling and a career MMA record of 21-5. Lindland is still a world class wrestler and has a keen knowledge of how to keep the fight against the cage and close to him.
Prediction: This fight will closely resemble Belfort’s past fights against Lindland’s close friend, Randy “The Natural” Couture. Lindland will force the pace; keep the fight close to the cage using dirty boxing to tire Belfort. Lindland wins via stoppage due to ground and pound, late in the 3rd round.
Josh “The Baby Faced Assassin” Barnett vs. Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel
Barnett is a monster of a man standing in at 6’3” and weighing somewhere in the neighborhood of 250lbs. Even with his enormous size, Barnett is very mobile and athletic. The former UFC Champion has victories over some of the sport’s biggest stars including Minotauro Nogueira and Randy Couture. At 31 years old and a 23-5 record, many believe Barnett still hasn’t reached his vast potential.
Yvel comes into the fight as a heavy underdog and relative unknown outside of the hardcore MMA fans. “The Hurrican” has competed in several organizations losing to notable fighters such as Dan Henderson, Don Frye, Jeremy Horn, and Vitor Belfort. Yvel does have one notable win vs. rising star Cheick Kongo in 2004.
Prediction: The biggest chance Yvel has at winning this fight is if Barnett is looking ahead. If Barnett wins, he will likely get a title shot against the winner of Fedor/Andrei. This fight could be very exciting with both fighters preference to strike. Barnett will win via KO in the 2nd round.
> Don't miss the MMA rankings posted earlier this month on ProFighting-fans.com!
MAIN EVENT: WAAMA Title Bout - Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski
Fedor is simply the greatest fighter the sport has ever seen (see earlier article by TTC).
He possesses a career record of 28-1 with the only mark on the record coming via a cut stoppage in December of 2000. He is currently on a 25 fight winning streak which includes victories over Tim Sylvia, Minotauro Nogueira (Twice), Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Coleman (Twice), Matt Lindland, Mark Hunt, Babalu, Ricardo Arona, and Kevin Randleman to name a few. Fedor trains in a remote area of Russia called Stary Oskol. So remote, it takes a 12 hour train ride combined with a 3 hour bus ride to get to Stary Oskol from Moscow. This only adds to the mystery and aura of Fedor
Former UFC Champion Andrei Arlovski was at one time one of the most feared fighters in the sport. His reputation took a hit, surprisingly not from his losses to Tim Sylvia, but for his tentative style in his victories. Nevertheless, they were victories. “The Pit Bull” is on a 4 fight winning streak. Arlovski has rare athletic ability for a man his size, standing 6’4” and weighing around 240lbs. His has lightning quick hands and is very light on his feet. His critics state he relies on his boxing skills too often. Arlovski is training for this fight with world-renowned boxing traininer, Freddie Roach. This may lead to an even greater reliance on his immense striking skills.
Prediction: This fight has the makings to be an all-time classic. Both fighters are very skilled from a technical aspect and each our extremely athletic. Each will be well conditioned and will have a solid game plan. Arlovski will push Fedor and may match up with him athletically more than any previous opponent. In front of a raucous and curious crowd, combined with millions on PPV, Fedor proves in the US what he has already proven many times overseas, he is simply the greatest of all time. Fedor wins via strikes in the 3rd round.
MMA fans, stay out of life’s triangle chokes…
> Check out Scott's review of the Affliction: Day of Reckoning event here at Pro Fighting Fans!
By Scott Dryden
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer & Director of Content