COED’s Affliction MMA Primer and Preview

Perhaps you’ve heard of Affliction clothing? Even if you haven’t, you’ve seen it. It’s everywhere on television. The shirts with all the flaming skulls and crazy designs on them with the word ‘affliction,’ somewhere. These shirts first started popping up on MMA fighters at UFC events, but have suddenly disappeared from the cage. This is because they were banned by UFC President Dana White and company as soon as Affliction announced they would be hosting their own MMA fight card, which is scheduled for July 19^th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

This wouldn’t be that big of a deal, typically. As MMA has grown in the U.S., we’ve seen plenty of MMA organizations pop up; the IFL, Adrenaline, EliteXC. But Affliction is different in that for their first event, they have assembled what is probably the most ridiculous fight card of 2008. If you don’t recognize these names, its because the UFC doesn’t talk about them (they couldn’t manage to sign them), but the card boasts several UFC veterans as well.

Here’s our breakdown and predictions for some of the more important fights on the card.

Fedor Emelianenko v. Tim Sylvia

A fight people had pretty much given up on completely, then had hope for, and then gave up on again during the entire Zuffa/Pride buyout, this will be the biggest heavyweight fight in years, period. End of story.

Fedor was the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet in my opinion, until Pride folded and he stopped fighting. During his absence from the ring, UFC 185-pound Champ, Anderson Silva ripped up everyone he faced, usurping Fedor’s throne as the p4p best. However, Fedor is rightly regarded as the most dominant heavyweight in the history of the sport–and also one of the most intelligent and explosive athletes of all time.

Sylvia is a dominant heavyweight in his own right, beating a who’s who of heavyweights across the pond from Fedor in the US. At nearly 7-feet tall, the ‘Maine-iac’ has been criticized for exploiting his reach and size to create boring fights where he inevitably wins. The keyword there is ‘wins.’ Tim Sylvia wins fights, bottom line, and is a threat to anyone in his division. Look for Tim to come out jabbing and leg kicking, keeping Fedor at a distance at all costs. Eventually Fedor’s skill in the clinch will topple the giant, and the resulting scramble will end with one of Tim’s legs or arms in a lock.

COED Prediction : Fedor by Submission.

Andrei Arlovski v. Ben Rothwell

Another exciting heavyweight bout for fans of the big guys, Arlovski comes onto the card fresh from a win in the UFC. His contract ran out and the UFC couldn’t match what Affliction was paying, so he made the switch. Andrei used to be one of the division’s best prospects but he stumbled after two losses to Tim Sylvia, one via knockout and the next via long, boring jabfest. The Belarus native sports a crisp boxing game and a Sambo submission wrestling background.

Ben Rothwell is a bit of an unknown commodity in the popular eye because he’s spent the last few years toiling in the little-watched International Fight League. Regardless, he is on a 13 fight winning streak and believes that his time in the spotlight has come. Rothwell’s got all the confidence in the world, and a well-rounded MMA game, taught by coach and former UFC champ Pat Miletich. I think Ben will find Andrei a bit too quick to be comfortable on the feet, and will take him down for a little ground-and-pound. The Pit bull will weather the storm, but be controlled the entire fight.

COED Prediction : Rothwell via unanimous decision.

Josh Barnett v Pedro Rizzo

A rematch that people have been waiting for since UFC 30, and the third heavyweight fight on this already stacked card, this is a classic wrestler v. striker match-up. Their previous meeting ended with Rizzo knocking Barnett out cold, but it’s been a long time and both fighters have changed–Barnett for the better and Rizzo for the worse.

While Barnett was perfecting his catch wrestling style and improving his striking game in Pride (the most active top 10 heavyweight in 2006, with seven fights), Rizzo has only fought 3 times, and only once in an organization that really matters (where he earned a loss). Pedro was renowned for his speedy hands and power, but those have dwindled with age, while Barnett seems to be getting better with time. Pedro will stand on the outside and look to trade fists, Josh will clinch and attempt a ridiculous take down (he suplexed someone in his last fight). From there, Pedro will be completely dominated. He hasn’t had to fight on the ground in too long of a time, and Barnett has amazing technicality once fights reach the mat. Additionally, Barnett’s Japanese focused ‘catch wrestling’ is a great counter to Pedro’s BJJ (which, in practice by him, isn’t that good anyways).

COED Prediction : Barnett by Kimura.

Affliction: Banned will also include big names (and UFC vets) such as Matt Lindland, Renato Sobral, and Vitor Belfort.

The UFC is trying to muck up their plan (intelligently, mind you) by hosting their own free fight card on SpikeTV in the same time slot. My advice: buy this pay-per-view (on July 19th), and DVR the UFC. You want to see these fights go down.

(Image source: Affliction Clothing)