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Affliction throws
out a challenge to the MMA world by putting together a “Superbowl
of MMA” and the UFC quickly responds, going toe-to-toe with the MMA
apparel maker's giant event. The big question is what are you watching
on Saturday night?
The UFC created a
card in less than 4 weeks; let’s take a look
at how it compares with Affliction:
The Main Event:
Affliction: Fedor
Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia
UFC: Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin
Both companies are
boasting “the #1 fighter in the world” on their fight
card. Affliction
is showcasing the widely regarded #1 heavyweight in the world, Fedor
Emelianenko while the UFC allows #1 middleweight, Anderson Silva, to
move up a weight class in their main
event.
Fedor has not faced
a real challenge since he beat Cro Cop nearly 3 years ago. At which
point, the elder Emelianenko was widely considered the #1 pound-for-pound
fighter in the world after wiping out the competition in Pride. Since
then, Pride has dissolved and so has Fedor’s credibility as the
#1 fighter as his last 3 fights have been against 2 unranked
super heavyweights and a middleweight.
On the other hand,
Anderson Silva has decimated the UFC middleweight division boasting
a 6-0 UFC record with no fight going past the second
round. No better case could be made for Silva to be the #1 fighter
in the world.
Affliction is providing
a real challenge to Fedor in former UFC champion Tim Sylvia. Is Fedor
Emelianenko still the best? UFC is attempting
to prove that Silva is the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world,
but is Irvin the right opponent for that?
Advantage: Affliction
The Co-Main Event:
Affliction: Andrei Arlovski vs. Ben Rothwell
UFC: Brandon Vera vs. Reese Andy
Once again, the UFC
is selling a fight based on a change of weight class. Vera hesitantly
agreed to drop to 205 for a fight. His opponent is
IFL standout, Reese Andy. While this is an interesting fight, it is
difficult to live up to Affliction's opposition.
Former UFC heavyweight
champion Andrei Arlovski squares off against another IFL standout Ben
Rothwell. Rothwell last defeated former UFC champion
Ricco Rodriguez and has a solid 27-5 record. Andrei Arlovski decided
to leave the UFC after being relegated to undercard status, due to
his recent tentative style. This is a chance to show that “The
Pitbull” is
still there.
Advantage: Affliction
The Main Card:
Affliction: Josh Barnett vs. Pedro Rizzo
UFC: Frankie Edgar vs. Hermes Franca
Affliction has ANOTHER former UFC heavyweight champion on the card! Josh Barnett is still
looking for Fedor. Since the purchase of Pride FC,
The Baby Face Assassin has become one of the hottest free agents on
the market. Staying active with wins over Hidehiko Yoshida and Jeff
Monson, he looks to continue his quest against former UFC heavyweight
top contender Pedro Rizzo.
UFC offers us two
great lightweights coming off of losses. Edgar was outmatched by Gray
Maynard while Hermes Franca lost a unanimous decision
in his title fight against Sean Sherk. After that fight, steroids were
found in Franca’s system which led to a one-year suspension.
Both fights look
good, but seeing Josh Barnett facing another talented heavyweight is
always intriguing. Edgar and Franca both took big hits to their reputation
in recently, a year ago this would have been a huge fight.
Advantage: Affliction
Affliction: Matt Lindland vs. Fabio Nascimento
UFC: Jake O'Brien vs. Cain Velasquez
Matt Lindland is
facing a relative unknown in Nascimento. Unfortunately, Lindland brings
a lot of attitude but not as much of a fight.,
Unfortunately, Lindland has become a talented lay-and-pray fighter,
he will take this fight by decision.
This is what the
UFC needs. Cain Velasquez is a promising young talent. Showcasing him
on this show is a great idea. Jake O’Brien provides
a similar style, but Velasquez credentials far out weight O’Brien’s.
A win by Velasquez will really put him into the UFC HW mix.
Advantage: UFC
Affliction: Renato "Babalu" Sobral
vs. Mike Whitehead
UFC: Kevin Burns vs. Anthony Johnson
UFC is hoping for
either another big knockout by Johnson or another upset by Burns. Both
guys have shown some exciting skills, whoever wins is sure to get a
big opportunity in their next fight.
Babalu wants nothing
more than to prove to the UFC they made a mistake in letting him go.
At first I know you are asking “against Mike
Whitehead? Isn’t that the guy from TUF 2?” Yes it is. But,
did you know that since the finale of the show, he has gone on a 12
fight win streak?
Advantage: Affliction
Affliction: J.J. Ambrose vs. Mike Pyle
UFC: C.B. Dollaway vs. Jesse Taylor
J.J. Ambrose gets
his shot at the big time. Boasting an 8-1 record, most of his fights
are from Total Fighting Alliance. His opponent is Xtreme
Couture trainer Mike Pyle. While Pyle is a good fighter, he is much
more talented as a trainer.
For the UFC, this
is the fight many thought would be the final of TUF 7. Both fighters
have similar styles and both fighters need a UFC win.
This one could be very interesting with big personalities and egos
to match.
Advantage: UFC
That
is the end of the fights that are guaranteed to be shown by the
UFC. It is also the end of the fights on the Affliction PPV. Fortunately,
FSN has agreed to show two fights from Affliction Free!
Affliction: Paul Buentello vs. Aleksander Emelianenko
UFC: N/A
The younger Emelianenko.
Although not quite the talent of his older brother, is still a force
in the heavyweight division. This fight is going to be
a standup war just like Buentello likes it. Smart idea by Affliction
to have Aleks on the same card as Fedor. Even better to put a potential
war on free TV just minutes before the start of its PPV.
Advantage: Affliction
(obviously)
Affliction: Edwin Dewees vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
UFC: N/A
With the twin brother
of the UFC HW champion fighting, Affliction is obviously showcasing
the talent they have signed. This fight
is not very intriguing, but it will be fun to see “Little Nog” fight
Advantage: Affliction (obviously)
Now
the answer to the question should be plainly clear. Order Affliction
on PPV and setup your DVR for UFC Fight Night. Why would you want to
miss either of these great events? |
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