There wasn’t a whole lot of news to report today—just some trash talkin’, sponsorship deals, and Rampage’s new home away from home—so I thought I would pass along a few rumors that have surfaced.
Actually, the Affliction rumors aren’t really rumors at all since they came straight from Affliction VP Tom Atencio. First, Tom confirmed rumors that Jerome LeBanner may sign with the organization to fight Tim Sylvia at Affliction 3.
No Comments | Filed under: Affliction, Affliction III, Fedor Emelianenko, Jerome LeBanner, Randy Couture, Sergei Kharitonov, Tim Sylvia, Tom Atencio, UFC 91
Remember a few weeks back when Fedor Emelianenko visited LA, and he had a not so secret meeting with Randy Couture? Well part of the reason we were told they spent all day together was for another photo shoot. Well, it looks like they weren’t lying. According to Redsweat, these pictures were from the photo shoot with Fight Sport Magazine.
Hopefully, this won’t be as close as we get to seeing these two living legends actually fight.
More pics after the jump.
Has Fedor Emelianenko’s New Years Eve opponent been found? Not exactly, but here’s a potential candidate. Japan’s Satoshi Ishii won the Olympic gold medal in the judo super heavyweight division this past week in Bejing. Apparently, following his win, he said he wanted to fight Fedor.
In Beijing, China, after winning the gold medal in the superheavyweight division in judo this past week, Japan’s Satoshi Ishii said he wanted to fight “Emelianenko Fedor,” as the legendary Russian fighter is known in Japan.
Ishii, 21, has never fought MMA style. The idea of the match may sound laughable to MMA aficionados, but New Year’s Eve in Japan is traditional for gimmick performers, whether they be Japanese entertainment personalities, giants, or athletes who were successful in other sports, doing fights. With Ishii becoming a national hero in Japan and the sport fading in popularity, such a match would draw the kind of interest that Emelianenko against a top fighter could never do.
Fedor recently stated he would be fighting a “judo legend or sumo wrestler” on New Years Eve. I suppose Ishii would qualify. Hope he doesn’t mind getting punched in the face. I heard Fedor’s pretty good at that.
Aren’t ratings fantastic?
Remember the end of Rocky III when Rocky and Apollo fought one last time secluded in the old boxing gym? Randy wants $6-10 million to fight Fedor, but would he pull a Rocky III and fight him for free without a single person to witness it? Watch the video to find out. He answers that question at the 1:34 mark.
The way things are looking, it might be his only choice.
In other ridiculous payday news, it seems the Tito Ortiz sweepstakes aren’t over just yet. He’s apparently talking to every major fight promotion, even the AFL, and you guessed it, the UFC.
Now, according to industry insiders, Ortiz is hosting formal negotiations with all the top promotions — Affliction, EliteXC, the AFL and even, surprisingly, the UFC.
“I don’t know if we’re really negotiating, or simply helping Tito stroke his giant ego,” one frustrated company representative said Sunday, Aug. 17.
I expect this will go on until Tito finally realizes he’s not going to be handed the keys to Fort Knox. Once he does, I’m almost expecting he will end up right back where he started—the UFC.
On the heels of a meeting with Fedor Emelianenko earlier this week, Randy Couture appeared today on The Adam Carolla Show. Surprisingly, of all the interviews Randy has done in the past year, no one has been able to get Randy’s thoughts on how many pay-per-view buys the Fedor fight would draw and how much money he should be paid for it. Well, Adam did, and the numbers are big.
Fedor Emelianenko and his management spoke with several media outlets during his trip to Los Angeles, which included a lengthy meeting with Randy Couture. Here’s a few quotes.
“We talked a little bit about everything. Certainly, one of the main topics was the possibility of having a fight together and the realities that we both face — mainly that he [Couture] faces -– and whether the reality of having a fight can happen.”
No Comments | Filed under: Brock Lesnar, Fedor Emelianenko, Kimbo Slice, Randy Couture, Vadim Finkelstein
While the mega fight between Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko doesn’t appear to be any closer to happening than it was a month or six months ago, it’s been reported that Fedor and Randy have met again this week in Los Angeles, perhaps to formulate a strategy to ensure the fight happens sooner rather than later.
Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko, along with their respective management teams, met in Los Angeles on Monday, according to a source familiar with both mixed martial arts legends. The source declined to reveal what was discussed between the two sides.
Couture, Emelianenko, and their representatives spent “significant” time together, as they met for breakfast and dinner, the source said. They were also involved in a photo shoot together, reports the source. While speculation around a future fight promoted by Affliction seems certain to swirl, the source indicated the upstart promotion was not behind the aforementioned shoot.
Couture’s representatives declined to comment on the matter, while Emelianenko’s handlers could not be immediately reached.
If there’s a will, there’s a way.
Since Fedor Emelianenko’s 36 second annihilation of Tim Sylvia on July 19, we haven’t heard much from Fedor’s camp. All we have heard is that he has a broken hand and it’s forced him off Affliction’ second card, which is set to go down on October 11. Well, Josh Gross of SI.com was able to catch up with Fedor and his camp to find out what’s going on with the WAMMA Heavyweight title holder.
Apparently, Dana’s change of heart about Fedor didn’t last long, although I guess “overrated” is a step up from “a farce.”
It appears Affliction quietly made an announcement over the weekend that confirms many of the rumors that have been flying around the net for the past couple weeks. Affliction will hold their second event on October 11 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Unfortunately, it looks like the Fedor rumor was true since Josh Barnett has been announced as Andrei Arlovksi’s opponent.
From the Long Beach Press-Telegram:
Affliction announced over the weekend that its next show will feature a showdown of two of the best heavyweights in all of mixed martial arts as Josh Barnett will face Andrei Arlovski on Oct. 11 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
The upcoming bout, labeled Day of Reckoning, is the second card for Affliction banner which made its debut at the Honda Center on July 19 in front of nearly 14,000.
More bouts are expected to be announced shortly for the pay-per-view event.
There you have it. Affliction Entertainment isn’t closing up shop.
While its disappointing that Fedor won’t be fighting on Oct. 11, a match between Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett is still a great fight between two of the world’s top heavyweights. It’s believed that the match determine who will get next crack at Fedor and his WAMMA belt. Also, today is the day Affliction can begin formal negotiations with Tito Ortiz. I would expect to hear something on that front pretty soon. There may be a co-main event on this show.
A ticket presale for Affliction II “Day Of Reckoning” will begin at 10AM this Wednesday, Aug. 6.
The latest Affliction II: Day of Reckoning fight card and event info can be found in our fight cards section.
No Comments | Filed under: Affliction II: Day of Reckoning, Andrei Arlovski, Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett
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