The MMA (Non-UFC) Thread

[Hammy]

It?s one of the most important heavyweight matches in recent memory and without question the litmus test for Affliction?s future. The clothing company has assembled one of the greatest MMA events ever on paper, and the show?s success hinges primarily on one bout: the main event featuring world-recognized heavyweight king Fedor Emelianenko squaring off against two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia.

Looking at the Las Vegas odds just days prior to the encounter, Fedor is the prohibitive favorite. Most members of the media and thousands of fans believe Sylvia stands little to no chance of pulling off the upset. But what do fighters think?

Sherdog.com polled more than 25 fighters and trainers to get their thoughts:

Urijah Faber: I think Fedor will win -- second round via armbar or GNP. But I?m rooting for Tim because he?s my buddy.

Gabe Ruediger: I?m going with Fedor. He always comes up with a great game plan and is just that dominant. Sylvia is a proper test and will put up a good fight, though.

John Hackleman: I like Sylvia to score a TKO sometime in the second, maybe even the first. I?m a huge Fedor fan because he?s like a freak of nature, but you just can?t count Sylvia out.

Nick Thompson: Fedor via armbar.

Cung Le: Fedor by decision.

Guy Mezger: I?m going with Fedor, but Tim has a good chance because of his jab. He hits hard and he may be able to keep Fedor away and wear him down. Not likely, but maybe.

Mac Danzig: On the ground Fedor wins, but stand-up is anybody?s game. People always underestimate Tim?s boxing, and Fedor has never fought anybody with a jab like Tim?s. I still think Fedor will win, but Sylvia is the toughest style matchup for a guy like Fedor, and it?s going to be a lot closer than most people think.

Dan Henderson: Fedor by ground-and-pound or armbar -- first round.

Micah Miller: I predict that Fedor wins this fight. He is more well-rounded and defeated Mark Hunt (Pictures) -- a bigger, much better striker than Sylvia.

Kevin Randleman: Fedor wins, but [he] had a long layoff. Could get drawn out, but Fedor wins.

Matt Lindland: I would like to see Tim be a spoiler. All I know is I?m excited to see it.

Jaime Fletcher: They will trade a little. Fedor will take him down. Work some ground-and-pound and then probably hit a submission. His ground is nasty, and Tim?s prone to it. It won?t be a long fight.

Nathan Marquardt: I say Sylvia by TKO round three.

Doug Marshall: I think Fedor in the first round.

Travis Wiuff: Great fight! Tim has a way of surprising people when no one thinks he can win. I?ve seen him train, and his work ethic is second to none. Fedor hasn?t fought a significant heavyweight in three years. I say Tim by decision.

Din Thomas: For years I?ve underestimated Tim Sylvia (Pictures). This time I think I?m gonna be in the minority and pick Tim and his long right hand. Come to think of it, I am a minority.

Ron Frazier: I think Fedor finally gets Tim down and submits him. But he?ll take some damage in the process. Fight goes into the third round. Fedor by armbar.

Marc Laimon: Fedor should pick Tim Sylvia (Pictures) up and slam him on his head, then pummel him for a TKO or submit him. But Tim could knock him out. Fedor is a way better athlete, and that?s who my money is on.

Marvin Eastman: Fedor by TKO in the third.

Richie Hightower: Fedor by whatever he wants.

Troy Mandaloniz: Fedor will destroy him.

David Loiseau: It will be a very interesting fight. Fedor is a beast but hasn?t fought a lot recently. Sylvia?s been fighting top-level competition. Anxious to see how it will turn out. Not sure who will win.

Eddy Millis: Fedor subs him in the first round.

Clay Guida: Fedor by sub when it goes to the ground. Any round.

Alan Belcher: Fedor will submit him in the first.

Shawn Tompkins: I am going to go on record and say Tim Sylvia (Pictures) by KO in the second round. I love Fedor, but I just have a feeling for Sylvia in this one.

Charlie Valencia: I pick Fedor only because he is more athletic and better skilled. The only chance that Tim has is by KO, and that?s highly unlikely.

Pros picking Fedor: 20
Pros picking Sylvia: 5
Pros unsure: 2

My prediction: Fedor via armbar 1st Round.

http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/pros-pick-fedor-vs-sylvia-13730

[D]

Ok, I had to do it

I ordered Affliction

there is no way I cant watch this tonight.

They also extended the PPV to 4 hours to show every single match. we also get Vitor on free tv.

So I threw down the 50bucks and cant wait to watch it.

Ill watch UFN afterwards.

[Hammy]

Yeah these guys are good.  Cage Rage loses Bob Sapp they get Kimo, they lose him so 24 hours before the best they can muster is Tank Abbott.

Affliction lose Fedor's Bro and on 24 hours notice get Gary Goodridge, nice, the guy is still competent and I like to watch him bang, him and Buentello is going to be firework city.  Assuming this card lives up to expectations I am so getting this on DVD.

Unfortunately the UK channel that was providing coverage on tape delay tomorrow has failed to sort terms out so we don't get it, so it's torrent city for me when I wake up.

[D]

Yeah I read u guys are getting it a week later or something. Sucks for Affliction. that could hurt their overall exposure.


I think its worth 50 bucks.

I mean there are some big ass fights on this card.

[D]

I got:

Vitor
Little Nog
Andrei Arlovski
Barnett
Lindland
Babalu
Buentello
Fedor by 3rd round armbar although Sylvia will fight a good fight.

[Hammy]

I mean there are some big ass fights on this card.

How many other promotions out there put on cards where there are at least 4 fighters "capable" of beating the UFC Heavyweight Champion.

Fedor (2-0)
Josh Barnett (1-1)
Tim Sylvia (0-1) - He lost but he came mighty close.
Andrei Arlovski (0-0) - Might be a push but the dude has skills, not to say I think he would but he's definately capable, has the tools like.

Elite XC, there Heavyweight Title fight, Justin Eilers vs Big Foot Silva,   what a joke.

Affliction may be working at a loss but one smart thing they have in their minds, is the Big Guys are generally the money guys, people love to see the big ones slug it out.  Be if MMA, Wrestling, Boxing, you can always bring up an exception or two but general rule is money is in the big guys.

I got:

Vitor
Little Nog
Andrei Arlovski
Barnett
Lindland
Babalu
Buentello
Fedor by 3rd round armbar although Sylvia will fight a good fight.

Woah there my picks to  except I say Round 1.

[slash666]

Although Fedor will win, im gonna go with Sylvia, dunno just think there may be a big upset here

[Hammy]

Although Fedor will win, im gonna go with Sylvia, dunno just think there may be a big upset here

I could definately see it happening, it would not be a gigantic upset in my book, but it seems most think it would be.

[D]

Glad I didnt listen to u Hamster haha

[Thorazine Shuffle]

36 seconds.  It took Randy 5 rounds to get the win over Sylvia.

Fedor is the God of MMA.  Hands down.  It looked like a bear mauled Sylvia, and Sylvia is a top notch fighter.

And how about Arvloski!  The pitbull is back.

[Hammy]

Glad I didnt listen to u Hamster haha

Why my picks were right?

Or is it you meant you bet on them.....

Anyway just finished seeing the event, superb waaaaay better than UFC Fight Night.

I've seen every fight they had including the tv portion and loved it all.

How about this for the next event:

Fedor Emelianko vs Josh Barnett
Andrei Arlovski vs Tim Sylvia
Matt Lindland vs Vitor Belfort
Babalu Sobral vs Tito Ortiz
Pedro Rizzo vs Paul Buentello
Alexander Emelianko vs Ben Rothwell.

 

[slash666]

Arlovski/Sylvia would be a pretty brutal stand-up fight as always. I'd tip Andrei for it this time

[Skeletor]

I'd rather see Arlovski vs. Fedor, we've already seen Arlovski & Sylvia a million times. Plus I think Arlovski was more convincing than Barnett anyway.

As for Aleksander Emelianenko, we'll see when he gets to fight next... The rumors are currently flying regarding him possibly having hepatitis. Time will tell whether the rumors hold any truth or not.


EDIT: Aleksander denied the rumors: http://promma.info/?p=743

[Hammy]

I'd rather see Arlovski vs. Fedor, we've already seen Arlovski & Sylvia a million times. Plus I think Arlovski was more convincing than Barnett anyway.

Barnett was convincing, heck he beat Rizzo at his own game (Although true Rizzo is past his prime), I am though thinking the same way as you, my thought was though, I like fights to get built up.  Assuming Arlovski and Fedor win the fights I set out, then you could match them up, by that point it would definately be the two top Heavyweights of Affliction squaring off, out of the big guys they got the biggest reaction of the night.

[Hammy]

I'd rather see Arlovski vs. Fedor

Ask and you shall receive....


Fresh off what many feel to be a major success with its first-ever show on July 19 dubbed, ?Banned,? Affliction MMA will go for an encore in the backyard of the promotion that ?banned? it in the first place.

Indeed, Affliction has its sights set on Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 11 for its next show, according to Yahoo!Sports.com. And anyone who?s anyone knows that ?Sin City? is UFC turf ? the organization that forbid its fighters to don the clothing company?s apparel at its events.

But who really cares about that because the same report confirms that former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski will challenge the last man to hold the Pride FC heavyweight strap, Fedor Emelianenko, likely for the Russian?s newly-won heavyweight WAMMA title in the main event of the evening.

It?s a dream match that most fans have fantasized about for years.

And perhaps the only thing that can top that news is what ace the UFC pulls from its sleeve to once again counter this latest bold move. Perhaps it once again includes UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva.

This is getting good. Real good.

Source: mmamania.com

[slash666]

Sweet! I'm backing Arlovski myself

[Hammy]

Sweet! I'm backing Arlovski myself

Can't see it, I think Fedor's striking at the very least is on par, heck I rate it was being better, Arlovski's chin is questionable, early in his career he got dropped several times when faced with superior strikers, since then he's come a long way and it's far better but Fedor will give him problem, although Arlovski will have the reach advantage, on the ground, Fedor will run circles round him, no problem.

[slash666]

Oh no doubt about it Fedor will be the favourite and his ground skills are far superior but I think if Arlovski can keep on his feet he has a good chance, hell atleast he'll give Fedor a problem unlike Sylvia.

[Hammy]

First, EliteXC goes underwhelms on July 26 for its second CBS offering of ?Saturday Night Fights.?

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) released the ticket sale information, showing roughly a third of all tickets were sold ? with a hefty chunk being comped and the rest going into the nearest recycling bin.

Television draws a relatively abysmal 2.5 to 3 million viewers. Gary Shaw and Doug DeLuca ?resign? to consult.

Then Dave Meltzer reports that Affliction lost millions from its first foray into mixed martial arts on July 19. In spite of a solid event, pay-per-view (PPV) numbers are alleged to be (at best ? and possibly a big stretch) 100,000 buys. Good, but a far cry from the 250-300,000 buys Affliction needed to possibly break even.

Rumor has it, in fact, Affliction honcho Tom Atencio is already asking fighters to take a 50 percent pay cut for its sophomore effort in Las Vegas later this year.

However, at least on of its most talented assets ? victorious Affliction ?Banned? fighter Josh Barnett ? has already made a public statement that his answer will be ?NO? if indeed asked.

Now Japan?s DREAM (or PRIDE II, as some fans see it) is finding itself in the same murky waters. Dismal ratings have left many officials banking on its September 23 event as make-or-break for the company.

And that hardship couldn?t have come at a more opportune time for the UFC, who not coincidentally has just signed a new pay-per-view contract with Japan?s WOWOW PPV company.

Here?s an excerpt from Kamipro.com explaining the partnership:

?We finally signed a contract with the UFC on July 11. I knew this news had been rumored before we officially announced it. We used to air the UFC. We wanted to maintain our contract, but unfortunately the negotiations were broken off and we stopped broadcasting after the UFC 70 in April, 2007. They approached us again in 2008. We were planning to show the UFC in HD starting April of 2007; although the UFC terminated the contact. I remember we were very surprised and disappointed. We are basically going to show all numbering events. Their PPV packages are 3 hours. We will condense into 2 hours by picking up 5 to 6 fights.?
It seems that while every non-Zuffa promotion is struggling to keep its head above water, Dana and company are in cruise-control with the top down on the war wagon.

Still, one thing the UFC doesn?t have is all of the world?s best fighters. Though the way things are going for other promotions, that may just be a matter of time.

Tick-Tock.

[Hammy]

Ken Shamrock (26-13-2)? the 44-year-old mixed martial arts pioneer who has not won a professional fight in more than four years ? is the next man to challenge Elite XC?s most coveted possession, Kimbo Slice (3-0), according to Sherdog.com.

The bout will serve as the main event of ?Saturday Night Fights? on CBS from the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., on October 4.

Shamrock was a among a short list of possible opponents for the Miami native that also included Sean Gannon ? the only man to defeat the YouTube.com sensation in underground fisticuffs ? and Brett Rogers.

Out of the trio Rogers was far and away the most qualified and would have likely given Slice the stiffest competition. However, that could have been the problem ? Elite XC matchmakers still feel the need to shamelessly build its biggest star.

And what better way then to have him wallop an over-the-hill, past-his-prime UFC veteran on national television.

Shamrock ? a UFC Hall of Fame inductee ? dropped his first and most recent bout under the ProElite banner, losing to Robert ?Buzz? Berry via first knockout at Cage Rage 25: ?Bring it On? earlier this year.

That, too, was supposed to be a warm-up for the ?World?s Most Dangerous Man? to groom him for a big money match down the road against either Slice, or his younger brother, Frank.

It seems like it didn?t matter ? at least one of those fights (Slice) is going to happen. Although a win against Berry would have made this appear (to the casual fan at least) to be somewhat of a fair fight.

Shamrock has lost eight of his last 10 fights dating back to 2001 and he?s on a five-fight losing skid.

The only thing in his favor going into this fight is experience and his submission game. Shamrock has won more than 80 percent of his fights via submission, which poses somewhat of a threat provided he can get close enough to Slice to take him down.

Don?t count on it. But then again stranger things have happened ? kind of like this match up in the first place.

This is fairly smart on Elite's part.  Rogers would crush Kimbo and fact is Shamrock is still a very good draw and much more well known than Rogers, heck to the casual fan he's always going to be one of the most well known fighters, just like in wrestling you say to someone name a wrestler and they say Hulk Hogan.

After seeing Shamrock's last performance at Cage Rage here in the UK, Kimbo should have no problem knocking Shamrock out.  Shamrock was fed a can over here, a guy who was never a somebody (and has since lost his follow up fight and retired) and the guy schooled him.  Shamrock looked so down, worried, negative, the dude needs to hang it up or go back to wrestling.