Jul 24 2009
Affliction Trilogy Has Been Cancelled And The Company Is Done
Well, all that worrying about who Fedor Emelianenko’s new opponent was going to be when Josh Barnett failed his steroid test, is for naught.
According to this Yahoo/MMA Weekly story, the show has been canceled.
We’ll update this story if there’s more to it.
Update: 5:15 PM
It looks like Affliction, the MMA company is done.
Kevin Iole from Yahoo! Sports reported that Affliction is no more.
The company and the Ultimate Fighting Championship are expected to release a statement sometime on Friday in which it is announced that Affliction will cease operations as a promoter and that its clothing division will become a UFC sponsor.
We are back at square one.
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Wow. This could spell doom for the Affliction promotion all together. Dana has been predicting collapse for these guys for a while now, maybe this is it.
I haven’t heard anything about the promotion being completely done, but it doesn’t look good. If I find out anymore, I’ll update this.
I read a rumor on sherdog.com that Affliction is trying to merge with Strikeforce.
I’m not so sure it’d be much of a merger considering one company seems to be doing well and one isn’t. What cards would Affliction hold in the deal?
They have Fedor? I really don’t know. The two groups have a “working relationship” but I’ve learned from a businesswoman mother that merger is latin for “one company imposes its will on another”.
That mother of yours knows what she’s talking about.
Think Tom Attencio has jealous eyes?
This is good for both parties.
I wonder if part of this deal means the UFC gets possession of all the Affliction fighters contracts.
Here’s what Meltzer had to say:
Affliction had also been in talks with Strikeforce regarding folding the promotion. It is not certain how the fighter contracts would be handled. It is possible with the huge money fighter deals that Strikeforce, budgeted to be run like a business didn’t feel they were cost-effective.
UFC, because of its heavy profits, can afford any contract they wish to take, although it’s doubtful they would want all the contracts. Fedor Emelianenko has one fight left on his Affliction deal, but it is not exclusive and I can’t see UFC using him under those terms. The lack of money-making alternatives for Emelianenko gives UFC a leverage advantage in talks that they have never possessed in the past. But Emelianenko may still be able to garner a big money New Year’s Eve fight this year out of Japan, giving his side time to bargain.
I hope Fedor signs with the UFC and debuts at the December 17th show.
A UFC 107 card of Fedor vs. Lesnar along with Evans/Jackson could blow UFC 100 out of the water.
It would also work out chronologically, so that the Carwin-Velasquez winner at 104 could take on the Fedor-Lesnar winner at 107, and then fight maybe around 112.
I think Evans/Jackson is going to take place in Memphis because of Rampage’s hometown status.
They’d do something like Fedor/Lesnar in Vegas.