Affliction 2:
Fedor Emelianenko vs.
Andrei Arlovski

On January 24, Affliction hosts another round of big names. After facing a string of over-sized tomato cans, Fedor challenges a worthy opponent in Andrei Arlovski. Also on the payroll: Josh Barnett, Matt Lindland, “Babalu” and the Other Nogueira. Look to catch the first half of the show on HDNet and the latter on PPV.

Pay-Per-View Bouts:
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski
WAMMA Heavyweight Title
I’m sure WAMMA stands for something but it should be just the sound Fedor Emeliankenko’s fist makes when he hits his opponent. Andre Arlovski is definitely going to want to use his improved boxing skills to avoid the fight-ending punches of the bald Russian. On paper, this seems like the toughest fight that Fedor’s had since his glory days of PRIDE. That was back when Cro Cop and Big Nog were considered top dogs in the heavyweight division. It’s amazing how quickly things change in this sport. It’s true that Andre Arlovski had ups and downs (two losses to Tim Sylvia being the worst of them) but he’s looked great in his past couple of fights. Fedor Emelianenko is unstoppable when fighting slower opponents. He won’t have a significant advantage in the speed department against Andre Arlovski, which is why this is a hard fight to call. Fans who have followed both fighters’ careers closely will say that Fedor is the better of the two, if only because he hasn’t lost in forever. Anyone on such a roll is bound to slip up sooner or later…right? People are still waiting for Anderson Silva to slip up in the UFC and that hasn’t happened yet. It’s quite possible that Fedor will never lose, provided he doesn’t stick around past his prime. He’s been very choosey about his fights, which is why he hasn’t overextended himself in his MMA career. Affliction’s 2 events per year definitely helps with keeping risk low.

Arlovski is more prone to being knocked out. It’s possible that if this becomes a slugfest Fedor will eventually win the fight. Having said that, I expect this to be a technical battle that goes the distance. I’m giving Arlovski a lot of credit by saying he can survive against “The Last Emperor” of MMA. While he may do that, it’s doubtful he can win the fight. Despite the fact that Fedor Emelianenko has not been prolific in this renaissance of MMA entertainment there’s no reason to doubt his abilities. Andre Arlovski may be turning his career around but I don’t think he’ll be the one to beat Fedor on this night.

In the future, there may be a man to dethrone him…that’s right – Brock Lesnar. Please forward all hate mail to eric@optimistic.com

Matt Lindland vs. Vitor Belfort
In the old UFC Vitor was a jacked-up young heavyweight smashing through his opponents. That is, until Randy Couture came around. Having tons of muscles is great at drilling your opponents until you start missing and have to fight for more than 2 minutes. However Vitor Belfort is more experienced and a lot lighter than he once was. In fact, it’s quite curious how he was able to be so large back then. I guess it’s like Joe Rogan says: weight cutting has become more sophisticated…yea that must be it.

Matt Lindland has never had an impressive physique or fighting style. He is good at controlling his opponents and smothering them with his hideous body odor. He’ll have to be as methodical as ever if he wants to avoid the heavy hands of Belfort. With the exception of the well-paid announcers, nobody was too impressed with “the Law” in his last fight for Affliction. It doesn’t look as though he’ll ever become a dynamic striker. Relying on your wrestling can only get you so far. Even 1-dimensional wrestlers like Ryan Bader and Brock Lesnar are learning how to punch these days. It’s possible Matt Lindland has let his fledgling political career divert his attention away from fighting.

Unless Matt Lindland has focused 110% on mixed martial arts for the past 6 months to prepare for this Affliction show, he’s going to have a rough night on Saturday. Belfort’s gas tank is still a question mark so he’ll have a blanket’s chance at winning the decision. However I’m hoping for something flashy so I’ll predict Vitor Belfort to win by knockout. If we see enough early finishes they may put on another musical number to kill time.

Josh Barnett vs. Gilbert Yvel
Josh Barnett is a well-rounded fighter with heavy hands. Most important to note is Barnett’s experience with top-level fighters. At the last Affliction show he one-punched Pedro Rizzo out of the realm of MMA relevancy. Josh Barnett is also known for his ego and pro-wrestling style interviews. Despite the bad blood it really is surprising that Dana White hasn’t caved in and signed this guy. Perhaps it’s better to keep a limited number of loudmouths in the UFC.

Gilbert Yvel is someone most fight fans aren’t too familiar with. Stephan Bonnar says he hits hard, which says something. Any training done at Xtreme Couture always helps overcome an experience deficit. But this reeks of a showcase fight by Affliction. Josh Barnett is supposed to win here so he can go on to fight the winner of Fedor and Arlovski. While this doesn’t reach EXC levels of corruption, it’s too close for comfort.

Look for Gilbert Yvel to get a “learning experience” in this fight. Why big name promotions feed their newcomers (remember Mustapha Al-Turk?) to experienced fighters with knockout power is beyond me. I would rather have seen a bigger name against Josh Barnett but I don’t make the t-shirts around here.

Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
These are two men with two respective nicknames. Birth names have no place here. Babalu was sent out of the UFC for holding a choke too long. Skokoudjou was sent packing from said promotion for choking too often. It’s unclear if either men will be invited back but there’s only one way either of them to do it. No, it doesn’t involve being one of Dana’s buddies, even though that does help. These two need to put on an exciting show if they hope to be elevated to the UFC. Affliction does not have enough light heavyweights to make a division, which is why the ghost of Zuffa looms over this fight. Sokoudjou has great KO power but not much else. His ground game and cardio both came up lacking in his past few fights. Babalu on the other hand is quite well rounded but hasn’t finished anyone of note in years. Hardcore fight followers seem to like him but I say he’s a tad overrated. He had a hell of a time winning a decision over UFC washout Mike Whitehead. Sokoudjou might be a risky bet but I’m taking it because he’s at least got a punchers chance. If this goes past the second round there’s a good chance we could see him getting submitted. However Dan Henderson and the boys from team Quest have probably helped him get a good training camp in preparation for this Affliction show. He’s still very young and has a good chance of getting another shot at the big leagues.

Dan Lauzon vs. Bobby Green
Paul Buentello vs. Kiril Sidelnikov

HDNet Bouts:
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
Jay Hieron vs. Jason High
Bao Quach vs. L.C. Davis
Brett Cooper vs. Patrick Speight
Antonio Duarte vs. Albert Rios

Return from Affliction 2 to Upcoming Fights