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Friday, July 24, 2009
Blockbuster “Affliction: Trilogy” pay-per-view event canceled
A highly anticipated “Affliction: Trilogy” mixed-martial-arts event headlined by Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) vs. Josh Barnett (24-5) has been canceled.
The Aug. 1 event, slated for the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., was expected to feature a fight between the world’s No. 1 heavyweight fighter (Emelianenko) and the No. 2 heavyweight (Barnett).
However, Barnett learned earlier this week that his license had been denied by the California State Athletic Commission because he failed a recent drug test due to an anabolic steroid. Barnett also tested positive for a banned steroid in 2002 and was stripped of the UFC heavyweight title at the time.
Event organizations cited the loss of the heavily promoted fight as the reason for the cancellation, though slightly less marketable fighters such as Vitor Belfort and Paul Buentello (who were on the event’s undercard) and Brett Rogers, Don Frye and Jeff Monson offered to replace him on less than two weeks’ notice. However, with pressure from the company’s pay-per-view partner, Showtime PPV, and concerns about the marketability of a back-up matchup, the event was scrapped altogether.
“Finding an opponent for the No. 1 ranked MMA heavyweight champion in such a short period of time was a huge endeavor, and I’m thrilled at the amount of fighters willing to take on this challenge,” Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio stated. “But in the end, we just didn’t have enough time to promote a new fight to our standards.”
Notables such as “Babalu” Sobral, Jorge Santiago, Gilbert Yvel, Takanori Gomi and Ben Rothwell were also slated to compete on the card and will now miss out on some major paydays. (Affliction’s first two shows paid out an average of $150,000 per competitor.)
Ever since its inception in 2008, when the high-end clothing company was banned as a sponsor from of the UFC and began promoting its own shows, Affliction has constantly denied rumors and reports of its pending demise.
Today’s cancellation will do nothing to squelch the speculation, but in a statement issued today, Affliction vowed to promote future shows.
The event’s co-promoter, M-1 Global, is hosting its own show in California on Aug. 28. It’s conceivable that some “Trilogy” fighters could be shifted to that card, which is currently headlined by 43-year-old veteran fighter/actor/former pro wrestler Don Frye (20-7-1) vs. rising prospect and decorated collegiate wrestler “King” Mo Lawal (4-0).
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