Opinions on Affliction

Overall, I think it's going to be very hard to top this card this year, I really believe that. I can only hope that the amazing performances tonight will propel Affliction into better sponsorship deals in order to sustain them in the long run. This promotion is just too good right now to fade away. Here are also some of my thoughts on some of the fights:

- I am really happy that Vitor won in such convincing fashion. Very rarely do we get to see those who once held glory come back in such a convincing way. Vitor appears to be really making some headway at Middleweight, and I hope they give this guy a title shot very soon against a credible opponent.

- Barnett looked awesome, but props to Gilbert as well! I don't think I have ever seen anyone hold out from such a barrage of strikes in my time watching MMA! Gilbert should not feel ashamed for tapping out, like the announcers said, it was almost impossible to get out from under Barnett and he was taking unneeded punishment. He put on a great performance in my opinion, and should definitely be invited back.

- Sobral looked awesome in his fight, he also should be considered high up on the list for a title shot. Maybe against the mouth known as Tito?

- Last but not least, was anyone kind of disappointed that Arlovski was knocked out so quickly? He was owning that fight, to the point where Fedor really didn't know how to react. I have never, ever seen Fedor pressured that much, and it was really exciting to watch! My heart was racing like a bastard! Arlovski made a mistake caused by overconfidence and it cost him in spectacular fashion. I feel very happy for Fedor, but I really wanted to see the extent of what Arlovski could do.

Yvel/Barnett was was pretty strait forward and expected. Barnett got the takedown, controlled the whole fight, with ease. But wow, I never expected to see someone like Yvel tap due to strikes.

Vitor/Lindland was fun to watch. He was KO'd hard. I hope to see more of that from Vitor.

Fedor/Arlovski, shockingly, I was watching this event with five people, and only two of us thought Fedor would win. Everyone else was thinking that King Leonidas would kill him. But damn, Arlovski did actually look impressive. I think he could be welcomed back into the ufc. I'de love to see it. But Fedor I'm still pulling for, undoubtably I'de love to see him in the UFC. He looked really good aswell. He was dodging and rolling, decently countering. But Arlovski's speed got the overall better. Just with stiff jabs, and strong kick.s But Fedor saw an opening and did what he does best. I am so happy to see him win. I never get tired of Fedor.

All Worshipping King Fedor!

Great fights for sure but the production is not the best and tito should never be given a mic agian! I have never seen someone fight while being mounted like Gilbert did! That was pretty cool! I hope the Law is ok he seemed to be alright but his brain most def hit the reset button! Vitor looks awesome! What happened with Jay Herion? Did they have to skip another fight?

I can't belive i'm saying this but I can't wait to see AA boxing! He has such crisp boxing and his hand speed is amazing! His chin is better suited for a 10 oz glove!

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Posted by postman

Great fights for sure but the production is not the best and tito should never be given a mic agian! I have never seen someone fight while being mounted like Gilbert did! That was pretty cool! I hope the Law is ok he seemed to be alright but his brain most def hit the reset button! Vitor looks awesome! What happened with Jay Herion? Did they have to skip another fight?

I can't belive i'm saying this but I can't wait to see AA boxing! He has such crisp boxing and his hand speed is amazing! His chin is better suited for a 10 oz glove!

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Dude, Arlovski FLEW into Fedor's incoming fist, I am pretty sure anyone with a pulse would have been laid out from that.

I also agree on the production though with them starting the fights too fast, or not taking us back sooner to the action, etc. And yes, Tito was a bit nervous with the mic, but I actually thought he was a decent commentator as he had some decent incites. I do think they can do better though.

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Posted by warglory

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Posted by postman

Great fights for sure but the production is not the best and tito should never be given a mic agian! I have never seen someone fight while being mounted like Gilbert did! That was pretty cool! I hope the Law is ok he seemed to be alright but his brain most def hit the reset button! Vitor looks awesome! What happened with Jay Herion? Did they have to skip another fight?

I can't belive i'm saying this but I can't wait to see AA boxing! He has such crisp boxing and his hand speed is amazing! His chin is better suited for a 10 oz glove!

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Dude, Arlovski FLEW into Fedor's incoming fist, I am pretty sure anyone with a pulse would have been laid out from that.

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Oh yeah for sure! his chin has been suspect though. I'm more intersted in seeing him box then worrying about his MMA chin I prob should have put a inthere or something. My bad!

The production was much better this time around. I actually thought the broadcast team was great. It was a nice contrast from Joe and Goldie, as I wasn't annoyed by a bunch of catch-phrases and elementary bjj lessons. It was a much more exciting show than UFC 93, that's for sure!

It's a great event to start off the year with, but man that arena was empty up until the Fedor fight. I thnk they took a huge hit on this one, but they were in a rotten position. If they were to have cancelled a second show they would have been as good as sunk.

Brett Cooper had probably the most exciting fight, and hopefully we'll see him again real soon. It's shocking the UFC picked up Rory Markham but not Coop.

Gilbert threw 80 something strikes while on his back , that is a tough bastard. Anybody else notice Yvel's knife wounds by chance?

i busted up laughing when i saw afflictions pre-fight "gameplans" for fedor and Arlovski.
Andrei - Dont let fedor hit you, Dont let fedor take you down, Make sure to hit fedor.
Fedor - Cut off the ring, Hit the guy. Take down the guy.

Also i like how Tito said Vitor Belfort looks fresher now that hes at 131 years old.
Vitor looked really good though, id love to see him fight Akiyama, Lawler, or Misaki

and even more for the crowd booing tito after the babalu match, you can visibly see the moment where tito snaps and snarls in anger.

Good job Babalu, but what really bothers me... was that even though sokoudjou gassed, he really didnt expend much energy at all in that first round i almost cant believe how thats even possible.

ooo and how could i almost forget Bobby "Gang" Green, representing the rare and powerful "Hood" fighting style. He reminded me alot of Krazy Horse. Id rather see him fight again then Lauzon.

Overall i loved the event, it steadily got better and really the only dull fight was Barnett absolutely demolishing Gilbert Yvel.

i hope theres a 3rd

Good fights. I was super impressed by Vitor. He destroyed Lindland. I thought Lindland would lnp for three rounds, but was rooting for Vitor, and he came in and owned Lindland. My cable system didn't show the Hieron/High fight and I'm pissed. Barnett will get destroyed by Fedor. I want to hear Dana White's response after that fight. Fedor destroys now three UFC champs, yet he's not the best? Hilarious.

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Posted by Pookie

Gilbert threw 80 something strikes while on his back , that is a tough bastard. Anybody else notice Yvel's knife wounds by chance?

i busted up laughing when i saw afflictions pre-fight "gameplans" for fedor and Arlovski.
Andrei - Dont let fedor hit you, Dont let fedor take you down, Make sure to hit fedor.
Fedor - Cut off the ring, Hit the guy. Take down the guy.

Also i like how Tito said Vitor Belfort looks fresher now that hes at 131 years old.
Vitor looked really good though, id love to see him fight Akiyama, Lawler, or Misaki

and even more for the crowd booing tito after the babalu match, you can visibly see the moment where tito snaps and snarls in anger.

Good job Babalu, but what really bothers me... was that even though sokoudjou gassed, he really didnt expend much energy at all in that first round i almost cant believe how thats even possible.

ooo and how could i almost forget Bobby "Gang" Green, representing the rare and powerful "Hood" fighting style. He reminded me alot of Krazy Horse. Id rather see him fight again then Lauzon.

Overall i loved the event, it steadily got better and really the only dull fight was Barnett absolutely demolishing Gilbert Yvel.

i hope theres a 3rd

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Bobby "Gang" Greens phone is going to be blowing up tomorrow all kinds of top gyms are going to want to give him a chance. Lauzon is lucky Chris got hurt.

Vitor is the friggin man

Barnett wants none of Fedor. I have never seen someone get hit that much while mounted, and Barnett was mounted pretty much the whole fight.
Kudos to Andrei for taking it to Fedor before he got faceplanted into the mat.

Fedor showed why he's the best fighter on the planet right now... you can not make a single mistake against him because he will quickly exploit it and put you to sleep.

Barnett has earned a title shot and it's a bit overdue if you ask me. Yvel gave his all out there tonight but he just isn't in the same class as The Babyface Assassin. I hope Affliction rewards Yvel with another fight... I think a fight between him and Buentello could be a stand-up war.

Wow @ Belfort... he looks amazing at middleweight. I hope Affliction is able to get somebody like Mousasi or Lawler to fight him.

I really want to see Babalu fight Tito or Lil' NOG next. Both would be very competitive fights.

I'm not sure what the next fight for Arlovski is though... it would be awesome if Affliction could get somebody like Kharitonov to fight him next.

Fedor is the best in the world. Hands down.

Sorry Anderson, but Fedor has to take your spot now. IMO Andrei would probably the #1 contender in the UFCif he was still there. Dana even admitted, that loosing Andrei still haunts him.

I think Andrei and Barnett would beat Mir and Nog.

Dana should not say anything but postive thingsabout Fedor now.

i want to see Yvel fight AA next.
That fight would be one of the most exciting of all time.
For all 12 seconds it lasted.

Great night of fights! I was sure Kirill was going to win though. I mean, you don't get to be Fedor's protege by just being an average fighter. His chin looked AWESOME, but it seemed like his ego was too wrapped up around keeping the fight standing. Considering that Fedor wins most of his fights on the ground, I was really shocked that Kirill didn't even try to take it there (except a half-hearted attempt late in the third round), and made comments that indicated he thinks it's weak to take it there. I hope he gets over that idea and learns how to be more well-rounded in the ring, because I'm sure he's got the skills to do it.

I thought the fights were pretty good although I was really dissapointed that the Fedor fight didnt last longer. I was hoping for 2 or 3 rounds, but AA gave Fedor an opening and he almost killed him with one shot. I sure hope that Barnett and Fedor will fight next I think Barnett might actually be able to last a few rounds.

Afflictions production is awful. It was hard to watch, the announcers suck, Tito was awful, and the camera work compared to the UFC was totally amateur.

Why didnt they show any preliminary fights, and why the HELL do they fight in a ring? I hate watching fights in a ring it is ridiculous not to have a cage. Fighters get tied up in the ropes, and there head sticks out under the bottom rope when there on the ground, and then they restart in the middle. The whole thing just really irritates me. Get a frickin cage already this isnt boxing

I thought the card was awesome! The fights were very exciting. However, they really need to work on the whole production of the event. They are wayyy behind in this department. The must have introduced the fight card in about 14 different ways at the beginning of the ppv...verrry boring. Plus Tito needs to fight and not commentate. He was brutal (not a strong enough word). My fight Highlights:

Buentello jabbing "Baby Fedor" (realllly?) into submission.
Babalu and the anaconda choke finish
Vitor's hardcore knockout of Lindland
Arlovski looked awesome until.....well...Fedor got tired of being punched
Great prelim fights on HDnet

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Posted by StriderXero

Sorry Anderson, but Fedor has to take your spot now. IMO Andrei would probably the #1 contender in the UFCif he was still there. Dana even admitted, that loosing Andrei still haunts him.

I think Andrei and Barnett would beat Mir and Nog.

Dana should not say anything but postive thingsabout Fedor now.

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So Dana should spend a bunch of time talking up the competition's champ, heh? You must be a business major.

Having the other guy clearly dominate you until you land one ko punch puts you at p4p#1 over a guy who destroys everyone he fights?

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Posted by Afflicted

I thought the fights were pretty good although I was really dissapointed that the Fedor fight didnt last longer. I was hoping for 2 or 3 rounds, but AA gave Fedor an opening and he almost killed him with one shot. I sure hope that Barnett and Fedor will fight next I think Barnett might actually be able to last a few rounds.

Afflictions production is awful. It was hard to watch, the announcers suck, Tito was awful, and the camera work compared to the UFC was totally amateur.

Why didnt they show any preliminary fights, and why the HELL do they fight in a ring? I hate watching fights in a ring it is ridiculous not to have a cage. Fighters get tied up in the ropes, and there head sticks out under the bottom rope when there on the ground, and then they restart in the middle. The whole thing just really irritates me. Get a frickin cage already this isnt boxing

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good call.

the production was better, but still prety bad.
i couldnt believe they showed linland out for sooooooo long.go rewatch it, they didnt even show one replay untill he was back on his feet. they just showed him really hurt, twitching, and not knowing where he was. that is BAD FOR THE SPORT.
the ufc would have showed a ton of celebration and relplays, untill matt was back on his feet or out of the ring (just like when kos brutally Ko'd yoshida)


fight wise, and matchup wise it was a really entertaining night

I THINK AFFLICTION PREFER THE RING TO A CAGE BECAUSE ITS A BIGGER ARENA FOR THE FANS TO SEE THEIR FAVORITE FIGHTERS COMMENCE BATTLE. I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT VIEWING THESE GUYS FIGHTING IN A RING IS BETTER FOR VIEWING AS APOSED TO A CAGE WITH A STEELE CHAIN LINK FENCE BLOCKING VIEW OF THE FIGHTERS.
ITS ALSO THE PRIDE FC REMINDER TOO, WITH THE DEATH OF PRIDE FC AND THE MARKET OPENING UP AGAIN, FIGHT FANS LONGED FOR ALL THE CRAZY AND EXCITING FIGHTS THAT THE JAPANESE PROMOTERS PUT TOGETHER, AFFLICTION IS FOLLOWING SUIT, THE SPIRIT THAT CAME OUT OF PRIDE FC I THINK WAS DOWN TO THE ARENA THEY FOUGHT IN. AFFLICTION HAVE NOTICED THIS AND HAVE JUST PICKED UP THE BATON AND STARTED TO RUN WITH IT. IT WORKS.
THE SHOW ITSELF WAS A LITTLE ROPEY, BUT IT WILL IMPROVE AS THE EVENTS GO ON. THE FIGHTER CARDS WILL GET BETTER TOO, ESPECIALLY IF THE UFC START PRESSURING FIGHTER CONTRACTS OVER STUPID VIDEO GAME RIGHTS ETC.. TOP UFC FIGHTERS WILL WALK STRAIGHT OUT OF THE CAGE AND INTO THE AFFLICTION ARENA.
I BELIEVE THAT THIS EVENT IS THE REAL DEAL, THE UFC FINALLY HAS A NEW COMPETITOR !!!!

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Posted by JimiMak

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Posted by StriderXero

Sorry Anderson, but Fedor has to take your spot now. IMO Andrei would probably the #1 contender in the UFCif he was still there. Dana even admitted, that loosing Andrei still haunts him.

I think Andrei and Barnett would beat Mir and Nog.

Dana should not say anything but postive thingsabout Fedor now.

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So Dana should spend a bunch of time talking up the competition's champ, heh? You must be a business major.

Having the other guy clearly dominate you until you land one ko punch puts you at p4p#1 over a guy who destroys everyone he fights?

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Fedor's never been submitted or knocked out so of course he is #1 p4p. Is that even a debate still?

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Posted by keith-hackney1

I THINK AFFLICTION PREFER THE RING TO A CAGE BECAUSE ITS A BIGGER ARENA FOR THE FANS TO SEE THEIR FAVORITE FIGHTERS COMMENCE BATTLE. I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT VIEWING THESE GUYS FIGHTING IN A RING IS BETTER FOR VIEWING AS APOSED TO A CAGE WITH A STEELE CHAIN LINK FENCE BLOCKING VIEW OF THE FIGHTERS.
ITS ALSO THE PRIDE FC REMINDER TOO, WITH THE DEATH OF PRIDE FC AND THE MARKET OPENING UP AGAIN, FIGHT FANS LONGED FOR ALL THE CRAZY AND EXCITING FIGHTS THAT THE JAPANESE PROMOTERS PUT TOGETHER, AFFLICTION IS FOLLOWING SUIT, THE SPIRIT THAT CAME OUT OF PRIDE FC I THINK WAS DOWN TO THE ARENA THEY FOUGHT IN. AFFLICTION HAVE NOTICED THIS AND HAVE JUST PICKED UP THE BATON AND STARTED TO RUN WITH IT. IT WORKS.
THE SHOW ITSELF WAS A LITTLE ROPEY, BUT IT WILL IMPROVE AS THE EVENTS GO ON. THE FIGHTER CARDS WILL GET BETTER TOO, ESPECIALLY IF THE UFC START PRESSURING FIGHTER CONTRACTS OVER STUPID VIDEO GAME RIGHTS ETC.. TOP UFC FIGHTERS WILL WALK STRAIGHT OUT OF THE CAGE AND INTO THE AFFLICTION ARENA.
I BELIEVE THAT THIS EVENT IS THE REAL DEAL, THE UFC FINALLY HAS A NEW COMPETITOR !!!!

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For the love of everything holy turn of the caps lock.

9. Do not post in all capital letters, all bold, or in l33tspeak. This annoys people. Don't annoy people.

Dan Lauzon vs Bobby Green
Seemed like the first round lasted like 20 mins, lol. My take on this fight was that it was a tad brutal. I felt like Lauzon was over exaggerating the "nut shots"...I thought that the second one was the only one that connected full force. Green looked pretty good, pretty decent strikes, he was relentless when he had Lauzon on the mat. Then boom, with like 10 seconds left in the round Lauzon catches him in an awkward rear naked.
I found it funny how Tito was saying "he's acting, he's a pretty good actor" then at the end of the fight saying "WHAT HEART TO COME BACK FROM THOSE GROIN SHOTS"...C'mon Tito, what side of the fence are you on here?
Also, Lauzon couldn't have been hurt from those groin shots that bad considering how big that backflip was at the end of the fight.
Fight Rating: 6/10 while it lasted

Paul Buentello vs Kiril Sidelnikov
Strange fight, Paul was finding a home for that jab the entire fight. His striking looked good, basic, but good. Kiril has a chin, holy cow he was eating shot after shot. I'd like to see Kiril with 5/6 more fights under his belt, i think he can be pretty good if he brushed up on his striking. Lets be real here, there's no need for Kiril to call himself "Baby Fedor" because that's a bit steep.
Fight Rating: 6.8/10

Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs Remeau Sokoudjou
Good fight, i like both fighters. Babalu looked great, great focus and great technique that entire fight. I expected for Soko to come out Guns blazing with big haymaker kicks, he didn't, he was actually too patient to throw. Soko is now 5-4, where does he go next? he's beginning to look like Houston Alexander...i can't believe i just said that...
I want to see Babalu take on that beach ball headed moron Tito in his next fight, it's a fight fans would love to see...
Fight Rating: 7.5/10

Vitor Belfort vs Matt Lindland
To me, Lindland is terribly overrated...yes, he's good...but not near as good as people make him out to be. It was nice to see Vitor at 185, i think he can be one of the best in that weight class. Vitor with an absolutely insane KO leaving Lindland in groggy land for a good 10 mins. I was a bit worried at first because it honestly looked like he had a head injury. I honestly expect to see Vitor back in the UFC within the next 5/10 months contending for the LHW title belt. He looked very sharp.
Fight Rating: 8.5/10

Josh Barnett vs Gilbert Yvel
Josh looked great, he had a dominant position for like 95% of that fight. Probably could have ended up being a 30-24 fight if Yvel didn't tap out. It looked like Barnett may have blew his wad in that first round raining down those strikes because as the fight progressed his punches didn't have the juice on them like that did in the late part of the first round. Very dominant performance by "The Baby Faced Assassin".
Fight Rating: 8.3/10

Fedor Emilianenko vs Andrei Arlovski
Arlovski looked very sharp on his feet, great stand up and great take down defense. He looked to have Fedor slightly frustrated for a minute or so, until...Boom, overhand right while Arlovski tried to go for a flying knee. Fedor even when challenged on the feet can find a way to end it with one blow. I told my buddy "Arlovski may need 10 punches to put Fedor away, while Fedor only needs one" and that rang true last night. I literally got up and yelled at the top of my lungs, "WAR FEDOR"...The guy is the best in the world, Better than anyone else and yes, that includes the "OMG BEST P4P FIGHTER Anderson Silva"
Fight Rating: 9/10 (based on my excitement)

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Posted by StriderXero

Dana should not say anything but postive thingsabout Fedor now.

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Your nieve, AA is a UFC cast off and hasn't beaten anyone good in years, he sucks now...lol If Dana says anything good about Fedor I will be shocked.

EDIT: Also my die hard UFC brother thought that was the best card he's seen in a while, and I as a die hard Dream fan agree.

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Posted by telnights

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Posted by keith-hackney1

I THINK AFFLICTION PREFER THE RING TO A CAGE BECAUSE ITS A BIGGER ARENA FOR THE FANS TO SEE THEIR FAVORITE FIGHTERS COMMENCE BATTLE. I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT VIEWING THESE GUYS FIGHTING IN A RING IS BETTER FOR VIEWING AS APOSED TO A CAGE WITH A STEELE CHAIN LINK FENCE BLOCKING VIEW OF THE FIGHTERS.
ITS ALSO THE PRIDE FC REMINDER TOO, WITH THE DEATH OF PRIDE FC AND THE MARKET OPENING UP AGAIN, FIGHT FANS LONGED FOR ALL THE CRAZY AND EXCITING FIGHTS THAT THE JAPANESE PROMOTERS PUT TOGETHER, AFFLICTION IS FOLLOWING SUIT, THE SPIRIT THAT CAME OUT OF PRIDE FC I THINK WAS DOWN TO THE ARENA THEY FOUGHT IN. AFFLICTION HAVE NOTICED THIS AND HAVE JUST PICKED UP THE BATON AND STARTED TO RUN WITH IT. IT WORKS.
THE SHOW ITSELF WAS A LITTLE ROPEY, BUT IT WILL IMPROVE AS THE EVENTS GO ON. THE FIGHTER CARDS WILL GET BETTER TOO, ESPECIALLY IF THE UFC START PRESSURING FIGHTER CONTRACTS OVER STUPID VIDEO GAME RIGHTS ETC.. TOP UFC FIGHTERS WILL WALK STRAIGHT OUT OF THE CAGE AND INTO THE AFFLICTION ARENA.
I BELIEVE THAT THIS EVENT IS THE REAL DEAL, THE UFC FINALLY HAS A NEW COMPETITOR !!!!

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For the love of everything holy turn of the caps lock.

9. Do not post in all capital letters, all bold, or in l33tspeak. This annoys people. Don't annoy people.

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No, i will tell you what annoys people, getting PM's telling me not to use CAPITAL LETTERS annoys me. Go report some fighter bashing or something ...

No seriously the all caps totally sucks.