Replacement Opponent for Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction Trilogy All Gummed Up
by Kid Nate on Jul 23, 2009 1:33 PM EDT
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It's a hurry up and wait situation. Vitor Belfort's camp is saying they're ready to sign. Fedor's camp, not so much. Here's Steve Cofield doing some speculating:
Are Fedor and his camp afraid of fighting the smaller, well-rounded Belfort? On fight night, Fedor will likely walk in with at least an 18 pound weight advantage. It is a highly risky fight for the world's best heavyweight. He's opened off-shore as a -700 favorite over Belfort and sources in Las Vegas say that's about where the line would fall in Sin City if the fight comes off.
If Fedor loses to a blown up light heavyweight, it certainly takes a lot of the luster away from his legacy and his future negotiating abilities. The camp is pushing for Brett Rogers. You can certainly see why they'd want a huge heavyweight who doesn't move well and hasn't been training for a fight.
And meanwhile poor Jorge Santiago is in limbo waiting to find out if he will have any opponent at all, as Michael David Smith opines:
...the chain reaction of events that started with Josh Barnett's failed drug test now could see Belfort being pulled from that fight with Santiago -- a fight that I think is the best on the Affliction Trilogy undercard -- to the main event, against Fedor Emelianenko.
And that's incredibly unfair to Santiago. The fight with Belfort is a huge one for him, one that could, if he wins, establish him as one of the five best middleweights in the world, and the best middleweight outside the UFC. Now he's staring at the possibility of either being pulled from the Trilogy card completely, or matched up at the last minute against an opponent he gains nothing by beating.
Personally I'd rather see Fedor fight a squash match if that means I get to see Vitor Belfort vs Jorge Santiago.
And let me say, for the record, this is all the fault of Josh Barnett. But it should also serve as a reminder to anyone who wants to go head to head with the UFC that promoting fights is hard.
Photo via Sherdog.com
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Fedor is in a lose/lose situation now. He fights a MW and dominates he was suppost to. He loses well you know all hell would break lose. He fights a last minute HW replacement who hasn’t been training then he wins big deal he loses WTF how did that happen? If i was Fedor id just pull out and get on the phone with Dana and Lorenzo. Brock didn’t think any damage in his last fight :) they could have a fight by winter.
"Frank Mir had a horseshoe up his ass. I told him a year ago. I pulled it out of him and I beat him over the head with it." Brock Lesnar
Really feel sorry for Santiago. I know Dana would pay his salary if the fight was canceled at the last minute but I’m not sure Affliction will.
"Japan is half-Machida" - iiowyn
They might have to
I think they’d be obligated. That’s some bad PR otherwise. This whole thing is a clusterfuck.
"The reason a rabbit outruns a fox is because the rabbit is running for his life and the fox is running for his dinner."
Bad PR for sure but does a company that could cease to exist after this event care?
"Japan is half-Machida" - iiowyn
I do think they do
I think that they have to hemorrhage until they die. They were banging that “treating fighters better than Zuffa” drum pretty hard a year ago. That’d be like someone that’s never had a kid calling their neighbors bad parents, only to have a baby that cries too much, and subsequently dropping them off on someone’s doorstep.
"The reason a rabbit outruns a fox is because the rabbit is running for his life and the fox is running for his dinner."
by Blackout612 on Jul 23, 2009 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
To be fair, though:
FUCK that crying kid.
BOOSH
by Farthammer on Jul 23, 2009 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Oh-
Most definitely.
"The reason a rabbit outruns a fox is because the rabbit is running for his life and the fox is running for his dinner."
Tom Atencio should take matters into his own hands
I might actually watch to see fedor choke him dead. I wouldn’t PAY for it, but I’d watch
Si Hoc Legere Scis Nimium Eruditionis Habes
by Paynuss on Jul 23, 2009 1:41 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
What a weird thing to say...
what has Atencio done to piss you off so much?
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Jul 23, 2009 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Brent, are you blind?
Seriously? Have you SEEN those t-shirts?
Eeeyaugh!
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ. -- TangleBones
by jemaleddin on Jul 23, 2009 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
What's sad is that it could get worse
Say Fedor won’t agree to fight Vitor (too much to lose), but Vitor thinks he’s going to be fighting at HW so he stops cutting and starts bulking up. The fight with Santiago is back on, but he misses his weight by more than 6 pounds and now you get neither fight.
And the way this train is wrecking, it’s not even that unlikely…
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ. -- TangleBones
Tom needs to sign Monson. He’s just waiting. Ready to go. This is absurd.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Jul 23, 2009 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions
This should have been settled yesterday. There’s no sense in dragging this out like they are.
"The reason a rabbit outruns a fox is because the rabbit is running for his life and the fox is running for his dinner."
NO PUBLICITY IS BAD PUBLICITY
However I do agree, in signing Monson to fight Fedor here.
" Tell me something Steve, How does a guy from Puerto Rico loose a ball in the Sun? "
It’s almost as though they’re not very good at being promoters…
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ. -- TangleBones
by jemaleddin on Jul 23, 2009 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Haha
rec’d
'He built his whole reputation as a waffle house chef. They’ve been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes' - Don Frye on Fedor Emelianenko
by Well Read Idiot on Jul 24, 2009 6:21 AM EDT up reply actions
This is the only way I can think to describe it.
Shameless self-promotion! http://twitter.com/scb0212
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Jul 23, 2009 1:44 PM EDT reply actions
Cofield is stretching...
Fedor is one of the fastest heavyweights in the game. I doubt they care. I think they want Rogers due to his profile from the Strikeforce shows. Belfort is only now beginning to re-rise into the limelight.
Unless Fedor slacked on training, I doubt that’s a problem. Fedor can neutralize speed by grabbing a hold of Vitor and putting it to the floor.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Problem is that they never said he was scared of his speed. They said that they thought Rogers was the better opponent because he clobbered AA just as Fedor did, so it legitimately could be set up as a match-up in which both guys steamrolled AA.
He said he’d face Belfort if it was decided that it should happen.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Jul 23, 2009 2:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Nope, that particular title belongs to Pete “Tiny Toes” McManus, a little person from Ohio.
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ. -- TangleBones
I’ll take a pound of GSP against a pound of Fedor. Less fat content.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 23, 2009 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Fedor is not fast on the feet…at all. He is fast on the floor and explosive in transitions. But on the feet he’s middle of the pack.
He was significantly slower than AA
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Jul 23, 2009 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Someone is in denial
http://www.afflictionentertainment.com/trilogy/index.php
BTW I’m looking for an email adress to join affliction, I need to tell them something quick.
one can argue....
That some of the most impressive moments of vitors career was actually at heavy weight
"What do you want from me?..... A Slap?"
by xtremecouture on Jul 23, 2009 2:01 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Yes
When he was actually a heavyweight.
"The reason a rabbit outruns a fox is because the rabbit is running for his life and the fox is running for his dinner."
this is all the fault of Josh Barnett.
- This event falling apart… Barnett’s fault
- Fedor having no one to fight… Fedor’s fault. Scrubs, jobbers, and jabronis fight in scrub promotions. “P4P champs” (please notice quotation marks) fight in the big leagues.
by dt3 on Jul 23, 2009 2:04 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
just make a decision already, pinheads
i wont be able to check the news for the next three hours, and i’m relatively certain they still won’t have this sorted out by then.
MMA playground scenario
MMAplayground lists Santiago fighting Jake Shields (Not a bad fight at all) and Fedor fighting Belfort. Is there something we don’t know or haven’t hear of yet pertaining to the change?
Monson is the clear choice for Fedor to face at Affliction 3, he is a legit HW, he is on a 7 fight win streak and he is used to fighting on short notice. There is no valid excuse to not have him challenge Fedor, Affliction needs to get their act together and make this happen it’s their only chance to have a valid main event for their ppv.
Only a man with a mustache can save the day...
Don Frye! But really, I would one of these in the following order: Rogers, Werdum, Monson, Lil Nog, King Mo, Remy Bonjasky, Stanislav Nedkov, Blagoi Ivanov.
I know a lot of them couldn’t be signed and licensed in time but would all give Fedor a somewhat decent challenge. Fighting Ivanov would give him a chance to avenge his Sambo loss.
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