Lightweights Chris Horodecki (12-1) and Dan Lauzon (10-2) will square off at Affliction: Day of Reckoning on January 24th in Anaheim.

HT: Cageplay.com

"The winner of Josh Barnett vs. Gilbert Yvel will face the winner of Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski".

Chris Horodecki, Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou after the jump.

HT: FightHype.com

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Affliction's Tom Atencio recently spoke with Gary Herman of 15rounds.com.  Notable quote:

Q: Is there a certain number of shows you’re looking to do in 2009?

TA: Right now, we are looking at four events for 2009, but that could change. Right now, I’m just looking at the January show, and the next show would be about four to five months from there.

Q: About thirty-five miles away and on the same night as your show January 24, Golden Boy Promotions – one of your partners - will be having a pretty big card of their own headlined by Antonio Margarito vs. Shane Mosley. What are your thoughts on Golden Boy having a show in the same area on the same night?

TA: We spoke about it. Right now, we don’t see it affecting us too much. The UFC counter-programmed us with the free Anderson Silva fight against our first show, and it didn’t affect us that much. At this point, I don’t see the boxing audience coming over as heavy as some people think. I’d like to change that and hopefully, I will someday.

Q: Isn’t a concern though from a media standpoint to get the word out there for the show? There is only so much local space available. Now, you’ll be competing for space with the boxing show.

TA: Absolutely. We’ll be competing a little bit. It is what it is. Golden Boy is our partner, and we’re making sure that both events are known. It’s a collaboration between the two of us to make it work out for everyone.

It's hell when you have to compete with your enemy (the UFC) and your "partner" (Golden Boy) on the same night.  Even if you accept the notion that Zuffa's previous counter-programming effort didn't significantly affect Affliction's show, it's hard to accept that Golden Boy's competing event, just a few miles away no less, is part of Affliction's road map to promotional viability.  This looks like a dysfunctional business relationship to me.

Atencio also threw cold water on a potential acquistion of female MMA's most recognizable figure:

Q: How about the other big draw from EliteXC – Gina Carano?

TA: I think Gina is a great fighter. She has proven herself many times. But having said that, if we were to bring her over, I think the only fight out there is her vs. Cris Cyborg. I haven’t really looked into it, but I don’t know who else there is.

Q: Likely what would need to be done is to have the main event and then have another female fight on the show to build a contender.

TA: But the question is – who would that be? I don’t think there is anyone in the same weight class that has enough appeal.

Atencio brings up a good point.  However, if it were me, I'd expend more energy worrying about the immediate future than fretting about matchmaking difficulties that may become an issue if the promotion still exists in a couple months.  Gina Carano could give Affliction a boost of starpower which is desperately needed.  If I were guessing, the deteriorating relationship between Affliction and the Coutures is more of an impediment than a lack of recognizable opponents for Carano. 

Honestly, I hate to be so negative in regard to Affliction and Tom Atencio.  It's just that Atencio is fighting an almost impossible battle in what would seem to be an inept and impractical manner.  There's a lot more in the full interview, including Atencio's desire to promote MMA for years to come and the requisite Tito Ortiz talk.  Did you really think we could broach the subject of Affliction without mentioning the "T" word?

Photo via Combat Lifestyle

He did well enough for me when Kimo fought Shamrock at UFC 48, so I guess I'm ok with the move. From a press release in my inbox:

Anaheim, CA (December 17, 2008)-Former UFC® Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz has agreed to be part of the broadcast team for Affliction "Day of Reckoning," the explosive six-fight Pay-Per-View event headlined by Fedor Emelianenkovs. Andrei Arlovski set for Saturday, January 24 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Ortiz, along with a team of broadcasters soon to be announced, will do color commentating for the telecast, as well as make several appearances throughout the promotion.

"Tito Ortiz is an icon in the sport of MMA," said Tom Atencio, Vice President of Affliction. "He is an excellent addition to our already stellar line-up of entertainment for January 24 and will be able to provide fight insight unlike anyone else.  We are extremely excited to have him on board."

Ortiz, who began his career in mixed martial arts over two decades ago, is an expert in the sport. He is familiar with all of the fighters on the "Day of Reckoning" fightcard, particularly Vladimir Matyushenko and Vitor Belfort, who Ortiz defeated in 2001 and 2005 respectively. In May 2008, he officially ended his run with UFC® and has since focused on his "Punishment Athletics" clothing line and taking advantage of other new opportunities such as his appearance on the "Day of Reckoning" telecast.

"I am thrilled to be a part of Affliction 'Day of Reckoning,'" said Ortiz. "The sport of MMA is thriving right now and can only grow with events such as this one. Broadcasting is somewhat new for me and I am really looking forward to working with Affliction leading up to the show and the entire fight broadcast team to make it a really special night for fans."

A celebrity in his own right, Ortiz has become one of the most recognizable MMA fighters in the world, especially since crossing over into mainstream media through his role as a judge on the 2006 UFC® Ultimate Fighting Championship® reality TV series and his recent appearance as a cast member on the first season of Celebrity Apprentice.

Promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and brought to you by Affliction Entertainment and its partners, Donald J. Trump and M-1 Global, Affliction "Day of Reckoning" is scheduled to include 11 rousing bouts of fierce, full-throttle battle headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski. The six-fight blockbuster PPV telecast beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT features MMA stars Josh Barnett, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Chris Horodecki, Matt Lindland and Paul Buentello in separate bouts.  As a prelude to the highly anticipated PPV telecast, HDNet will telecast live from 7:30-9 p.m. ET/4:30-6 p.m. PT five additional fights with the marquee match-up of Antonio Nogueira vs. Vladimir Matyushenko as the main event.

HT: MMASupremacy

From Joe Rogan on the UG:

Arlovski is giving an interview about his upcoming fight with Fedor on MMAWeekly.com, and in going over his past fights he says, "Pee pee taste beat me twice." I had to fucking rewind it because I couldn't believe that was what I actually heard. He refers to Tim as "pee pee taste" now. Holy fucking shit...

Watch the Ariel Helwani MMARated.com interview that started it all after the jump.

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Plus a clip of Andre Arlovski taking notes while watching a video of Fedor destroying Sylvia after the jump.

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From a press release in my inbox:

M-1 Global is pleased to announce that Gilbert Yvel, one of its top heavyweight competitors, has agreed to terms on a three-fight contract with Affliction Entertainment.

Yvel will make his Affliction debut against former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett on January 24 in Anaheim, California at the Honda Center during "Day of Reckoning," to be presented by Affliction, M-1 Global, and Golden Boy Promotions.

Despite being veterans of the now-defunct PRIDE Fighting Championships in Japan, Yvel and Barnett have never fought before with "Day of Reckoning" serving as the first-ever meeting between the two.

Yvel, 33-12-1, who is known for the strong Muay Thai skills he developed while training in his home country of Holland, has been competing in mixed martial arts since 1997. Over the years, the veteran fighter has recorded notable victories over K-1 standout Semmy Schilt, current UFC heavyweight Cheick Kongo, and former PRIDE and UFC veteran Tsuyoshi Kohsaka.

Yvel's involvement serves to increase M-1's contributions to the event, as M-1 contracted fighters Fedor Emelianenko and Kirill Sidelnikov are already scheduled to compete.

It's a fight only the hardcores will care about, but M-1 is doing their best to promote themselves. I'll give them that much. I'm curious to see what the payouts on these fights look like, too. I still cannot believe observers look at what Affliction is doing - or at this point what they are even able to do - and think the UFC has a rival. Unreal.

Zach Arnold has more:

First off, you could not book a more worthless fight for Barnett than this encounter. Gilbert Yvel, as I alluded to in an earlier post, meant something in 1997 when he was fighting in RINGS. He has never meant anything in the American MMA scene and never will mean anything in the American MMA scene. Barnett/Yvel is such a pointless fight. The only motive I could see in terms of Josh taking this fight is money and that’s it. You’re not going to elevate your career one bit by facing Gilbert Yvel.

...

Fourth, the idea that Affliction would pay out money to even book this fight shows that they do not have a serious matchmaking philosophy right now, in my opinion. No one is interested in seeing Barnett/Yvel — not a casual fan, not a Sherdog message board poster, not anyone who is inside the business. What a waste of money and time this situation is.

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"UFC is growing, it's a great organization. And it may be the only organization. If you're not with them then who are you? If you're not fighting for the UFC then you're not fighting in the big leagues."

HT: Yahoo MMA Sports Blog and ESPNRadio 1100.