“The UFC has the most fighters, but they can’t say they have the best,” says Matt Lindland, former UFC fighter participating this Saturday for Affliction’s show at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The main event is between the above fighter Lindland is referring to, Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski. These two men are distinguished and proven fighters and like any other top fighter they have a heart for competition. Losing for them is just not an option to consider. When two fighters like this face off, I believe the results will be predictable. The fight has the makings of a classic, setting the bar for fight promotions in 09. This promotion, if all goes as planned can produce some unwanted competition for the UFC, which has so convincingly dominated over all other fight promotions in MMA.

The UFC has proven to be the superior promotion over all other fight promotion companies. They understand who their target market is and provide it with the best MMA fights possible. If that demographic crowns Fedor as the King of MMA, how will it then be possible for the UFC to supply the best fights to its target market if they don’t have the best fighter on its roster.

Along with the main event, Affliction has a fight card with depth, showcasing talent from around the world. The co main event features Josh Barnett and Gilbert Yvel. Yvel not only brings a viscous stand up to the fight but also brings promotion. People want to watch him fight not only because he’s a technically sound fighter but because he possesses that rare quality that Mike Tyson had, the ability to completely lose control of himself during a fight usually resulting in a violent act. These acts aren’t always legal in the MMA. Yvel’s illegal acts include, knocking down a referee and then proceeding to kick him when he was on the ground, biting his fellow competitor after numerous warnings, running his finger nails over a man’s face, and pushing his thumb into a fighters eye. In a sport so full of honor, the man who has the least of it makes for the perfect villain.

Affliction has provided us with a villain and has set the stage for a fight that could possibly produce a hero. The stage is set for Fedor to show the American fight fan why the rest of the world thinks Fedor is the King of MMA.

Kyle McClay