There is much anticipation for Affliction’s debut and upcoming fight card on July 19th. The return of Fedor Emelianenko the top ranked heavyweight in the world. Even the UFC has planned to have a free broadcast to distract possible viewers of the “Affliction Banned” bout. Everyone knows that Fedor draws fans and viewers to see his fights. The UFC wouldn’t go to this trouble if Affliction had Arlovski vs Sylvia 4! They even have Anderson Silva packing on 20 lbs to fight James Irvin!

Truth be told this is not what we really want to see. Everyone including the two fighters themselves want to see : Emelianenko vs Couture. But Randy is embroiled in a legal battle with the UFC that could go anywhere and last a long time. Time, evidently is not on Randy’s side. “The Natural’ just turned 45 yesterday. He can’t fight for any organization because he still is under contract with the UFC. It’s a win/win for all if Fedor does eventually sign with the UFC, and the quicker the better.

Fast forward to July 20th. Tim Sylvia has been unconscious for 12 hours and Fedor is pondering his future. He is only 31 and has plenty of fights left in his career. Will he Keep drifting from organization to organization taking on former UFC heavyweights and other past big names or come over to the company that is clearly the top of the food chain. The UFC can keep this big dog happy by feeding him what they have or by bringing in whomever they can to keep him challenged. Any big name heavyweight not in the UFC, will be a target to Dana White.

For Fedor to get the best competition the choice is clear. If the heavyweight division in the UFC isn’t appealing or a challenge enough. He could come down to 205. He’s only 235, and not that big for a heavyweight. A match-up with “Rampage” Jackson or say Anderson Silva if he stays at 205 would be big chimes at the cash register. Let the rumors begin after Slyvia hits the canvas as to who or where Fedor will be fighting next…

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So, what can MMA fans expect of the TUF finals event tonight? Another repeat of underdogs getting scolded, and the golden boys with hands up at the end of the third round? Well, ladies and gentlemen, we have got some serious brawls with serious balls tonight. The long awaited return of Kendal Grove and his freakishly long frame, who will be in rare form this evening as he has something to prove.

On the other side of the octagon we have Evan Tanner, who many refer to as some sort of love child that came from a ass kickin’ hippy chick, and a crazy lumberjack. But which Evan Tanner will be here tonight? The former middleweight champ, that will snap that skinny boy in two, or the past his prime ex champ, that is reaching hard for a win to keep him in the loop of ranked fighters in the already stacked middleweight division. This fight looks like it will be an excellent match up, as we have an oversized jui jistu fighter coming at the former champ with stars in his eyes. After losses from both of these guys in the past, they may have flown under the radar, until now, tonight when we get to see them finally get at each other in the octagon.

The great thing about the event tonight, is that it is not just all about the main event. In fact, the TUF main event has already happened in the semifinals when Amir decisively took apart CB and got the win, fair and square. I am still sore about the whole Jesse thing, as he is a future prospect that should not be overlooked. If he is passed over by the UFC, then we can just add that to a long list of mistakes starting with the loss of the entire Heavyweight Division to a league that has not even held an event yet. At the same time, Dana is signing deals for action figures, and getting the UFC name in every JC Penney’s on the globe(who really shops at JC Penney’s but soccer moms, and douche bags anyway?), he is losing the heavyweight division one by one and seemingly doing nothing to prevent it. Does this mean that Dana already has plans for a merger with Affliction, once they make a presence? It seems the logical choice to me.

They have this freakin’ scary ring surrounded by iron bars, and a lineup that consists of fights that could all be main events on any pay per view event. The rumors of Donald Trump, and Oscar De La Hoya being financial backers has not slowed down any of the chatter I hear on the MMA forums, in fact a day does not go by where one of those names does not come up. So tonight we have a few hours of killer fights to watch, and several of the underdogs are looking like they may bring the pain to their opponents. Remember Chipper? Little old Matthew Riddle who no one has ever seen without a “Cheshire Cat” grin, came out with a vengeance in his opening fight to get on the show. He came out and broke his opponents jaw in three places in a matter of seconds; ending the fight with his opponent lying on the ground moaning and crying.

Now I don’t like to see people get hurt(permanently) but that one hook/uppercut was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen from a “Newbie”. I am so excited to see him put in the fight card for this evening, as he is an entertainer to say the least. His opponent Dante Rivera is a seasoned vet… well wait a second, he is seasoned. He claims to have fought all these tough guys, and that he has trained with all the badasses. Well Dante, “the proof is in the pudding’’ here pal. As I recall ,you stated on live television that if you were beat by the likes of Matt Riddle you would retire, well ,step up big boy. Both fighters like the ground game with Riddle having a strong wrestling background, and Dante with his submission skills. I expect Riddle to try to keep things standing up for a bit, and try to sneak in another “Jawbreaker” on tough guy Dante. I foresee Dante getting ko’d and not ever coming back to the UFC again.

If he is lucky, maybe he can line up a fight with Butterbean or that joke of an athlete that was the main ticket for EliteXC’s CBS showcase premiere. Who was that guy again? Oh yeah. Nobody; and according to him tapping out is for bitches… Heh heh heh. Come on now, somebody please get in the octagon with that “Moron Gangsta” and lets see this big bearded goofball, get his arm broke because tapping is for bitches(according to him). Well, back to the fights tonight, we shall see several good ones tonight. Tim Credur, Mean Matt Brown, Jeremy Horn, Drew Mcfedries, Marvin “Beastman”, Spencer “King” Fischer, and that little badass ball of energy Diego Sanchez, in addition to the final event of the TUF season and the long awaited Evan Tanner vs. “Da Spyder”(Kendall Grove).

Bones will snap, and blood will spill, all the while we get to watch it from the cozy spot on the couch, rather than dishing out cash-ola to watch your own TV, or go see it at the local drinking hole where maybe, just maybe, if your lucky, you can get into a fight of your own, depending on what kind of town you live, and of course how inebriated the locals get.

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While Corbbrey is not known to many MMA fans, he has been in the sport for over 7 years now. In a recent interview he acknowledged he was the underdog in the bout and expressed the fact that he is deeply honoured to be allowed to fight Diaz at the upcoming event. He goes on to say that he believes the two fighters styles will mesh together well in the ring and create a great show for the audience. He especially feels that he has trained properly for this bout and that his background in boxing and training in many different MMA fields will keep Diaz in check.

This definitely will be Corbbreys biggest fight of his career, he could potentially go from a relatively unknown fighter to having a victory over a Gracie trained, ex UFC, Pride, and Dream veteran. Not only that but if fans recall news from Diaz’s bout in Dream last month, he is in line for a title shot when he heads back there next. A win over Diaz would be huge to say the least for Corbbrey. Muhsin does realize though that this will be no pushover and has nothing but respect for the veteran fighter. In the end Corbbrey hopes to put on such a performance that fans will remember his name from now on, whether he wins or losses.

Look for this bout on Saturday, also included on the card is a title fight between KJ Noons and Eves Edwards. Nick Diaz is hungry for a rematch against KJ, could that be the deciding factor in his bout with Muhsin Cobbrey? Check back here often for news and information on the subject as it develops.

Nate has been on a hell of a run, so far claiming wins over the likes of Manny Gamburyan, Junior Assuncao and Kurt Pellegrino to name a few. As fans of the UFC know, those are not easy men to beat, so Nate is clearly doing something right. All of his victories so far have come by submission and to date he has four consecutive wins under his belt in the UFC, certainly impressive considering his opponents. Nate had a lot to prove after his Ultimate Fighter 5 finale show where he took on Manny Gamburyan. The match was all but won by Manny, but a shoulder injury stopped the match and the win went to Nate. That left some fans a little bitter towards Nate, but he has definitely proved he is UFC material since that fight. Hopefully we will be treated to a rematch between The Ultimate Fighter veterans sooner then later.

Josh Neer is a well-known name in the UFC, he most recently scored a Unanimous decision win over his opponent Din Thomas at Ultimate Fight Night 13. It’s nice to see Neer back and active in the UFC, as it was his return from a two-year hiatus from the organization. Neer decided to leave the UFC years ago after consecutive losses to Nick Diaz and Josh Burkman. Outside the UFC, Neer earned a respectable 6 and 1 record, 5 of those wins ended due to referee stoppage so Josh is certainly showing he still has the stopping power needed to fight in the toughest fight league in the world.

So, Nate Diaz will be looking for another submission victory over a respectable UFC veteran and Neer will be looking to get back on track and continue a win streak after his victory over Din Thomas. Looks like Ultimate Fight Night 14 is shaping up to be a great one, check back here often for more news on the subject as it develops.

 As if those names weren’t enough for fans, two more bouts have been recently added to the sure to be, action packed card. We’ll be treated to the likes of Former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort versus Terry Martin also a UFC veteran. We’ll also get to see J.J. Ambrose and Mike Pyle square off against one another. The total main card bouts comes to 5, a decent number, but when you take a look at the names behind them, well affliction clearly is not holding anything back.

 The main card bouts which will all be aired on pay per view are as follows:

- Fedor Emelianenko Versus Tim Sylvia

- Andrei Arlovski Versus Ben Rothwell

- Josh Barnett Versus Pedro Rizzo

- Matt Lindland Versus Fabio Nascimento

- Renato Sobral Versus Mike Whitehead

Certainly a lot of ex UFC talent there and most all of those men are sure fire crowd draws. The UFC may have something to worry about after July 19th. The preliminary card fights which will air on FSN, are as follows:

- Paul Buentello Versus Aleksander Emelianenko

- Antonio Rogerio Noguiera Versus Vernon White

Other Preliminary bouts, which most likely will not be broadcast are:

Vitor Belfort Versus Terry Martin

Ray Lazama Versus Justin Levens

J.J. Ambrose Versus Mike Pyle

Mark Hominick Versus Savant Young

It’s always as if every bout could be a main card fight, they are that impressive. Affliction is definitely going to make an impact on July 19th and barring any unforeseen events the UFC has something much bigger then the Elite XC to worry about. Look for more information about Affliction and the upcoming July 19th “Banned” Event as it develops.

This is the second large MMA organization to throw their offer into the ring for Tito to take a look at, the first was Affliction, which is set to have their first event in July. They got to Tito first and it certainly appears that he is very seriously considering their offer, whatever it may be. As a matter of fact, it was announced recently that Affliction has the backing of multi millionaire and entrepreneur Donald Trump. As many fans know, Tito Ortiz appeared on Donald Trumps famous reality show, Celebrity Apprentice. It’s believed the two men formed a work relationship and for Tito to sign with Affliction now that it has Donald Trumps backing, well it would just make a whole lot of sense.

Elite XC is hoping Tito will sign with them as a change of pace, and frankly the league could really use some more upscale talent as their first live event on CBS may have been a success, but really showcased their lack of well refined fighters as well. 

As for what Tito says about all this, he still, after all the arguments and squabbling he has done with Dana White, is not ruling out re signing with his long time employer. He told UFC announcer Joe Rogan that he is definately not ruleing anything out, though it’s frankly hard to believe he would re sign with the organization after all the fighting and argueing that has gone on between him and management. When it comes down to it though, it’s all about money and it seems only the UFC and perhaps Affliction could afford to give Tito what he believes he deserves. Look for more information on the matter here as it develops. 

Well, almost two days have passed since the event took place, we will start to see a trickle of information about the fighters, their salaries and whether or not they passed their drug tests. While their complete salaries and their drug tests have not yet been released yet, fight bonuses have been.

Thiago Alves, Thiago Tavares, Matt Wiman and Kevin Burns each earned a whopping $50,000 in fight night bonuses for their bouts, though the last UFC event handed out $75,000 bonuses. Alves of course won a bonus for absolutely dominating former champion Matt Hughes, ending the match with a solid flying knee. Even though he did not make weight he was still rewarded for the bout, the drug test is pending for him as he previously had to take diuretics to drop weight, which is of course illegal in the UFC. Here’s hoping he learned his lesson.

Kevin Burns was a very late replacement for a injured Ryo Chonan. He earned the submission of the night with a win over Roan Carneiro due to Triangle choke at 2:53 in the second round.

Matt Wiman and Thiago Tavares won a fight of the night bonus each for their back and forth battle. Wiman came back from a huge punch to the jaw and delivered a knockout to Tavares at 1:57 in the second round.

Overall a great event, fans were pleased with the many replacements from the original card and Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell even made an appearance at the event despite his hamstring injury. News on Matt Hughes future should be revealed in the not to distant future as well as a potential title shot for Thiago Alves, though it’s believed he will have to go through the loser of the up coming title fight between the title holder Georges “Rush” St. Pierre and his opponent, Jon Fitch. As many of you may know, Thiago suffered a loss long ago to Fitch.  Check back here often for more news and information about the UFC as it develops. 

As for Chuck, he had suffered a terrible hamstring injury in practice for his headline bout against Rashad Evans at UFC 85. As many of you may remember, Rashad was a replacement for Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, whom had injured himself in practice as well. The UFC went on damage control and more fights were added, but fans and the UFC alike cried out for more news about Chuck and his condition. It seems he is doing much better; he’ll even be making the trip to UFC 85 in London as a spectator so his hamstring must be doing better. This makes Chuck headlining the event in September that much more plausible. Of course he could injure himself again or not be healed enough in the first place to fight, but he’s a tough guy and Dana announced it so it is extremely doubtful he will call off the fight. Unfortunately at this time, his opponent has not been announced. There is speculation and rumours on the matter, but until it’s officially announced believe nothing.

Included in Dana Whites announcement is news that he has a huge deal to expose to the world on Thursday. It’s generally believed this announcement will be a new television deal, perhaps with industry giant FOX TV. The two companies had been in talks in the past, but they cooled off recently. Now that the Elite XC event on CBS has taken place last Saturday, it may have prompted the UFC to get back into talks with FOX TV. Again this is all just speculation until Thursday, but it seems awfully plausible at this point in time and probably a smart move for the UFC. What happens with the deal between Spike TV and the UFC, or whether the announcement has anything to do with a new television deal at all will be revealed late next week. Check back here for more details and information on the matter as it develops.