» Fighter: Murilo Bustamante

“The Law” Matt Lindland (20-5) confirmed that he’ll fight on 19 July’s Affliction card in Dallas tonight at SportFightXXII broadcast on HDNet Fights.

The card will debut popular MMA apparel maker Affliction’s live events promotion.  Currently, a main event between Fighters.com’s third- and fifth-ranked heavyweights, “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-4) and “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (27-1), is in negotiations.

The middleweight doesn’t have an oppenent signed, but said he’d like to fight former UFC champion Murilo Bustamante (14-7-1) or “The Soul Assassin” David Terrell (6-2).

Another heavyweight fight between Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked heavyweight “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski and Miletich fighter Ben Rothwell (29-5) is likely on the card.

Brazilian Top Team leader Murilo Bustamante fired off an open letter disputing claims made in an article written by Tim Leidecker of Sherdog.com entitled The downfall of BTT and Chute Boxe.

Bustamante’s big gripe is Leidecker’s claim that, “It had been an open secret that both BTT and Chute Boxe charged fighters a significant commission on their salaries.”

Bustamante fires back, “I can say now that we charged and still charge ten percent [for] management and ten percent [for] training, what, in my opinion, is more than fair.”

In the letter, Bustamante also took issue with Leidecker’s assertion that, “Affiliation with these teams even led to the Pride debuts of some fighters who clearly weren’t on an elite level.”

Bustamante counters, “Brazilian Top Team’s presence at most of Pride’s events was requested because of the technical quality of the fighters.”

Bustamante closes with the promise that BTT “will form new champions real soon.”