When it was announced in 2009, Josh Barnett vs. Fedor Emelianenko was hailed as some to be the best fight that the legendary PRIDE FC promotion never got around to making. Much has changed since the bout was announced as the headline attraction of the short-lived Affliction promotion’s “Trilogy” event. For one, Barnett tested positive for steroids yet again and earned another black mark on a career that has been up-and-down and all-around since his days as the youngest UFC champion ever. Perhaps most importantly, Fedor is no longer the untouchable wrecking machine he once was, having suffered his first legitimate loss to heavy underdog Fabricio Werdum. But according to “The Babyfaced Assassin” himself, Fedor/Barnett will still happen one day and will still be a major fight. ...

It’s been an up-and-down couple of years for former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski. He would win three straight fights in 2008, extending his winning streak to five. In 2009 he would lose twice, both in dramatic fashion: both Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers came very close to knocking his head off of his shoulders. In 2010, Arlovski would lose to Antonio Silva in a fight where he showed a lot of heart but a seemingly backwards need to abandon all aspects of the MMA game save for striking. And now, as 2010 draws to a close, Arlovski is hoping to re-invent himself in the famed K-1 kickboxing promotion. ...

Hello once more fans and friends, and welcome to another edition of “Great Moments in MMA History”. Today’s induction focuses on a day rather than an event, mostly because it featured two of the best fighters in the world fighting on the same day in a head-to-head war for your viewing pleasure. The date in question is July 19, 2008, and the fighters in question are Anderson Silva and Fedor Emelianenko. Both men fought on July 19, and both men dominated their opponents in spectacular fashion. It was the day that kicked off the very brief Affliction vs. UFC war, and what a day it was. ...

After the collapse of Affliction Entertainment in August 2009 ended the co-promotion between Affliction and M-1 Global, Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (31-1) and his M-1 Global management team never approached UFC President Dana White about Emelianenko joining the UFC, M-1 Global President Vadim Finkelchtein recently told Fighters.com through a translator. ...

M-1 Global play-by-play broadcaster Sean Wheelock will join Reverend Turk, Gary, and Drew on MMMA Gospel Saturday at 5:15 PM ET. ...

Fighters.com and MMA Gospel Radio are proud to announce a partnership that'll bring you more of the best mixed martial arts content. ...

On the walls of MMA fandom there are two contrasting posters of Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (30-1).

If you're not North American or you're one of the 50,000 or so North Americans who plunked down $34.95 for PRIDE 32, your poster depicts Emelianenko within a golden aureole striding a mound of pummeled flesh bags that includes fourth-ranked “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1), tenth-ranked "Pitbull" Andrei Arlovski (14-7), and former UFC heavyweight champion “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-6).

If you're North American and cut your MMA teeth on The Ultimate Fighter circa 2007 or anxiously anticipating the first F5 stoppage in MMA history, your poster depicts Emelianenko cowering within the block-headed shadow of the man-mountain that is second-ranked UFC champ Brock Lesnar (4-1).
...

Fighters.com's ninth-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) returned to the open, enabling arms of his adoring Japanese fans Saturday, making an appearance at Pancrase's Changing Tour 4 in Tokyo. He stepped inside the ring during an intermission and addressed the crowd: "I'd like to fight next time I enter the Pancrase ring." Barnett is the reigning Openweight King of Pancrase, but hasn't fought for the promotion since tapping Yuki Kondo (49-23-6) in a rear naked choke at the 10th Anniversary Show in 2003. ...

Fighters.com's tenth-ranked heavyweight “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-7) confessed Wednesday night to playing Russian roulette, a gamble during which a revolver is loaded with a single round, the cylinder spun, and then placed against the temple. The player pulls the trigger, chancing the bullet could end their life.

"First time I was 16, second time I was 30," said the thirty-year old former UFC heavyweight champion. "It's when you don't care about anything."

Keith Gelman, spokesman for Arlovski, contacted Fighters.com to emphasize Arlovski has never contemplated taking his own life.

Arlovski was knocked out in 22 seconds by fourth-ranked “Grim” Brett Rogers (8-0) at Strikeforce in St. Louis 6 June after meeting the same end in the first round by Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (29-1) at Affliction M-1 Global in Anaheim 24 January.
...

In an analysis posted Friday, Yahoo!Sports MMA and boxing writer Kevin Iole spouted the UFC line, "If the UFC was in the business of giving 50 percent of its company away every time it tried to sign an elite fighter, it would have been in worse shape a lot sooner than Chrysler." The article should've ended with a full disclusore that Yahoo!Sports and the UFC have a business partnership because Iole's cozy nest in the UFC tree has affected his usually uncomprimised reporting. M-1 Global isn't asking for 50 percent of the UFC in exchange for Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko's (29-1) viscerally craved debut inside the Octagon. Fighters.com isn't sure whether that's UFC spin strategized to pressure Emelianenko to surrender his co-promotion demand by persuading fans he's unreasonable or a genuine misunderstanding by White about what Emelianenko is demanding. ...

Ninth-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) will soldier on after testing positive for 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one, an anabolic steroid, causing the cancellation of Affliction M-1 Global’s Trilogy, possibly returning to his home in The Land of the Rising Sun at Sengoku, Sengoku Director Takahiro Kokuho told Sherdog. Barnett denies using steroids. The California State Athletic Commission claims two separate samples tested positive. Kokuho said, "As for Josh Barnett, we still have to continue negotiations with him, but we are planning to have him on our November 7 card. We didn’t have [Barnett] in contract, but we had a conversation with him about his return in November. He will be in Japan next week, so we’ll be speaking with him just before his Inoki Genome Federation appearance." ...

Affliction refugees who've found sanctuary in the UFC now include former EliteXC welterweight title challenger "Semtex" Paul Daley (18-9-2), lightweight "The Upgrade" Dan Lauzon (12-2), lightweight "Tractor" Rafaello Oliveira (8-1), and "Machine" Mark Hominick (14-7), announced UFC President Dana White Friday afternoon. Englishman Daley lost a UD to "Goat" Nick Thompson (38-11-1) at MFC 20 in Edmonton last February and was scheduled to fight "Thoroughbred" Jay Hieron (14-4) at Affliction in Anaheim Saturday before the event's cancellation. Lauzon tapped Bobby Green (5-2) in a rear naked choke at Affliction in Anaheim last January and would've tangled with "Polish Hammer" Chris Horodecki (13-1) at Affliction Saturday. He begins a second stint in the Octagon after getting TKO'd by "King" Spencer Fisher (23-4) at UFC 64 in Las Vegas in 2006. ...

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed Fighters.com's hypothesis that Affliction M-1 Global's Trilogy was Affliction's final event regardless of ninth-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett's (20-5) positive test for 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one, an anabolic steroid, causing the cancellation of Trilogy.

Barnett denies using steroids.

In an interview published at MMA Weekly, Coker said, "That was already in the works. How they got out...[if] they became a sponsor for Strikeforce, [were] the conversations we were having. This was their last fight, so there would be no more fighters. The dialogue was that they were getting out of the business a month ago."
...

According to Fighters.com's source inside M-1 Global, the UFC and M-1 Global "did not agree at all yesterday" when the competing international MMA promotions met about bringing Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (29-1) into the Octagon to fight UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (4-1).

In a statement released Sunday, M-1 Global President Vadim Finkelstein challenged, "This is the moment of truth that the UFC has talked about. Fedor and I are here in the States. If they want to come out and fly here, we are ready to conduct negotiations. Of course it still doesn’t imply we are ready to accept any conditions they’ll throw at us. We want to talk to the UFC about having Fedor compete against some of their fighters, but only within the framework of co-promotional efforts with M-1 Global."

It's the co-promotion between the UFC and M-1 Global that has been a sticking point between the two promotions. The same arrangement caused tension between Affliction and M-1 Global representatives.
...

Strikeforce light heavyweight champion "Babalu" Renato Sobral (31-8) and "Dreamcatcher" Gegard Mousasi (21-2-1) will tangle at Strikeforce in San Jose 15 August after originally being scheduled for Affliction M-1 Global’s scrapped Trilogy card in Anaheim 1 August. With the switch, "Babalu" will defend his Strikeforce gold from DREAM's middleweight champion, now fighting at 205 pounds. Mousasi dutifully remarked, "I am very happy that Strikeforce has resurrected this fight and that I will have the opportunity to become Strikeforce world champion. Strikeforce is one of the world’s top promotions and I am proud to be a part of their roster of world-class fighters." ...

Zuffa, LLC, owner of the UFC and WEC, and Affliction officially announced their collaboration Friday night in the wake of the cancellation of Affliction's third MMA event, Trilogy, after ninth-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) tested positive for 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one, an anabolic steroid, and was denied a license by the California State Athletic Commission to fight Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (29-1).

UFC President Dana White stated, "We are excited about the return of Affliction to the UFC and look forward to seeing our fighters once again walk into the Octagon wearing the Affliction brands. Affliction is an innovator of mixing fashion with this sport and we are looking forward to working together to promote the sport."

Eric Foss, co-founder of Affliction, added, "Our brand is synonymous with the 'Live Fast' approach to life and UFC is the perfect venue for us to market our brand. We have come to an agreement with the UFC which we feel will be the best for the sport and will help the UFC continue delivering the highest caliber of fights."
...

Affliction M-1 Global’s Trilogy scheduled for 1 August in Anaheim has been cancelled. "Finding an opponent for [Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (29-1)] in such a short period of time was a huge endeavor and I’m thrilled at the amount of fighters willing to take on this challenge,” said Tom Atencio, vice president of Affliction Entertainment. "But in the end, we just didn’t have enough time to promote a new fight to our standards." Emelianenko was left without an opponent after ninth-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) tested positive for 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one, an anabolic steroid, and was denied a license by the California State Athletic Commission to fight. ...

UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (4-1) told Jim Rome Thursday on Rome's radio show that he thinks it's ironic that Fighters.com's ninth-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) tested positive for 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one, an anabolic steroid, and was denied a license by the California State Athletic Commission to fight Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (29-1) at Affliction M-1 Global’s Trilogy in Anaheim 1 August. "I've always been the one people point their finger at...since I was a sophomore in high school," Lesnar explained. He went on to criticize Barnett for "sticking [his] neck out" by using steroids. Barnett denies he uses steroids. When asked if he would accept a fight versus Emelianenko, Lesnar indicated he would like several more fights before that challenge, but if the fight were offered immediately, "Absolutely!" ...

Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko's (29-1) manager Vadim Finkelchtein told a press conference in Moscow Thursday, "Fedor isn’t seeking an easy fight. If logistics weren’t an issue, we’d like to see Fedor fight against Brett Rogers. Fans want it [and] so do we." Emelianenko will headline Affliction M-1 Global’s Trilogy in Anaheim 1 August, but is left without an opponent after ninth-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) was denied a license by the California State Athletic Commission after testing positive for 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one, an anabolic steroid. Manager of fifth-ranked “Grim” Brett Rogers (8-0), Mike Reilly, responded to Emelianenko's challenge, "It is an honor to be called out by the big dog." ...

Affliction Vice-President Tom Atencio said, "I'm not worried about [Fighters.com's ninth-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett's (20-5) positive test for a performance-enhancing substance]," Wednesday afternoon on a brief media conference call.

Barnett tested positive Tuesday and was subsequently denied a California State Athletic Commision license to fight Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (29-1) at Affliction M-1 Global’s Trilogy in Anaheim 1 August.

Atencio stated Barnett was awaiting the results of a second sample taken with the first, but that Atencio was moving forward to find a replacement opponent for Emelianenko.
...

Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (29-1) could possibly fight "Snowman" Jeff Monson (27-8) instead of ninth-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) at Affliction M-1 Global’s Trilogy in Anaheim 1 August.

"We are working on it now," a source inside "The Snowman's" camp told Fighters.com Wednesday afternoon. Monson is excited about the possibility, Fighters.com's source said.

Barnett has been denied a license to fight by the California State Athletic Commission after testing positive for "performance-enhancing substance," according to Affliction Veep Tom Atencio in Sports Illustrated Wednesday morning.

"I am sure [UFC Matchmaker] Joe Silva told Cain [Velasquez (6-0)] the same thing he told us," Fighters.com's sixth-ranked heavyweight Shane Carwin (10-0) posted at his blog Sunday: "Winner gets the title shot."

Cream of the UFC's young heavyweight crop, wrestlers Carwin and Velasquez will fight at UFC 104 in Los Angeles in October for the opportunity to challenge undisputed UFC champ Brock Lesnar (4-1), who beat-up Frank Mir (12-4) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas Saturday.

Carwin knocked out former UFC title challenger "Napao" Gabriel Gonzaga (10-4) last March in Columbus at UFC 96.
...

Former PRIDE Lightweight Champion "Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi (28-6) will fight "Tractor" Rafaello Oliveira (8-1) at Affliction M-1 Global's Trilogy in Anaheim 1 August. Once considered one of MMA's premier lightweights, Gomi is one win removed from a two-fight losing streak, beginning with a split decision loss to Sergei Goliaev (9-6) in Sengoku last November and continuing through a tapout by ankle lock to Satoru Kitaoka (24-9-7) in an undeserved Sengoku lightweight title fight in January. In May, Gomi notched one in the win column in Tokyo with a knockout of Takashi Nakakura (10-2) in Shooto. "Tractor" is on a three-fight win streak, most recently scoring a UD over John Mahlow (12-10) at XFC 8 in Knoxville in April. The fight will round out the Trilogy's pay-per-view card. ...

Team Oyama heavyweight Shane Del Rosario (5-0) and Team Quest lightweight Dave Jansen (10-0) both remained undefeated in Seoul Saturday at M-1 Challenge Korea Presented by Affliction.

Del Rosario, who drew eyeballs in '07/'08 with three stoppages on ShoXC's Challenger Series, disposed of Maksim Grishin (1-2) in 21 seconds. Del Rosario has won all of his fights by stoppage.

Jansen took just a second longer to stop Amirkhan Mazihov (0-1) in a guillotine choke.
...

Did you miss me? The much-anticipated, most thorough rankings in mixed martial arts returns with Fighters.com's July Heavyweight Rankings. Let's get right to it, shall we?

"Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko (29-1) retains the Fighters.com heavyweight championship, which he's set to defend from ninth-ranked "Babyface Assassin" Josh Barnett (20-5) at Affliction M-1 Global's Trilogy in Anaheim 1 August.

But, with Affliction's run thought to be at its end, Fighters.com worries that whomever wins will return to Japan to fight freaks and middleweights.
...

"Hurricane" Gilbert Yvel's (31-13-1) 2:10 dismantling of "Rock" Pedro Rizzo (16-9) at Fight Force International's Ultimate Chaos in Biloxi Saturday has earned him a promotion to the pay-per-view broadcast of Affliction M-1 Global's Trilogy 1 August in Anaheim.

Yvel will fight "Headhunter" Paul Buentello (27-9), who was originally scheduled to fight "Maine-iac" Tim Sylvia (24-5).

Buentello is coming off a third round TKO of "Baby Fedor" Kiril Sidellnikov (5-3) at Affliction's Day of Reckoning in Anaheim 24 January.

“African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou has signed to be “Babalu” Renato Sobral’s (30-8) new opponent, and welterweight Patrick Speight (7-1) will face Brett Cooper (6-3) at Affliction: Day of Reckoning 24 January in Anaheim, CA, the organization announced Thursday. Sokoudjou, Fighters.com's tenth-ranked light heavyweight, was recently released from the UFC after his second-round TKO loss to ninth-ranked "Banha" Luis Arthur Cane (7-1) at UFC 89 in October. Sobral last fought at Strikeforce: Destruction in November, winning Bobby Southworth’s (9-5) light heavyweight title with a referee stoppage due to a cut. Speight suffered his first career loss in October via unanimous decision to Alex Cisne (4-1) at King of the Cage. Cooper KO’d Dusty Arden (10-6-1) in round two in June. ...

New Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion “Babalu” Renato Sobral (30-8) has been pulled from his bout with middleweight “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5) at Affliction: Day of Reckoning 24 January in Anaheim, according to MMA Weekly Monday. Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio made the decision to match Lindland against fellow middleweight “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (16-8), rather than have the fight with Sobral at a catchweight between 190-195 pounds. Sobral defeated Bobby Southworth (9-5) over a week ago via TKO due to a cut to win the light heavyweight title. Sobral’s agent Richard Wilner told Five Ounces of Pain that “Babalu” is still expected to fight on the card. Lindland last fought at Affliction: Banned in July, defeating “Negao” Fabio Nascimento (16-8) via unanimous decision. Belfort’s most recent fight was also at Banned.  He KO’d Terry Martin (18-6) in round two. ...

Fighters.com's sixth-ranked light heavyweight "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (21-6-0) will teach striking techniques for MMA at a three-hour American Top Team-hosted training seminar in Cocount Creek, north of Miami, 7 December. Liddell's lead trainer at The Pit in San Luis Obispo, John Hackleman, will join Liddell. ...

Aleksander Emelianenko (12-3) told Sports.ru Tuesday that he will rematch with Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (19-5) at Affliction: Day of Reckoning 24 January. “There is already an agreement that on the show organized by Affliction and M-1 Global 24 January, I will have a rematch with former UFC Champion Josh Barnett,” Emelianenko said. However, Fighters.com has learned Barnett’s most likely opponent for Day of Reckoning, and it’s not Aleks.  Fighters.com thinks it’s Aleks’s wishful thinking. Emelianenko was scheduled to fight at Affliction’s debut event in July but was denied a license by the California State Athletic Commission at the last minute. ...