In an interview with MMAWeekly, here’s what Barnett had to say: “Fedor was careless with his offense and his movements and he got caught in a very bad spot… When you put yourself in that kind of position with a guy like Werdum, it’s not by chance that you get put in a triangle or an armbar… People lose, and it doesn’t diminish anything in my eyes about Fedor or the importance of a fight between the two of us. I’m sure it will happen at some point, and it will be just as amazing, at least for me anyways, as it would have been.”

I both agree and disagree with Josh Barnett. I side with him in thinking that a fight with Fedor would still be an amazing fight between two very gifted performers. As I’ve grudgingly admitted in the past, at his best Josh Barnett’s status as a top-ranked Heavyweight is unquestioned. In regards to Fedor, I along with many others consider him the greatest Mixed Martial Artist of all time. It doesn’t matter who wins, it’s going to be an epic fight that brings in loads of money and lots of viewers. No matter what anyone else says, you just can’t convince me that Fedor/Barnett has lost its “dream fight” status.

It just isn’t as big of a dream fight as it once was. That I’ll freely admit, and that’s where Barnett and I disagree. Despite all their flaws, Affliction gave us two great star-studded cards in their brief shelf-life, and “Trilogy” looked to be one the best MMA events of the last several years. Barnett was on a huge hot-streak, he’d won four straight with two wins in Affliction. Emelianenko was the unbeaten champion, the unstoppable destroyer who hadn’t lost in almost a decade and hadn’t legitimately lost ever.

Barnett’s latest steroid scandal and Fedor’s first legitimate loss were two heavy blows to the marketability and entertainment value of this fight. Barnett’s top-of-the-world status isn’t at risk, he lost it when he got caught juicing again. Emelianenko’s aura of indestructibility isn’t at risk, he lost it when he tapped out to Werdum. Even though it remains a very appealing and interesting fight, it’s simply not as appealing as it was when it was first announced.

But will I watch it? Of course I will. I even hope it happens sooner rather than later. I’d love to see Fedor’s cerebral method of attacking matched up with Barnett’s guns-blazing barrages. It would be interesting to see what both men do on the ground and in the clinch. There’s a very high probability that this fight won’t go three rounds. I’m going to give it to Emelianenko simply because I think he’s a better striker than Barnett, even though Barnett possibly has more raw power in his hands. If Fedor doesn’t lose again and Barnett doesn’t get caught juicing again, this could still be the biggest fight in Strikeforce history.

And what do you think, fans and friends? Has Fedor/Barnett lost any of its luster? And who do you see winning the fight?

MMAMania brings word that Arlovski has been scheduled to compete in the upcoming K-1 World Grand Prix. The announcement came courtesy of Michael “The Voice” Schiavello, who had this to say: “October 2nd in Seoul, live on HDNet, in a superfight making his K-1 debut, former UFC Heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, yes we will have live October 2nd from Seoul only on HDNet. Andrei Arlovski makes his K-1 debut.”

I think it will be very interesting to see Andrei Arlovski in a K-1 ring, and even though I barely watch K-1, I’m almost positive that I’ll be watching his fight. I’ve been an Arlovski fan for years, and I think he could possibly make the transition to K-1 and be moderately successful. It all hinges on how he’s able to translate the power in his hands into a K-1 setting, which is pretty different from traditional MMA. Alistair Overeem has already proven that it can be done, so I’m really pulling for “The Pitbull” and I hope that a stint in K-1 would rejuvenate his career.

Because honestly, the alternative is pretty grim. If Arlovski flops in his K-1 debut, or worse yet, if he gets knocked out again, I don’t see him having many options left. If he finishes his Strikeforce contract without any legitimate wins to his credit (wins against competition that matters) he may even be in the same boat as Tim Sylvia should this not work out for him: scraping and crawling his way back towards Heavyweight relevancy in the lower-end/bottom-tier promotions.

And if you want my opinion? I think Arlovski will be successful in K-1. His last fight showed that he is becoming more and more of a pure striker (and in MMA, that’s both a positive and a negative), and he’ll excel with K-1’s rules. It won’t be easy, not by a long shot, because K-1 has been the home of the best pure strikers in the world for what feels like forever. But Arlovski has always had great hands, and even though he’s hit a tough losing skid recently, those hands still have their power. If Arlovski can get his footwork and pacing down, he’ll probably have a pretty decent run as a K-1 fighter.

But if it doesn’t work out, I think it’s time that Arlovski started from scratch. Whatever he’s doing isn’t working, whoever he’s working with isn’t making the grade no matter how accomplished they may be. If this K-1 excursion results in more losses, nothing short of a complete overhaul will rejuvenate Arlovski’s career. It’s tough to say that about a fighter I’ve been following for so long, but some difficult days are ahead of Arlovski win or lose. But I wish him all the best.

And what about you, fans and friends? How successful do you think Andrei Arlovski will be in K-1?

For those needing a bit of a refresher, Affliction, the famous clothing company, had a brief foray as an actual MMA promotion when the UFC briefly banned them as a clothing sponsor. In fact, Affliction’s first show was titled “Banned”. The headline attraction would see PRIDE FC legend and (at the time) undisputed #1 heavyweight in the world Fedor Emelianenko take on former UFC champion Tim Sylvia on Pay-Per-View. Affliction spared no expense for “Banned”, scooping up arguably the best talent they possibly could and locking them into grandiose contracts. Affliction put it all on the line for “Banned”, but Dana White wanted to make sure that Affliction would die before it ever really got started (which it did, eventually).

White’s answer to Affliction’s star-studded card on Pay-Per-View? He put on a free Fight Night Live event featuring the Light Heavyweight debut of Anderson Silva, the long-reigning and incredibly dominant UFC Middleweight Champion. Fans had a tough task ahead of them: which best-in-the-world talent would they rather see? Silva’s opponent James Irvin didn’t exactly sound like top-caliber competition, but then again, it was free. Emelianenko would be fighting in America for the first time since 2006, but was that and a cast of former UFC and PRIDE talent worth having to actually pull out your wallet and put down your money?

In the grand scheme of things, that decision mattered a lot. Affliction folded after booking only two shows, mostly due to their PPV buyrates not being nearly high enough to justify the massive amounts of money they were paying their talent. But on July 19 it didn’t matter, because fans got exactly what they paid (or didn’t pay) to see: both Fedor and Silva put on arguably the most dominating performance of their careers.

For Tim Sylvia, it was over before it even started. The opening bell had barely finished ringing before a quick combo floored the gargantuan former UFC Heavyweight champion. A barrage of strikes would follow, and the end would come just thirty-six seconds into the fight when Fedor locked in a Rear Naked Choke. James Irvin lasted longer than Sylvia…by about thirty seconds. A non-committal leg kick was quickly caught by “The Spider”, who then nailed a laser-precise shot to Irvin’s cranium, flooring him and setting him up for a fight-ending barrage. Combined total fight time: less than two minutes.

Both men have fallen on hard times lately: Fedor Emelianenko suffered his first-ever legitimate loss to Fabricio Werdum, while Anderson Silva was thoroughly dominated (but not defeated) by Chael Sonnen. But none of that mattered on July 19. On July 19, we got two of the best fighters in the world (more like two of the best MMA fighters of all time) fighting at the same time, dominating at the same time, and putting on an incredible performance at the same time. No matter if you sided with Affliction or the UFC, you got to see an amazing fight. As a massive fan of both Fedor Emelianenko and Anderson Silva, it was a day I won’t soon forget. And it’s definitely a “Great Moment in MMA History”.

Apparently, Emelianenko and Finklechtein had heard enough after a sour experience negotiating with White and the UFC after the UFC’s parent company, Zuffa, LLC, purchased PRIDE, the Japanese MMA promotion Emelianenko had been fighting for, and White’s repeated public insults toward Emelianenko and the rest of the “crazy Russians.”

“Fedor is bigger than the UFC all over the world,” Finkelchtein repeated to Fighters.com, a claim hard to verify, but likely true in three key markets: Russia, Japan, and South Korea.  “In Korea, little children know Fedor’s name,” Finkelchtein added.

But, when White came requesting Emelianenko fight in the UFC after Affliction’s collapse, Emelianenko and Finkelchtein graciously decided to press the reset button on the relationship.    Besides, Affliction had switched allegiances seemingly overnight to partner with the UFC and left M-1 Global without a partner with which to co-promote Emelianenko’s fights.

But, Finkelchtein now regrets that decision.  Emelianenko and Finkelchtein laid out their requirements for Emelianenko to fight in any promotion, even the UFC.  Their demands were much the same as during the previous negotiations, and did not include a request for 50% of the UFC (as White has claimed).  It’s important to Finkelchtein for everyone to recognize that Emelianenko is not a free agent, and was not during the negotiations with the UFC.  Emelianenko is contractually obligated to M-1 Global, as well as a stakeholder in the MMA promotion.  Any fights featuring Emelianenko must be co-promotions with M-1 Global, per Emelianenko’s contract with M-1 Global.

White and the UFC evidently never recognized M-1 Global’s legal rights to promote Emelianenko’s fights, negotiating as if Emelianenko was a free agent.  It is Finkelchtein’s right to enforce Emelianenko’s contractual obligation to M-1 Global, just as it was White and the UFC’s right to sue “The Natural” Randy Couture (17-10) when Couture tried to wriggle free from his contract to fight Emelianenko  in 2007 and 2008.  White defended his legal rights to promote Couture; and, Finkelchtein will defend his legal rights to promote Emelianenko.

So, when White and the UFC refused to co-promote Emelianenko with M-1 Global, Emelianenko and Finkelchtein wondered what the UFC had called them for.  They felt like, “If you want Emelianenko, here are the terms; if not, stop wasting our time.”

But, then White took his frustrations to the media and made claims about the UFC’s offer to Emelianenko and Emelianenko and Finkelchtein’s demands that are false, according to Finkelchtein and M-1 Global.

“We don’t want anything to do with the UFC,” Finkelchtein told Fighters.com.  “They can do their business, we’ll do ours.”

In Finkelchtein’s mind, he never asked to do business with the UFC, nor does he  need the UFC to make money promoting Emelianenko’s fights.  So, why would White ask Emelianenko to fight for the UFC, then insult Emelianenko and Finkelchtein and lie to the media when White refused to meet the demands White knew were required?  It was as if White set them up.

Finkelchtein is aware that his and Emelianenko’s story hasn’t been reported in the MMA press, and expressed frustration to Fighters.com.  “I sent answers to Sherdog, but they weren’t published,” Finkelchtein claimed.

Sean and former fighter and Fight Quest host Jimmy Smith (5-1) call the action at M-1 Challenge events around the world and served as the broadcast team for the Affliction 2 in Anaheim January 24.

Sean will be talking about M-1 Challenge and next weekend’s Strikeforce main event on CBS featuring Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) versus fifth-ranked “Grim” Brett Rogers (10-0).  Sean and Jimmy will be calling the international broadcast from Chicago November 7.

Tune-in here at Fighters.com on Saturday, October 31 at 5:00 PM ET/2:00 PM PT for MMA Gospel’s debut as the official voice of Fighters.com.  MMA Gospel encourages listeners to call in to the show or join us in the live chat room at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel.

MMA Gospel Radio is rapidly emerging as the leader in MMA podcasts and the final word in all things MMA. From the UFC to shows near your hometown, MMA Gospel brings you up-to-the-minute news, rumors, live fighter interviews, fight results, and breakdowns of upcoming fights.

MMA Gospel Radio is hosted by Reverend Turk Vangel with co-hosts Drew Hall and Gary Friedman. Columnist Josh Turner also contributes editorials and opinions.

MMA Gospel Radio founder Reverend Turk Vangel started many years ago as a wrestler in junior high. This led him to the world of freestyle wrestling, which he loved due to the slams and the generally more aggressive style it presented.  He was lucky enough to compete in the AAU Junior Olympics, the Pan Am Games, and the freestyle nationals.  In 1993 he was introduced to the UFC with a video tape.  He watched everything he could get his hands on and became a fan of Royce Gracie (14-3-3) and “El Guapo” Bas Rutten (28-4-1) over the years.

Eventually, the Reverend began to train in mixed martial arts to get a better understanding of the sport. He began training at Beavercreek Martial Arts, a Jorge Gurgel (13-5) affiliate school under professional fighter Michael Patt (12-4). There Turk studied Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai.  His love for the ground game grew from there.

Reverend Turk would scour the Internet looking for MMA news and listen to podcasts until he decided that he needed to bring a show to the fans, something that was pure MMA and not comedy with some MMA thrown in to the show.  He started by doing small segments on Bengalsworld News Radio. This led to the birth of MMA Gospel Radio and the MMA Gospel Blog.  MMA Gospel Radio is now the top ranked MMA podcast online as voted on by the fans and the Reverend is looking to keep moving forward and giving the fans what they want.

Reverend Turk is married to a gorgeous wife, Mackenzie, and has a beautiful daughter named Lotus. When not covering mixed martial arts and interviewing fighters, he is a machinist and a welder that has worked for custom motorcycle companies such as Led Sled Customs and 138 Cycle Fabrication.  Now he spends his time working for the Air Force building prototypes for the Air Force Institute of Technology.  His loves, other than MMA, are his family, custom built bikes, and rat rods.

Drew has been an MMA fan since 2001 and has been training for a year-and-a-half in the arts of Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Muay Thai underneath Nathan Fitch (1-1) at Son of Siam.  He is going back to school for his broadcasting degree and has written articles on popular MMA websites. His favorite MMA fighter is “Mayhem” Jason Miller (22-5).

Gary Friedman began his combat sports writing career in college at State University of New York at Fredonia where he wrote a boxing column called “In the Ring with Gary Friedman.”   Gary is a lifelong boxing fan who has become a huge MMA fan.

After attending UFC 1 in 1993, columnist Josh Turner knew he was hooked on the sport and began following MMA fighters and promotions.  Turner began training in Muay Thai in February 1997. In 2000, Turner began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Turner has trained at gyms including Hybrid Academy and Linxx Academy.

Although MMA is his great passion, Josh’s proudest accomplishment is his family.  As a proud father, Josh enjoys spending time with his daughter and attending her sporting events.  Josh is also a successful business owner and does consulting work as a business development coordinator.

Welcome Reverend Turk Vangel, Drew Hall, Gary Friedman, and Josh Turner to Fighters.com:

Reverend Turk: turk@fighters.com
Drew: drew@fighters.com
Gary: gary@fighters.com
Josh: josh@fighters.com

And tune-in here at Fighters.com on Saturday, October 31 at 5:00 PM ET/2:00 PM PT for MMA Gospel’s debut as the official voice of Fighters.com.  MMA Gospel encourages listeners to call in to the show or join us in the live chat room at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel.

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).

Both posters are idealized. It’s time we get real.

Emelianenko told a post-Strikeforce signing press conference, “I’d like to develop MMA and also make some money at the same time. If Strikeforce is able to offer more than the UFC, why should we sign with the UFC?”

For Emelianenko, MMA is strictly business. It’s quite literally all about the Benjamins.

“If the numbers published on the Internet were the real numbers, we would’ve signed with the UFC,” Emelianenko added, referencing the $5 million per fight reportedly offered by the UFC.

Emelianenko even directly addressed UFC President Dana White’s criticism, “This guy doesn’t want to fight the best in the world,” by admitting, “I don’t think that I need really good fighters because the last two fights I’ve had were really good opponents.”

For the former group of fans to understand Emelianenko, they have to take the halo off of his head. For the latter group, they have to recognize that there was MMA before The Ultimate Fighter and Lesnar, and even before Dana White.

The reality is that Emelianenko is a great fighter in the second half of his career. Today Emelianenko is the best heavyweight in the world, but he turns 33-years old on the 28th of this month and is starting consider how best to taking care of himself and his family when he’s no longer the world’s greatest heavyweight.

“I feel very sorry for my fans,” Emelianenko admitted after declining the last, best opportunity for him to fight in the UFC. “But, I also think I deserve some respect to look out for my best interest.”

His best interest is establishing M-1 Global, the promotion he co-owns with Vadim Finkelchtein, as a lasting, stable international MMA promotion. That’s why Emelianenko flew from Stary Oskol to New York City for an open workout promoting his Strikeforce/M-1 Global fight versus fifth-ranked “Grim” Brett Rogers (10-0) in the autumn, then flew the next day from New York City to Kansas City to spar the same night around 4:00 AM Stary Oskol time with Strikeforce light heavyweight champion “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1) in front of approximately 1500 Midwestern fans, and the following day flew back home to his family in Russia.

And, headlining that M-1 Global card in Kansas City was forty-year old former UFC champion “Smashing Machine” Mark Kerr (14-11), who replaced forty-three year old former UFC champion “Predator” Don Frye (20-7-1), both still fighting past their prime because they weren’t lucky enough to be dominant in MMA during a period when you could turn the sport into a comfortable retirement. That’s what Emelianenko is trying to avoid.

Emelianenko has drawn a legit opponent this autumn in Rogers, who is ranked higher than Lesnar’s next opponent at UFC 106 in Las Vegas 21 November, sixth-ranked Shane Carwin (10-0). So, at least in the short-term, no one should have any complaints about either matchup.

At UFC 102 in Portland last Saturday, fourth-ranked “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1) notched up a spot after a UD over ninth-ranked “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-10), who dropped a notch this month. Nog’ has publicly called for the winner between Lesnar and Carwin for a UFC title fight, but White hasn’t committed to the matchup.

As reported by Fighters.com, third-ranked Frank Mir (12-4) will fight Cheick Kongo (14-5-1) at UFC 107 in Memphis 12 December. Mir will have to remaine focused as he forays outside of the top ten.

Seventh-ranked “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (8-1) will try to legitimize his spot in the top ten versus former top tenner “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipoic (25-7-2) at UFC 103 in Dallas 19 September.

After testing positive for 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one, an anabolic steroid, and causing the cancellation of Affliction M-1 Global’s Trilogy, eighth-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) will probably return to Sengoku in Japan. Barnett was never enthusiastic about fighting Emelianenko, whom he considers a friend, at Trilogy; and, Fighters.com wonders if testing positive isn’t some kind of subconcious self-fulfilled will of Barnett’s. For the record, Barnett denies using steroids, the the California State Athletic Commission confirmed Barnett’s B sample also tested positive.

Finally, tenth-ranked “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-7) is a man without a promotion since Affliction cut him and UFC President Dana White recently remarked that he has no interest in signing Arlovski. Arlovski has stated he plans to make his professional boxing debut at the end of September or early October, but Fighters.com couldn’t get a firm answer from Arlovski’s manager concerning his first boxing bout.

Fighters.com’s September 2009 Heavyweight Rankings

1. “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (30-1)

After two years fighting freak shows, Emelianenko has stopped consecutive top tenners: Arlovski and then-ranked Tim Sylvia to establish legitimacy as Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champ. He’ll keep it elite when he faces Rogers in the autumn.

2. Brock Lesnar (4-1)

Lesnar’s dominance over Mir in their rematch demonstrated how far the UFC champ has come since his Octagon debut, earning him the top contender slot. He’ll fight a game opponent very similar to himself in Carwin in November.

3. Frank Mir (12-4)

Mir’s second wind after a career-threatening motorcycle crash has earned him two distinctons: the only man to beat UFC champ Lesnar and the only man to knockout former PRIDE champ Nogueira. He’ll try to maintain focus versus Cheick Kongo in December.

4. “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1)

Though unable to stop Couture, Nog’ clearly whooped the legend to add his name with Barnett and then-ranked Tim Sylvia as former UFC champs he has slain in the last two years.

5. “Grim” Brett Rogers (10-0)

Rogers’s 22 second knockout of Arlovski welcomed him into the top ten, but no one could imagine then that it’d also be a ticket to a matchup versus Emelianenko. We’ll see what Rogers is really made of this autumn.

6. Shane Carwin (10-0)

Carwin has never been out of the first round, but the 1:09 knockout of Gabriel Gonzaga has earned him a five-round title fight versus Lesnar in November. Can Carwin neutralize the force of nature that is Lesnar?

7. “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (8-1)

Nog’s pupil came out of nowhere, like his uppercut that KO’d Fabricio Werdum. Not much is known about “Cigano” and his record reveals a 2007 tap out to another Brazilian unknown, but he’ll be tested versus Mirko Cro Cop in September.

8. “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5)

“Babyface Assassin” is on a tear with a KO of Pedro Rizzo, UD over Jeff Monson, and submission of Hidehiko Yoshida, but no recent work at the top of the division. Unfortunately he flubbed the biggest fight at heavyweight: Emelianenko.

9. “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-10)

Is Fighters.com going to have to be the first to say Couture is starting to look his age? There’s no shame in being overpowered by Lesnar, nor coming up short versus Nog’, but it might be time for the final retirement.

10. “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-7)

“Pitbull” got his bite back versus Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson, but was a chew toy for Emelianenko and Rogers. The free agent is going to throw his hat into the boxing ring in late September.

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.

Barnett caused the cancellation of Affliction M-1 Global’s Trilogy scheduled for 1 August in Anaheim when he 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).

Barnett denies using steroids despite his B sample testing positive as well.

Affliction collapsed, leaving Barnett searching for a new home and opportunity to restore his honor, and the self-describe otaku has also described himself as an icon in Japan. And, it’s true!

Sengoku Director Takahiro Kokuho recently indicated Barnett could return, saying, “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.”

Barnett is 2-0 in Sengoku, tapping judoka Hidehiko Yoshida (8-7-1) in a heel hook in Tokyo in March 2008 and taking a UD over grappler “Snowman” Jeff Monson (27-8) in Tokyo two months later.

Friday UFC President Dana White doubted publicly the former UFC heavyweight champion would ever return to the Octagon. When asked if he could reconcile with Barnett, who failed a drug test and left the Octagon after TKOing “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-9) at UFC 36 in 2002, White replied, “That’s a tough one…”

“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.

When quizzed about the perception of a “glass jaw”, Arlovski responded, “In the heavyweight division, it’s no joke. I wasn’t knocked out [by Rogers]. He just punch me and the referee stopped the fight. I was completely conscious. I think “Big” John McCarthy did a good job. Who knows. Who knows, maybe I come back. Perhaps he could punch me a couple more times and give me some injury.”

After his devastating second knockout loss, Arlovski returned to his native Belarus. “I talked to some priest. He read me a poem,” Arlovski related. He also spent couch time with a sports psychologist to the Russian Olympic wrestling team and communed with his family.

“I cried a lot after my fights, you know. When I lost to Fedor, I cried. When I lost to Rogers, I cried. You might be surprised, but I had tears a lot in my last relationship,” Arlovski told, referencing his relationship with Playboy model Patricia Mikula.

“I want to box!” Arlovski announced his return to combat will be as a professional boxer at the end of September or beginning of October. “I definitely will continue to train with Freddie Roach.”

However, Arlovski indicated there was friction between his MMA trainers and Roach, a living legend in boxing.

“No more experiments,” Arlovski described his time with Roach training for MMA. “I have to come back to my old routines.” He announced that Roach will train him exclusively for boxing matches going forward.

Though he proclaimed, “I am an MMA fighter,” Arlovski’s MMA future is hazy. “I don’t want to make any predictions. I have a manager,” he said, noting that fighting in Japan, “would be real interesting for me, of course.”

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.

M-1 Global isn’t demanding any ownership stake in the UFC at all. To present their demands in such a way is either disingenuous or ignorant of White and Iole. Their demands are only on revenues derived from particular events and merchandise featuring Emelianenko.

Iole wrote, “The demand was kind of like an owner in the Continental Basketball Association demanding 50 percent ownership in an NBA team before allowing his player to sign.”

That’s a dishonest analogy. A better analogy is an actor who earns enough fame to carry movies on name recognition alone. Said actor creates a production company to increase their share of revenues from films they perform in. They have slim functional role in the film’s production and promotion, but are given an honorary “Executive Producer” credit and their production company’s logo appears on the film’s marketing.

Fighters.com isn’t arguing that Emelianenko’s demands are reasonable or deserved, just explaining what M-1 Global is actually demanding as opposed to what the UFC is claiming they’re demanding.

Fighters.com has confirmed that Emelianenko has three offers he’s seriously considering, among them the UFC’s and Strikeforce’s. But, Emelianenko’s most likely adversary in Strikeforce, “Grim” Brett Rogers (8-0), who notched up a spot to fourth this month, isn’t banking on a showdown with the world’s best heavyweight.

Rogers’s manager, Mike Reilly, told Fighters.com about a potential fight with Emelianenko, “We have really heard nothing of the sort. We are planning on fighting in October. No idea who. Doesn’t even matter at this point.”

UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (4-1), who rose to the second slot this month after pummeling now third-ranked Frank Mir (12-4) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas 11 July, probably isn’t banking on a fight versus Emelianenko either. He told Jim Rome last month that he’d like several more fights before challenging Emelianenko. If Emelianenko doesn’t sign with the UFC, Lesnar will fight the winner of sixth-ranked Shane Carwin (10-0) versus Cain Velasquez (6-0) to take place at UFC 104 in Los Angeles 24 October.

Mir will take on Velasquez’s seconds against Cheick Kongo (14-5-1) at UFC 107 in December, Kongo confirmed to Fighters.com.

This month in Portland at UFC 102, battle-hardened vets fourth-ranked “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1) and eighth-ranked “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-9) will battle to determine who becomes a threshold for rising prospects and who has a glimmer of hope for another title run, though Couture has hinted at returning to light heavyweight win or lose.

Next on the top ten heavyweight agenda, seventh-ranked “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (8-1) will fight one-time feared heavyweight “Crop Cop” Mirko Filipovic (25-7-2) at UFC 103 in Dallas 19 September.

After testing positive for 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one, an anabolic steroid, and causing the cancellation of Affliction M-1 Global’s Trilogy, ninth-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) will probably return to Sengoku in Japan. Barnett was never enthusiastic about fighting Emelianenko, whom he considers a friend, at Trilogy; and, Fighters.com wonders if testing positive isn’t some kind of subconcious self-fulfilled will of Barnett’s. For the record, Barnett denies using steroids, the the California State Athletic Commission confirmed Barnett’s B sample also tested positive.

Finally, tenth-ranked “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-7) is a man without a promotion since Affliction cut him and UFC President Dana White recently remarked that he has no interest in signing Arlovski.

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.”

Barnett is 2-0 in Sengoku, tapping judoka Hidehiko Yoshida (8-7-1) in a heel hook in Tokyo in March 2008 and taking a UD over grappler “Snowman” Jeff Monson (27-8) in Tokyo two months later.

Kokuho promised Sherdog that Barnett will be required to pass a test for banned substances before returning to Sengoku. “If Josh Barnett gets caught in our doping control tests, we absolutely must deal with it. We will be testing through our commission, along with the Japan Anti-Doping Agency, as well as the World Anti-Doping Agency. We are using the same anti-doping control agency as the Olympics. If a fighter is caught doping in our event, since we are in cooperation with JADA and WADA, it is our responsibility to make sure these findings are dispatched from us to the world.”

After initially taking the heat for Affliction’s demise and collaboration with the UFC after Trilogy’s cancellation because of his positive test, it’s since become clear that Trilogy was Affliction’s final event and a deal with the UFC was imminent regardless.

An M-1 Global source has confirmed, “We all kind of knew that there wouldn’t be anymore events after Trilogy.” However, Affliction CEO Tom Atencio hasn’t stepped forward to take the blame off Barnett by confirming Trilogy was his last show and his deal with the UFC was already done.

Neither Barnett nor Atencio have responded to Fighters.com’s request for comment.

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.

Oliveira won a UD over John Mahlow (12-10) at XFC 8 in Knoxville last April and was tapped to take on former PRIDE lightweight champion “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-6) at Affliction.

Hominick tapped Savant Young (8-8) in an armbar at Affliction in Anaheim in July 2008 and would’ve met Deividas Taurosevicus (10-3) Saturday.

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.”

Hours after cancelling Trilogy, Affliction and the UFC announced a collaboration promoting Affliction’s apparel line in the Octagon with the agreement that Affliction would cease promoting fights.

Coker said he was in negotiations with Affliction to make a simliar arrangement, but that negotiations broke down after Barnett’s positive steroid test.

Evidently Affliction was having similar negotiations with the UFC and UFC President Dana White knew Trilogy was Affliction’s final event.

White had identified Affliction middleweight “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (17-8) as the top contender to UFC middleweight champion “Spyder” Anderson Silva (24-4) during The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale in Las Vegas 20 June. Then, White guaranteed a showdown between Lesnar and Emelianenko in the Octagon at the post-fight press conference after UFC 100 in Las Vegas 11 July. Both declarations were odd because White is known for soundbites disrespecting and disregarding fighters not currently in the UFC, including ex-UFC champions.

Fighters.com asked Atencio whether the Affliction/UFC deal was in the works prior to Trilogy’s cancellation giving reason for White to begin complimenting fighters he had a reasonable expectation of being able to sign in the near future. Atencio did not respond, but Coker seems to confirm that assertion.

News of the Affliction/UFC collaboration blind-sided M-1 Global executives. “This is first I hear all this,” an M-1 Global spokesperson told Fighters.com when asked to comment on the Affliction/UFC collaboration before it was officially announced.

During a press conference in Anaheim Wednesday, M-1 USA Veep of Legal Affairs Steve Bash stated, “We’re exploring all options at the time, legally with regard to Affliction and what we perceived took place. I can promise you and promise Affliction, if something was done wrong, someone will be held responsible.” There is no indication that Affliction did anything illegal or violated agreements with M-1 Global.

However, there was tension between Affliction and M-1 Global. After the success of Affliction’s first show, Banned, in July 2008 when Emelianenko knocked out former UFC champion “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-6) in 36 seconds, M-1 Global executives made increased demands about the visibility of M-1 Global’s presence in the marketing and production of the shows and use of their fighters.

Subsequently, Day of Reckoning and Trilogy were promoted as “Affliction M-1 Global” events and the M-1 Global logo became more prominent in marketing.

Emelianenko also became leverage to include M-1 Global fighters “Hurricane” Gilbert Yvel (33-13-1) and “Baby Fedor” Kiril Sidellnikov (6-3) on Day of Reckoning versus “Babyfaced Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) and “Headhunter” Paul Buentello (27-9) respectively. An M-1 Global executive threatened to pull Emelianenko off the card, effectively sabotaging the event, if Barnett was not matched versus M-1 Global’s Yvel. M-1 Global also demanded career high paydays for their fighters to fight on Affliction M-1 Global cards.

M-1 Global had no official comment when contacted by Fighters.com.

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.

After the success of Affliction’s first show, Banned, in July 2008 when Emelianenko knocked out former UFC champion “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-6) in 36 seconds, M-1 Global executives made increased demands about the visibility of M-1 Global’s presence in the marketing and production of the shows and use of their fighters.

Subsequently, Day of Reckoning and Trilogy were promoted as “Affliction M-1 Global” events and the M-1 Global logo became more prominent in marketing.

Emelianenko also became leverage to include M-1 Global fighters “Hurricane” Gilbert Yvel (33-13-1) and “Baby Fedor” Kiril Sidellnikov (6-3) on Day of Reckoning versus “Babyfaced Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) and “Headhunter” Paul Buentello (27-9) respectively. An M-1 Global executive threatened to pull Emelianenko off the card if Barnett was not matched versus Yvel.

M-1 Global has no official comment.

Affliction VP Tom Atencio did not respond to Fighters.com’s request for comment. Hours after Trilogy was cancelled due to Barnett’s positive test for 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one, an anabolic steroid, Affliction agreed with the UFC to cease promoting MMA events with M-1 Global and promote Affliction’s apparel line in the Octagon.

News of the Affliction/UFC collaboration blind-sided M-1 Global executives. “This is first I hear all this,” an M-1 Global spokesperson told Fighters.com when asked to comment on the Affliction/UFC collaboration before it was officially announced.

UFC President Dana White had identified Affliction middleweight “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (17-8) as the top contender to UFC middleweight champion “Spyder” Anderson Silva (24-4) during The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale in Las Vegas 20 June. Then, White guaranteed a showdown between Lesnar and Emelianenko in the Octagon at the post-fight press conference after UFC 100 in Las Vegas 11 July. Both declarations were odd because White is known for soundbites disrespecting and disregarding fighters not currently in the UFC, including ex-UFC champions.

Fighters.com asked Atencio whether the Affliction/UFC deal was in the works prior to Trilogy’s cancellation giving reason for White to begin complimenting fighters he had a reasonable expectation of being able to sign in the near future. Again, Atencio did not respond.

M-1 Global and Emelianenko are holding a press conference in Los Angeles at 4 PM EST Wednesday. M-1 Global has been negotiating Emelianenko fighting in the UFC and Strikeforce and considered the idea of adding the Emelianenko v Barnett fight to their own Breakthrough card in Los Angeles 28 August, though it’s doubtful Barnett could get licensed by the California State Athletic Commission so soon after failing a drug test.

When quizzed by Fighters.com about the possibility of Emelianenko fighting “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1) in San Jose 15 August, Strikeforce spokesperson Mike Afromowitz said, “Right now, I cannot comment on anything.”

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.”

Last May, Mousasi tapped heavyweight Mark Hunt (5-6) in a Kimura at DREAM.9 in Yokohama.

“Babalu” tapped “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-4) in a Brabo choke at Affliction last January.

According to Fighters.com’s sources, Strikeforce might also pickup a heavyweight from Trilogy to replace Strikeforce heavyweight champion “Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (27-10) versus “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1), though nothing is certain.

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.”

Yahoo!Sports reported Friday afternoon that the collaboration includes an agreement that Affliction would cease promoting mixed martial arts events.

A spokesperson for M-1 Global, Affliction’s partner promoting three MMA events, responded to Fighters.com’s request for comment Friday afternoon saying, “This is the first I hear of this.”

Affliction Veep Tom Atencio has not responded to Fighters.com’s request for comment.

“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.

Barnett denies using steroids.

Both Xtreme Couture middleweight “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (17-8) and heavyweight “Snowman” Jeff Monson (27-8) had verbally agreed to replace Barnett, and “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (3-0) lobbied hard for the matchup via the Internet.

Emelianenko called out fifth-ranked “Grim” Brett Rogers (8-0), who declined the fight on short notice to focus on an October Strikeforce fight.

But, none of the available fighters made a compelling matchup for Emelianenko. The result would’ve only made news if the icon Emelianenko lost, and even that would’ve left a sour taste in MMA fans’ mouths.

What was one of the most anticipated and stacked fight cards of 2009, Trilogy has quickly become a travesty and Barnett might take the brunt of the blame.

A charming, popular fighter, Barnett could quickly replace UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (3-1) as MMA’s heavyweight heel for canning such a huge fight for the sport, himself, Emelianenko, and Affliction.

It’s been widely speculated that the future of Affliction, a clumsy but able competitor to the UFC, was resting on the success of Trilogy, and therefore squarely on the shoulders of Emelianenko and Barnett.

If his eventual appeal to the CSAC fails to clear his name, Barnett’s mistake could ripple through mixed martial arts for years, knocking out an alternative to the UFC for both top fighters and fans, denying Emelianenko the last proven elite heavyweight matchup outside of the UFC, and tarnishing Barnett’s own legacy with the label of “cheater” and denying him the realistic shot of defeating an icon in the sport.

“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!”

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.”

Rogers is training for an October fight in Strikeforce and has declined both to step in on 10-days notice to fight the world’s top heavyweight and to replace injured Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion “Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (27-10) versus “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1) in San Jose 15 August.

In his last fight, Rogers knocked out tenth-ranked “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-7) in 22 seconds in Strikeforce 6 June in St. Louis.

Reilly told Fighters.com Thursday, “I feel it is a testament to what Brett has accomplished in his short career. It is also a great testament to Fedor. They have put an easy fight on his plate; but, he would rather face the biggest possible challenge available to him.”

Reilly alluded to the possibility that Xtreme Couture middleweight “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (17-8) will replace Barnett. Though Affliction has made no official announcement, Finkelchtein also remarked, “It’s pretty safe to say it’s going to be Belfort.”

Reilly also said, “I believe that marks [Emelianenko] for the great champion he is. Right now you have two great giants of the spot; one true Titan, one rising Leviathan. We are fans of the sport – we would love to see it happen.”

Emelianenko remarked at Thursday’s press conference, “I feel disappointed about this situation. But I will fight anyone who Affliction puts in front of me. I know a lot of fans waited for this fight to happen and I am sorry for them. I can’t do much about it now but I am in good shape, my training has been good and continues to go well.”

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.

Atencio indicated there were three fighters in contention. Fighters.com confirmed with “Snowman” Jeff Monson‘s (27-8) camp Wednesday afternoon that the one-time UFC title challenger is negotiating for the matchup. Other sources have confirmed Xtreme Couture middleweight “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (17-8) has also been contacted about fighting Emelianenko.

Fighters.com has yet to find a denial from Barnett, and Atencio didn’t offer one Wednesday afternoon. The positive test would be Barnett’s second.

In 2002, after TKOing eighth-ranked “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-9) for the UFC belt at UFC 36 in Las Vegas, Barnett tested positive for a banned substance and left competition in the United States until returning to Las Vegas to tap Pawel Nastual (1-4) in an ankle lock at PRIDE 32 in 2006.

A charming, popular fighter, Barnett could quickly replace UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (3-1) as MMA’s heavyweight heel for canning such a huge fight for the sport, himself, Emelianenko, and Affliction.

It’s been widely speculated that the future of Affliction, a clumsy but able competitor to the UFC, is resting on the success of Trilogy, and therefore squarely on the shoulders of Emelianenko and Barnett.

If his second sample confirms the results of his first, Barnett’s mistake could ripple through mixed martial arts for years, knocking out an alternative to the UFC for both top fighters and fans, denying Emelianenko the last proven elite heavyweight matchup outside of the UFC, and tarnishing Barnett’s own legacy with the label of “cheater” and denying him the realistic shot of defeating an icon in the sport.

“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.

Xtreme Couture middleweight “Phenom” Vitor Belfort‘s (17-8) camp has told several sources the one-time UFC heavyweight champion is willing to return to heavyweight to replace Barnett. He’s already scheduled to fight American Top Team’s Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago (21-7) at Trilogy. Belfort’s trainer, Shawn Tompkins, told Sports Illustrated making that fight would come down to money.

In response to a text message, management for heavyweight “Headhunter” Paul Buentello (27-9), also already on the card, replied to Fighters.com Wednesday afternoon, “Nothing yet.”

Also rumored, pro-wrestling convert “Dominator” Bobby Lashley (3-0) told Sherdog, “I don’t know if I would want [to fight Emelianenko] right now.”

In response to replacing injured Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion “Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (27-10) versus “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1) in San Jose 15 August, manager of fifth-ranked “Grim” Brett Rogers (8-0), Mike Reilly, told Fighters.com Tuesday that Rogers was training for an October fight and wasn’t interested. Fighters.com doubts the rising talent would want to take a fight versus the world’s best over 205 pounds on 10-days notice.

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.

Velasquez mauled Cheick Kongo (14-5-1) to a one-sided UD last month in Cologne at UFC 99.

But, at the UFC 100 post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White threw a wild card into the UFC heavyweight title picture.

“Eventually, Fedor’s going to be here,” White said emphatically of Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (29-1). He added, “I want Fedor. I want him to come to the UFC and everything else. We’ll end up getting that deal done. And then we’ll do Brock versus Fedor, and it’ll be a huge fight.”

Emelianenko will fight ninth-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) at Affliction M-1 Global’s Trilogy in Anaheim 1 August, which will finish his contract with Affliction.

But, signing Emelianenko has eluded White before. UFC contracts demand exclusivity, preventing Emelianenko from competing in Sambo tournaments, the Russian combat sport in which he’s a former world champion, and in Japanese promotions, where he is an icon. Emelianenko’s management demands a co-promotion with their M-1 Global promotion, as they’ve done with Affliction. Neither side has been willing to budge from their demands; and, White has made no indication why he thinks that’ll change when Emelianenko’s contract with Affliction ends.

If the deal is done, however, an Emelianenko v Lesnar square off would seem to push back a title shot for the winner of Carwin v Velasquez.

That hasn’t stopped Carwin from poking at the big guy, Lesnar, calling his post-fight antics Saturday “lame” and stating, “He may be a Champion but he has a long ways to go before he earns the respect of a Champion.”

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.

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.

“Nagao” Fabio Nasciemento (17-8), who lost a grueling decision to Jansen’s mentor, “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-6), last year, found himself teamed with Jansen on USA West. He tapped Marat Ilaev (0-1) at 2:13 of round two in a welterweight match, helping USA West sweep the Russian Imperial Team.

Light heavyweight Tony Lopez (12-3) tapped Victor Nemkov (1-1) in a rear naked choke at 3:06 of round two.

Middleweight Giva Santana (3-1) tapped Radmir Gabdullin (1-1) in an arm triangle at 3:47 of round one.

Middleweight Rosen Dimitrov (2-2) eeked out a majority decision over Mikko Suvanto (7-3), who was a late replacement from Lucio Linhares (10-3), team Finland’s star. However, Suvanto’s was Finland’s only loss in Seoul.

Popular Finnish lightweight Niko Puhakka (11-7) stepped up to TKO rising Bulgarian Yanko Yanev (4-1) at 2:16 of round one.

Heavyweight Toni Valtonen (15-7) tapped Nikola Dipchkov (0-1) in a triangle at 4:49 of round one.

Light heavyweight Marcus Vanttinen (9-1) forced Emil Samoilov (0-1) to verbally submit at 3:42 of the third round.

Welterweight Janne Tulirinta improved to 10-3 with a first round TKO of Ivan Ivanov (3-2).

Korean heavyweight Hae Joon Yang (2-0) devastated Brazillian grappler “Mamute” Joaquim Ferrera (2-3) with KO 14 seconds from the opening bell.

Light heavyweight Alexander Machado (1-0) tapped Dool Hee Lee (2-4) in a rear naked choke at 3:26 of round two.

Middleweight Daniel Acacio (14-5) pulled off a two-round majority decision victory over Jae Young Kim (10-9).

Welterweight Eduardo Pamplona (9-2) won a UD over Do Hyung Kim (11-7).

Debuting Korean lightweight Nam Yui Chul won a UD over Hacran Dias (6-2).

“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.

Up I-15 in Las Vegas 11 July, UFC 100 features a fight for the soul of MMA’s top promotion when second-ranked Frank Mir (12-3) and third-ranked Brock Lesnar (3-1) rematch for the UFC title.

Mir represents the martial artists of MMA’s origins, while uber-athlete Lesnar proudly proclaims he fights for a paycheck and is likely the future of the sport whether he wins Saturday or not.

Fourth-ranked “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1) is set for a showdown with fellow legend and eighth-ranked “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-9) at UFC 102 in Portland 29 August, but only after the fight has lost the significance it would’ve had just a year ago.

On the undercard, seventh-ranked “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (8-1) will fight overmatched “Insane 1″ Justin McCully (9-4-2).

Fifth-ranked “Grim” Brett Rogers (8-0) is gunning for Strikeforce champ “Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (27-10) after knocking out tenth-ranked “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-7) in 22 seconds 6 June in St. Louis.

Finally, sixth-ranked Shane Carwin (10-0) is rumoured to be mulling a match-up versus fellow UFC up-and-comer Cain Velasquez (6-0).

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.

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.

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.

Liddell’s lead trainer at The Pit in San Luis Obispo, John Hackleman, will join Liddell.

Affliciton middleweight “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5-0) will also travel from Team Quest in Portland to teach takedown techniques; and, ATT’s own Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion, Ricardo Liborio (0-0-1), will round out the day on the mat.

The seminar is a rare opportunity for east coast mixed martial artists to train alongside some of the best from the west.

Doors will open at 10:00; and, admission is $100, payable at the door.  American Top Team is located at:

4631 Johnson Road
Coconut Creek, Florida 33073

“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.

In a press release issued Friday, Beard stated, “I would like to apologize for my comments that may have offended Kim and Randy Couture and Mr. Spira.  I had a long-standing relationship with the Coutures and I was deeply and emotionally hurt by some of their recent business decisions.  I have only the best of intentions for the success of the Affliction and Xtreme Couture clothing brands and understand that there are personal issues I must address.” 

Affliction Clothing markets the Xtreme Couture brand of logo apparrel.

Kim Couture has not responded to Fighters.com’s request for comment.

“We are delighted Todd has decided to address these issues and wish Randy Couture well,” stated the Affliction Inc. Board of Directors in Friday’s press release.

Kim Couture had sought and received a restraining order on Beard, alleging  Beard had issued a “series of threats and acts intended to intimidate me and otherwise coerce me to ‘back off’ [of requests for an accounting of profits.]”

Friday’s press release continued to place distant between Beard and Affliction Entertainment, which promotes MMA events, stating, “The Board of Directors of Affliction Inc. also wanted to clarify that Affliction Entertainment Group LLC. (the promotion company) is not controlled by Affliction Inc.  Mr. Beard, to its knowledge, is nether an officer, director, or a shareholder of Affliction Entertainment Group LLC. as stated in several periodicals.”

Donald Trump is a partner in Affliction Entertainment Group LLC and holder of a gambling license in New Jersey that prevents him from associating with a known felon, which Beard is stemming from a 1993 fraud conviction.

The Board of Directors of Affliction Inc. clearly intended to distance Affliction Entertainment from Beard as damage control against business repercussions.

Shootboxing is like MMA without the ground game.  Strikes, throws, and standing submissions are permitted, but fighters don’t fight on the mat.

Horodecki is scheduled to fight “The Upgrade” Dan Lauzon (10-2) at Affliction’s Day of Reckoning in Anaheim, east of Los Angeles, 24 January.

Lauzon will also fight “Sledge” Justin Hammerstrom (7-7) at World Championship Fighting before he and Horodecki stand across the ring from each other in Anaheim.

Beard made the comment on The Scott Ferrall Show aired on Sirius Satellite Radio.

UFC President Dana White has frequently referred to Beard and Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio as “the T-shirt guys”, goofing on Affliction’s primary business enterprise designing and marketing apparel.

Beard threatened, “Dana White, by the way, the T-shirt guy is gonna fuck your ass up.”

The UFC has not commented publicly on Beard’s claim or threat.

Lauzon is also scheduled to fight former IFL lightweight champion Chris Horodecki (12-1) at Affliction 24 January.

About his decision to take on a fight two months before a major pay-per-view event, Lauzon said, “I really wanted to stay sharp and keep my momentum. I’ve fought for them [WCF] three times now and they take great care of me, and I love fighting for them in front of their fans and my friends and family. These (Boston) fans really are the best sports fans in the world.”

Lauzon is currently on a six-fight win streak, most recently defeating Brendan Hoxie (3-5) with a second-round TKO in June.

Hammerstrom snapped a four-fight losing streak in September, submitting Matt Johnson (1-5) with a guillotine choke at 1:08 of the first round.

Emelianenko versus Arlovski had been reported previously, as well as the date of the event, but Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio last week would confirm neither the main event, the date, nor the venue for their second show.

Other fighters on the card are sixth-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (23-5), “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3), “Janitor” Vladimir Matyushenko (21-3), “Babalu” Renato Sobral (30-7), “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (17-8), “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5), and the IFL’s Jay Hieron (16-4) and Chris Horodecki (12-1).

The match-ups have not yet been announced.

However, Atencio had already confirmed Arlovski as Emelianenko’s opponent to MMA Rated 10 October, according to that website.

Additionally, Barnett has announced that he won’t fight Emelianenko, according to MMA Weekly.

“It’s just not a fight that’s going to happen in January.  And I think that the feeling is actually mutual,” Barnett told that website 2 October.

Atencio also wouldn’t commit on a date or location of Affliction’s second event, originally scheduled for Las Vegas 11 October.

Atencio said Affliction: Day of Reckoning would “take place in the first quarter of ‘09.”

Atencio told Five Ounces of Pain, “I haven’t finalized or signed the papers [with a venue] yet, and until I sign the papers with the venue and everything else, I just don’t want to have to re-schedule again.  I don’t want to have to do that to the fans.”

After a successful debut in Anaheim, east of Los Angeles, 19 July that produced exciting heavyweight brawls between Arlovski and “Big” Ben Rothwell (29-6) and Barnett and “Rock” Pedro Rizzo (16-8) and re-established Emelianenko as the Heavyweight Champion after a 36-second destruction of seventh-ranked “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-5), Affliction has tread a rocky road to a sequel.

Affliction was criticized for the comparitively exorbitant purses paid to fighters on their first event.  According to the California State Athletic Commission, Sylvia was paid $800,000, Arlovski was paid $750,000, and middleweight “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5) was paid $300,000.

Sylvia’s reported purse was eight times the $100,000 he was paid in his previous loss versus “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1) at UFC 81 in Las Vegas 2 February.  Arlovski’s was 4 1/2 times what he was paid in his previous win over “Irish” Jake O’Brien (10-2) in Columbus 1 March.

None of the reported purses include additional bonuses or percentage of pay-per-view buys.  It’s likely Affliction’s contracts are structured differently than the UFC contracts and the fighters may have grossed roughly equal amounts as they had earned for their previous UFC fights.

But, did Affliction’s event gross as much as a UFC event?

In August Wrestling Oberserver reported that Atencio had asked fighters to take a pay cut for the second Affliction event.

Barnett subsequently denied the report.

Horodecki’s management team confirmed the lightweight bout with Lauzon, who was his original opponent for Day of Reckoning on 11 October before the event was postponed.

Strikeforce executive Mike Afromowitz confirmed that Horodecki will not be on the Destruction card on 21 November.

Horodecki said, “I’d like to fight Thomson, but now I’m thinking about November and Affliction.”

Horodecki is also considering a November fight in Japan’s Shoot Boxing organization.

Fighting Fedor will feature sixteen heavyweights from around the world competing tournament-style for the chance to fight WAMMA Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (28-1) on a future Affliction card.

The fighters will live and train at the Red Devil Sports Club in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Filming is expected to begin in April 2009.  No broadcast partner has been determined yet.

Plans for the series had been in the works for several months, but details about the show had been scant.

Emelianenko, Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion, is next expected to fight “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski at Affliction’s next event, although no official announcement has been made.

A match between Emelianenko and Arlovski was planned for Affliction’s second event, originally scheduled for 11 October in Las Vegas, but Emelianenko was forced to withdraw with a hand injury.  Third-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (23-5) was announced as Arlovski’s opponent instead.

No date or location has been officially announced, but Emelianenko told Russian television station HTB this week that he would be fighting 24 January for Affliction.

Emelianenko most recently fought in July, submitting seventh-ranked heavyweight and former UFC champion “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-5) with a rear naked choke in 36 seconds.

Arlovski last fought last weekend at EliteXC: Heat, knocking out “Big Country” Roy Nelson (13-3) in the second round.

Atencio had announced that Affliction would partner with Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions for the January show, originally scheduled for 11 October.

A mixed MMA/boxing event is still something they are planning for the first quarter of 2009, but “it’s just not something we could work out (by January),” Atencio said.

Details of the upcoming Day of Reckoning, including the fight card, date, and venue, are expected to be announced next week.

“My doctor was impressed with my quick recovery; and, an hour after surgery, I was on my feet and walking to the car,” Ortiz said today.

The surgery was similar to the procedure “Rock” Nathan Quarry (10-2) received in June 2006.  Quarry recovered from his surgery and returned to fight in 15 months, going 2-0 since his return.

Ortiz is focused on a quick recovery.

“I will be back in the cage with a renewed outlook on fighting. I am a new Tito Ortiz.  One with a bright fight future.  One ready to power through the light heavyweight class and get the belt around my waist again.  Mark my words. The best is yet to come.”

Since losing his final fight on his latest UFC contract by unanimous decision to Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked light heavyweight “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (13-0) in Las Vegas 24 May, Oritz has appeared at Affliction’s 19 July event in Anaheim, east of Los Angeles, and Saturday’s EliteXC event in Sunrise, north of Miami.

He has reportedly received contract offers from both promotions, but has recently mentioned the possibility of returning to the UFC.

Saturday at EliteXC in Sunrise, Ortiz commented that he was “maybe a week away from signing the deal [with EliteXC].”

But, subtle clues in Ortiz’s post-surgery statement hint at his mindset.

Affliction uses a ring, not a cage.

Neither Affliction, nor EliteXC currently have a light heavyweight belt, though EliteXC may offer a title at 205 when “Feijao” Rafael Cavalcante (7-1) and “Snake” Cyrille Diabate (12-6-1) fight in Reno 8 November.

Still, no one confuses EliteXC’s belt with “the belt”, the UFC’s belt that Ortiz previously held.

Though, Ortiz took the event of his surgery to criticize the UFC.

Ortiz claimed, “The kicker to this whole story is that the UFC denied my claim for coverage of my debilitating back injury oviously acquired in the Octagon.  This was the last kick in the gut made by the UFC.  After all of the battling and allegiance I pledged to them, they now have stooped so low as to not give me the medical care I so desperately needed.  I am not surprised at their last effort to hurt me, so I took it upon myself to get my surgery in hopes that my fight career will jump back on track and I will be back to the explosive monster I always have been.”

Barnett met with Emelianenko on a recent trip to Japan where the possibility of a fight between them was discussed, but he decided then that he would turn it down.

Barnett said, “I’m not trying to make anybody look bad or talk about the details of it, but it’s just not a fight that’s going to happen in January.  And I think that the feeling is actually mutual.”

He added, “It would be (logical) for the fans, but the fans don’t understand contracts or the way things have been put down on the back end in terms of the business aspect of it.  Or the details between both of the fighters.  So, it’s not really that we want to rob the fans of something, it’s just that I don’t think it’s possible.”

After defeating “Rock” Pedro Rizzo (16-8) in Anaheim, east of Los Angeles, 19 July, Barnett whetted fans’ appetites by describing a potential match-up versus Emelianenko as “the kind of fight that nobody will forget.  It’ll be the one that you write books about.”

Barnett was originally scheduled to headline the Affliction event in October against fourth-ranked “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (13-5) before it was postponed to January.

Arlovski has since been rescheduled to fight Roy Nelson (13-2) 4 October on EliteXC’s CBS card.

Mousasi also revealed a possible match-up between his Red Devil teammate, Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (28-1), and third-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (23-5) at the same event.

“I’m going to train with Fedor in preparation for Affliction in January.  I think it is Fedor against Josh Barnett and they want me to fight Vitor Belfort,” Mousasi said.

No fights have been officially announced yet by Affliction.

Mousasi was crowned 23 September after he KO’d “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (10-2) at 1:27 of the first round in the GP final.

Belfort last fought in July at Affliction’s debut event, KO’ing Terry Martin (18-5) in round two.

Emelianenko submitted seventh-ranked heavyweight “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-5) in 36 seconds at the same event.

Barnett KO’d “The Rock” Pedro Rizzo (16-8) in round two, also in July.

“M-1 Global and Affliction keep strengthening the ties in MMA,” a post at M-1′s website read.  “Officially from now on all the M-1 Challenge events will be organized in association with Affliction.”

Affliction’s debut, Banned in Anaheim, east of Los Angeles, 19 July, was in association with M-1 Global, which allowed Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (28-1) to appear.

Affliction’s day job is designing, marketing, and manufacturing apparel.  A shirt has been created to promote the closer partnership.

Barnett was responding to an apparently erroneous rumor reported elsewhere that he had turned down a fight versus fourth-ranked Arlovski (13-5) because he was asked to take a paycut.

Arlovski has signed to fight IFL Champion “Big Country” Roy Nelson (13-2) in Sunrise, north of Miami, 4 October to be aired in the States on CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights.

Barnett reiterated his denial of another widely reported rumor that Affliction had asked fighters to take 50% pay cuts when matched versus “easier” opponents.

“To my knowledge, no one has been asked to take a pay cut that fights for Affliction,” said Barnett.

Arlovski was originally scheduled to leather up versus Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (28-1) 11 October in Las Vegas.

Affliction rescheduled that event for 17 January in Anaheim, east of Los Angeles.

Arlovski TKO’d former IFL titlist “Big” Ben Rothwell (29-6) in Anaheim 19 July.

Nelson assumed the IFL title when Rothwell left the IFL at the end of his contract.

Nelson has peeled off five consecutive victories, the last four by stoppage, most recently a first-round TKO of TUF 2 finalist “Hillybilly Heartthrob” Brad Imes (11-5) in Uncasville 16 May.

Nelson lost a split decision to Rothwell in 2007.

The fight is a collaboration among CBS, EliteXC, and Trump’s Affliction Entertainment and will be aired in the States on CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights.

“This is yet  another testament to EliteXC’s willingness to work with other MMA promotions to bring the best possible fights to the broadest possible audience,” said Jeremy Lappen, head of the Live Fight Division of EliteXC.

No opponent has been named; but, Cohen said, “We are considering changing the combatants.  We have not finalized that at this time.”

Cohen also stated that the company would be making a major announcement in the near future that would “change the dynamics of mixed martial arts.  Not just nationally, but globally.”

He added, “Unlike others who call for a press conference for groundbreaking MMA news, the Affliction announcement will truly change the sport, and not through a toy deal.”

Fighters.com speculates that the announcement will be the Affliction/Golden Boy Promotions partnership reported last night at Fighters.com.

Emelianenko was originally expected to face fourth-ranked “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (13-5) on the October card, but was forced to withdraw due to a hand injury sustained in his last fight, when he finished seventh-ranked “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-5) in 36 seconds.

Third-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (23-5) was to be Emelianenko’s replacement to headline the event.

The event will be rescheduled to a yet-to-be-determined date in January at the Honda Center in Anaheim, east of Los Angeles.

The event in January will be co-promoted with Golden Boy Promotions, headed by Olympic and world champion boxer Oscar De La Hoya.

The main event in Las Vegas 11 October would’ve pitted Fighters.com’s third-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (23-5) versus fourth-ranked “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (13-5).

The Day of Reckoning broadcast will mark the beginning of a new deal between HDNet Fights and Affliction Entertainment.

HDNet Fights CEO Andrew Simon said, “This is the beginning of a long-term partnership with Affliction that encompasses live MMA, co-marketing and top fighters for the top weekly show in MMA — ‘Inside MMA’ on HDNet.”

According to the agreement, HDNet Fights will air ninety minutes of fights before the pay-per-view portion of Affliction’s events, similar to Fox Sports Net’s one-hour show before Affliction: Banned in July.

High last fought in June, submitting Markhaile Wedderburn (6-3) with a guillotine choke in 45 seconds.

Pyle fought at Affliction’s debut event in July, submitting JJ Ambrose (8-2) with a first-round rear naked choke.

Buentello also fought at that event, scoring a unanimous decision victory over “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge (23-18-1).

Nelson, the IFL’s Heavyweight Champion, won his last fight by TKO’ing “Hillbilly Heartthrob” Brad Imes (11-5) in May.

Kharitonov TKO’d “Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (28-11) in Yokohama in September 2007; but, has been more active on the rumor mill than in the ring since.

He was floated as “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic‘s (23-6-2) opponent at DREAM.4 in June and lately was mentioned as a challenger for the EliteXC Heavyweight Championship versus “Bigfoot” Antonio Silva (11-1).

Kharitonov found his way into neither fight and may have a short stint as a top ten big boy as fighters beneath him line-up legit matches.

A spot opened for Kharitonov when “Texas Crazy Horse” Heath Herring (28-14) was mauled by physical phenom Brock Lesnar (2-1) in Minneapolis 9 August, shoveling Herring out of the eighth rank.

Eighth-ranked “Napao” Gabriel Gonzaga (9-3) and ninth-ranked Aleksander Emelianenko (13-3) each moved up a spot respectively on Herring’s loss.

“Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (28-1) retained the Fighters.com Heavyweight Championship during a slow month that saw no changes in the top seven spots.

Emelianenko pulled out of Affliction’s second event in Las Vegas 11 October in which he was matched versus fourth-ranked “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (13-5) with a hand injury sustained in his 36-second destruction of seventh-ranked “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-5).

Emelianenko was replaced by third-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (22-5) in the main event.

Top contender “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira‘s (31-4-1) title challenge versus Frank Mir (11-3) got slightly more interesting when Lesnar, who got tapped by Mir in February, dominated Herring…but only slightly.

The UFC’s top heavyweight contender, fifth-ranked “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-3-1) will probably draw either Lesnar or Cheick Kongo (12-4-1) in his next fight.

Sixth-ranked “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-8) is rumored to be considering a return to the UFC; but, Fighters.com has not confirmed that.

Sylvia (24-5) licks his wounds and awaits a match-up at Affliction’s return.

September Heavyweight Rankings

1. “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (28-1)

Emelianenko took his right-left combo and used it to erase “doubt” from Fighters.com’s rankings when he dismantled Sylvia.  The depth of his recent opposition remains shallow; but, taking Sylvia apart quicker than anyone else earns him the Fighters.com Heavyweight Championship.

2. “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1)

It ain’t pretty! Nogueira has turned “blocking punches with your face” into a winning strategy versus top teners Sylvia, Barnett, and Werdum in the last two years, earning him the Fighters.com’s top contender spot.

3. “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (23-5)

“Babyface Assassin” is on a tear with a KO of Pedro Rizzo, UD over Jeff Monson, and submission of Hidehiko Yoshida, but no recent work at the top of the division.  Arlovski will be his toughest fight since losing a decisiong to Nog’in 2006.

4. “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (13-5)

“Pitbull” got his bite back versus Ben Rothwell, adding the KO to a UD over Werdum and a pair or wins over lesser competition.  Arlovski will need all the bite he has versus Barnett in October.

5. “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-3-1)

“Vai Cavalo” spanked Gonzaga like a bad monkey in January, then played a samba on Brandon Vera‘s head in June.  Werdum is streaking into a rematch with Noguiera for the UFC and maybe Fighters.com title.

6. “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-8)

The best strategist in a weight class of brutes returned to solve the 6’8″ riddle of Sylvia over five grueling rounds to reclaim UFC’s title, then forced Cro Cop-slayer Gonzaga to wish MMA had timeouts in a bloody three-round TKO.  Does he have a winning strategy to return to MMA?

7. “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-5)

The oft maligned “Maine-iac” has meshed his stature with world-class striking, championship cardio, and a Jeff Monson-tested ground game. His losses are only to legends Emelianenko, Nogueira, and Couture.

8. “Napao” Gabriel Gonzaga (9-3)

After mauling Mirko Filipovic in Manchester, “Napao” risks becoming a footnote in MMA history with consecutive stoppage losses to Couture and Werdum.  The big man has the tools to remain top ten for years to come, but does he have the heart?

9. Aleksander Emelianenko (13-3)

Fedor’s li’l bro’ isn’t lost in the shadow of “The Last Emporer”. In the last two years, the man with the coldest stare down in MMA has outclassed his brother in competition, losing only to top ten heavies while TKOing fellow Russian Kharitonov.

10. Sergei Kharitonov (15-3)

Kharitonov followed a TKO loss to Aleksander Emelianenko with consecutive first-round stoppages of Michael Russow and Alistair Overeem; but, has been laid up in Russia for the last year. His return would give a the division a needed dose of excitement.