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Quick Shots - Affliction 'Banned' - Fedor World Champ!
Ariel Shnerer
Feature Writer & EditorPOSTED: July 20, 2008 - 12:12 am

CATEGORIES: MMA, International


Saturday night, from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Ca., Affliction presented their inaugural event, Affliction: Banned. The biggest news coming out of this pay-per-view spectacle? The sport of mixed martial arts finally has a unified world heavyweight champion.

And a champion to be proud of at that.

In the main event for all the marbles, Fedor Emelianenko took on Tim Sylvia to crown the first WAMMA (World Association of Mixed Martial Arts) heavyweight champion. Emelianenko charged Sylvia at the sound of the opening bell, overwhelming him with power punches. Within seconds, "The Maine-iac" was dropped to the mat. "The Last Emperor" followed suit, not giving his opponent time to recuperate. Sylvia made the mistake of giving up his back and the former Pride Fighting Championships heavyweight champion got the easy rear naked choke submission. Emelianenko, the feature attraction, lived up to his hype and proved he deserves every bit of the respect he's earned among MMA experts and fans, defeating a top-five heavyweight in Sylvia. Post-fight, Randy "The Natural" Couture came into the ring to congratulate Emelianenko on his title victory. He said he's eyeing a return to the ring by the end of the year and expressed interest in fulfilling the dream of every MMA fan with a fight against Emelianenko. Donald Trump was also on hand, seated beside Tito Ortiz and girlfriend Jenna Jameson, and he came into the ring at the show's conclusion to praise "The Last Emperor" on his commanding win and destruction of the 6'8" mammoth.

The co-main event of the evening saw Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski devastate "Miletich Fighting Systems" student Ben Rothwell. From start to finish, the fight was all Arlovski with few signs of life from the 264-pound Rothwell. In the first and second rounds, Rothwell ate countless knees and haymakers. By the third, the crowd was standing on their feet, erupting for the final exchange. Arlovski landed a series of heavy punches knocking Rothwell into a daze, but it was an uppercut that finally did him in and sent Rothwell falling into unconsciousness. This was arguably the fight of the night. Arlovski's aggression was a key factor in this heavyweight fight, as Rothwell was flustered with shots up until the final flurry, unable to defend intelligently. This win propels Arlovski into title contention against the newly crowned WAMMA heavyweight champion.

In a rematch that's been brewing for years, Josh Barnett went toe to toe with jiu-jitsu expert Pedro Rizzo. The first round was very close, although Barnett landed more shots, also busting up Rizzo's eye. Barnett sealed the deal early into the second round, nailing Rizzo with a kick to the face and finishing him off with a left hook. Rizzo fell limp to the ground as the crowd cheered "The Babyface Assassin". Long overdue, Barnett avenged a loss against Rizzo from UFC 30: Battle on the Boardwalk. In a similar standing as Arlovski, Barnett has validated his status among the elite heavyweights in the sport and must be considered a top contender for the unified world title.

In a featherweight clinic, Mark "The Machine" Hominick showcased prime conditioning, landing impressive flurries of kicks and punches against Savant Young. In the second round, Hominick caught Young in a triangle choke. Young nearly escaped, even slamming Hominick ala Quinton Jackson, but Hominick stayed focused, eventually sinking in an armbar for the submission victory. As per his usual post-match ritual made famous in the Canadian TKO MMA organization, Hominick did a few push-ups to the delight of trainer Shawn Tompkins. Hominick, the head trainer at "Xtreme Couture" in Toronto, is focused on returning to form after a dry spell in WEC. Featured prominently on the main card, Hominick put fighters and fans alike on notice with a showcase of brilliant kickboxing.

Renato "Babalu" Sobral made his much-anticipated return to action against Mike Whitehead. The two matched up evenly in the first and second rounds with a close clinch game. "Babalu" proved his dominance in the third, however, showing off an impressive arsenal of flying kicks. On two occasions, Whitehead charged Sobral sending both men through the ropes, ending with Whitehad caught in a guillotine choke. Sobral earned the 30-27 uananimous decision, knocking off a much larger opponent in the light heavyweight divsion.

In a middleweight tilt, Matt "The Law" Lindland outclassed Fabio "Negao" Nascimento over three rounds. The fight came close to being stopped on multiple occasions, including early into the first round when Lindland appeared to have his opponent trapped in a guillotine choke. "Negao" showed perseverence and escaped the dangerous submission hold, but in the end, it was Lindland whose hand was raised with scores of 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27.

The next fight showcased the brother of the current UFC interim heavyweight champion against a battle-tested UFC vet. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira showed off impressive defense against Edwin Dewees, waiting patiently for the right opportunity to capitalize. The finish came when the two began to trade back and fourth on their feet with Nogueira getting the better of the shorter Dewees, and Herb Dean finally putting a stop to the contest at 4:01 into the first round.

Affliction; Banned kicked off with a live performance from rock band Megadeath. This was the lead-in for "Xtreme Couture" welterweight prospect Mike Pyle taking on California native J.J. Ambrose. From the opening bell, Pyle charged his less experienced opponent, finally finishing him off in impressive fashion with a rear naked choke at 2:51 into the first round. With Randy Couture in his corner, Pyle showed his growth as a fighter, tactically picking the rookie apart with stiff punches on the ground until finally landing in hooks for the submission tapout. Since losing to Jake Shields last year at EliteXC: Renegade, Pyle has been on a tear, racking up three consecutive wins. His training with Couture in Las Vegas seems to be paying off.

The second matchup making up the one-hour Affliction: Live broadcast featured two former UFC fighters, Vitor Belfort and Terry Martin. Belfort, who had Randy Couture and Shawn Tompkins in his corner, played the defensive game early. Although the round was close, Martin appeared the better man, landing more effective combinations. The second round saw a more confident Belfort finally finish Martin off with a powerful left hand that dropped him through the ropes. "The Phenom" received a loud ovation from the crowd in Anaheim, and a future fight with Matt Lindland, also victorious, could be in the works.

In the opening bout aired on Affliction: Live, Gary Goodridge, a last-minute replacement for Aleksander Emelianenko, took on Paul "Headhunter" Buentello. Goodridge gassed early and Buentello was able to dominate the fight over three rounds, earning the 30-27 unanimous decision nod. Goodridge was able to periodically land some heavy shots throughout the fight, but it was Buentello who was the aggressor.

The Justin Levens vs. Ray Lazama swing bout was cancelled due to time restraints and the condition of the ring post-main event. According to Tom Atencio, VP of Affliction, both fighters will be paid their purse, plus an additional bonus.

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Quick Shots

Affliction: Banned
Honda Center
Anaheim, Calif.
July 19, 2008

Fedor Emelianenko def. Tim Sylvia (1st round submission via rear naked choke, 0:36)
Andrei Arlovski def. Ben Rothwell (3rd round KO, 1:13)
Josh Barnett def. Pedro Rizzo (2nd round KO, 1:44)
Mark Hominick def. Savant Young (2nd round submission via armbar, 4:25)
Renato Sobral def. Mike Whitehead (unanimous decision, 30-27 all)
Matt Lindland def. Fabio Nascimento (unanimous decision, 30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Edwin Dewees (1st round TKO, 4:06)
Mike Pyle def. J.J. Ambrose (1st round submission via rear naked choke, 2:51)
Vitor Belfort def. Terry Martin (2nd round KO, 3:12)
Paul Buentello def. Gary Goodridge (unanimous decision, 30-27 all)