Wanderlei Silva Training With Former Chute Boxe Coach

Wanderlei Silva showed up at the Affliction Training facility to train with his former Chute Boxe coach, Rafael Cordeiro of Kings MMA. Affliction's Tom Atencio stepped in and got some one on one training with the MMA Legend.

MMA Live Talks Affliction Downfall, Fedor, and more...

ESPN's MMA Live, with special guest Rashad Evans, talks about the downfall of Affliction, the Fedor sweepstakes, Tito Ortiz's possible return to UFC, and more.

Fedor to Address Affliction Cancellation

PRESS RELEASE:

Ever since Affliction announced late last week that its "Trilogy" event scheduled for Aug. 1 had been canceled, the combat sports world collectively has waited for an official response from former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko.

On Wednesday, Emelianenko will address the media for the first time since last week's sudden cancellation. During the press conference, Emelianenko will discuss the ramifications of the cancellation, comment on his future in the fight game, and respond to questions from members of the media.

"Since the cancellation, there has been a great deal of speculation regarding Fedor and M-1," said Vadim Finkelchtein, whose M-1 Global fight company not only produces international MMA events but also manages Fedor. "On Wednesday, the media and fans will be able to hear what's going on with Fedor from the man himself."

Emelianenko, considered by most pundits to be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, had been scheduled to fight top contender Josh Barnett. A win over Barnett would have marked the sixth former UFC heavyweight champion that Emelianenko has defeated in his career. Unfortunately, Emelianenko was denied his opportunity after the California State Athletic Commission announced last Wednesday that Barnett would not be granted a license in time for the fight.

(Stay tuned to MMAWeekly.com, as we will be in attendance to bring you the latest news from Fedor and his camp.)

Don Frye Volunteers To Fight Fedor

MMA legend Don Frye will return to action on Aug. 28 to face Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal at M-1 Global's first major U.S. show in Los Angeles.

But he'd happily step in to face Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction "Trilogy"... if promoter Tom Atencio will let him.

"If Tom was smart, he'd have me fighting Fedor instead of whoever he's hiring on a one week notice," Frye told MMAInsider. "My phone works if he wants a real fight with someone who sell a fight in four days, somebody who will beat that bald-headed commie too."

In fact, Frye said the only reason he was fighting Lawal was to get an eventual shot at Emelianenko.

"He ain't seen anything I have to offer," continued Frye. "He built his whole reputation (as a) waffle house chef. They've been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes. I'll bring it. And if he can bring it, you'll have the best fight you've ever seen on the planet."

Latest Affliction Trilogy Trailer

Fedor Gives His Thoughts on Josh Barnett, More...

Affliction Entertainment Granted Promoter's License In CA

Squeezed into the "hearing of the century" with plaster-fisted Antonio Margarito on Tuesday in Van Nuys, Calif., the California State Athletic Commission's addressed two small line items in a daylong meeting.

Affliction Entertainment, the muscle behind "Banned" and "Day of Reckoning," was permanently granted the ability to act as the "promoter of record" for its California based shows. Until Tuesday, the company had used the promoter's license of veteran boxing and MMA promoter Roy Englebrecht.

Clifton Chason, CEO of Affliction Entertainment, attended the meeting and was very positive about his company's future. He endorsed a July return for the upstart MMA show, saying "it's a date that's worked for us in the past," and said the company was in the midst of an aggressive expansion of their clothing line.

In other CSAC news, the commission re-formed a committee to "explore" amateur MMA in the Golden State. Advocates in attendance included Juanito Ibarra (who's soon opening his own gym in Orange County), "Big" John McCarthy, and former Elite XC executives JT Steele and Jeremy Lappen. The original push for amateur MMA stalled when its committee, former Executive Officer Armando Garcia, resigned suddenly in November.

Atencio Gives Up "Reckoning" PPV Numbers....Sorta

MMAInsider spoke with Affliction Entertainment Vice President Tom Atencio on Wednesday evening as he returned from a meeting with executives from Golden Boy Entertainment. The spectacled promoter said his team is working on logistics with the boxing promoters for future shows. At the time, he doesn't know whether the idea of cross-breeding MMA and boxing will materialize. His guess for the alliance's next event ranged from June to July.

But enough of all those question marks--MMAInsider wanted to know what the pay per view numbers were for "Day of Reckoning."

Published reports citing Golden Boy CEO Richard Schafer have put the figure between 150,000-200,000 buys, giving the promotion a low estimate--at $44.95 a pop--of between $6,742,500 and $8,990,000 in net revenue.

Atencio, citing his company's desire not to discuss money a la the UFC, put it this way: "We did 50% better than our last event."

MMAWeekly.com was the first to report his estimate for Affliction's first event, "Banned," in which he said the broadcast "did well over 100,000 (buys)." That was before the partnership with Golden Boy; Atencio said his company got a better deal than the standard 40 percent of net revenue doled out to the promoter of the event. A conservative estimate of a $2.4 million take was "within the ballpark."

In an interview with MMAInsider following the second event, Atencio claimed he was not privy to the pay per view deal secured for "Reckoning," as Golden Boy was dealing with Showtime pay per view.

But assuming the standard 40 percent take for promoters in a pay per view event and a 50 percent improvement from 100,000 buys, a low estimate for Afflction/Golden Boy's pay per view take would be $2,697,000. Combined with total gate receipts of $1,429,557, the event could have produced $4,126,557 in gross revenue, excluding other sources like merchandising and sponsorships.

The total on-the-books payroll for the event was $3.3 million. Fedor Emelianenko, who pummeled Andrei Arlovski in the main event, received $1.2 million less than his Belarusian counterpart, but it is widely believed he was given an off-the-books bonus north of a million dollars.

As you would expect, there are a lot of variables in Affliction's equation of profitability. The two companies are private and are required only to disclose the salaries paid to their athletes. There are staff costs, venue costs, taxes, advertising--a litany of expenses that subtract from revenue. And as speculation indicates with Emelianenko, the true numbers of the event's payroll may never be known. Those, in addition to live gate receipts, are a very limited picture of success.

Then there's the possibility that Atencio and Golden Boy have been misleading about the true numbers--not a far-fetched scenario in the world of fight promotion.

Still, even at low estimates, the raw pay per view and gate numbers are impressive for a non-UFC promotion in this economy.

The sustainability of Affliction/Golden Boy's business model is likely the main point of future meetings.

CSAC Releases Official Gate Revenue for Affliction's "Reckoning"

The California State Athletic Commission on Tuesday evening released the final numbers for Affliction Entertainment's second show, "Day of Reckoning," held on Jan. 24.

13,318 fans watched the event at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Though the number of paid attendees was not released, the total gate revenue for the event totaled $1,429,557.

The revenue is slightly less than a number reported on Jan.26 by Yahoo! Sports, that said the event produced $1,512,750 in revenue from 8,946 paid attendees.

In a press release issued the day after the event, Affliction Entertainment claimed that 12,335 were in attendance for the evening.

The total payroll for the event, as first reported by MMAWeekly.com, was slightly north of $3.3 million.

Vice President of Affliction Entertainment Tom Atencio said preliminary pay per view numbers should be available within the week.

Jay Hieron vs Jason High To Air on HDNet's Inside MMA

Due to a timing problem at the Affliction: Day of Reckoning preliminary show airing on HDNet prior to the pay-per-view broadcast, former International Fight League welterweight champion, Jay Hieron, and his fight against Jason High, was pushed back to take place after the main event fight featuring Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski.

Hieron came out on top in the bout, knocking High out at 1:04 of the first round to get the win, but unfortunately unless in attendance at the Honda Center in Anaheim that night, nobody has had a chance to see the fight yet.

That will change on Friday night as HDNet's Inside MMA will feature Jay Hieron on the panel of their guest list, alongside UFC fighter Steve Cantwell and Tank Abbott, and the program will show Hieron's fight in its entirety.

Obviously with the bout missing out on the televised broadcast, Hieron also missed the chance to promote his sponsors for the fight, so in coordination with his management team at MMA Agents, the Xtreme Couture fighter will give away items to his fans as a special promotion.

Fans can log onto MMAAgents.com and proceed to the news section where they can answer Jay Hieron trivia.

The first six contestants to e-mail the correct answers to info@MMAagents.com will receive a prize package, including products from Bulletproof Athletics (www.bulletproofathletics.com), Hoodlum Fight Gear (www.hoodlumfightgear.com), Evo Energy Drink (www.drinkevo.com) as well as Gammo-O (www.gammao.com).

Atencio's "Reckoning" Post-Mortem

MMAInsider: So, how do you feel about the second show?

Atencio: It was work. (laughs) I can honestly say that without the guys that helped me here, Tracy and Shannon and everyone else that's involved, it would have never happened. But aside from that, we made it through, and I'm extremely happy. The fights were awesome, and the event seemed to go pretty well. There were a few glitches, and this is only my second time. As a team, we're still learning.

MMAInsider: Then you've got this Larry Merchant throwing some crap your way.

Atencio: Yeah, it's just like anything else. You have people who are completely myopic and they're not open to anything, and I think that was his way of trying to hurt us, because (allegations of a $5 million payoff to Oscar De La Hoya) are completely false.

MMAInsider: What are some of the roadblocks you encountered on the way to the show?

Atencio: I think it's just the B.S. of rumors, and having to squash that. And they're so minimal, it really doesn't matter, but it's wasted time. Like the ticket sales, the whole 1500 seats sold, then I heard Arlovski broke his hand the week before. It's just petty little rumors.

MMAInsider: You ever feel like you're damned if you do, damned if you don't?

Atencio: I always feel like that. Always.

MMAInsider: There was a report on Yahoo! Sports that your paid attendance was 8,946 for a live gate of $1,512,750. Are those numbers accurate?

Atencio: Not to my knowledge. As far as the numbers, I don't really get into the numbers.

MMAInsider: Is the characterization that Golden Boy does logistics, runs the show, deals with athletic commissions, and Affliction finances the fighter purses, is that accurate?

Atencio: No, that's not accurate. There's definitely things they do, there's things that we're learning, and that's why we brought them on board. Things that they're going to have expertise on that we're just learning.

MMAInsider: How does this partnership work, then?

Atencio: They're handling the back end, the deals, the negotiations when it comes to things like Showtime, and pay per view, and we're doing the marketing -- what we do well. The matchmaking we do because they come from the boxing industry. If we start doing boxing shows, they'll handle the matchmaking for the boxing.

MMAInsider: Is Affliction in charge of the fighter purses?

Atencio: Yes, we are.

MMAInsider: What are the chances of putting on Arlovski vs. Sylvia now? It would seem like those two have a built in storyline and rivalry.

Atencio: It definitely does seem like one. I'm still trying to catch up on my emails alone. I have 500 emails that I have to catch up on. I've got a lot going on.

MMAInsider: Is Fedor vs. Barnett a lock?

Atencio: I'd like to think so, but I haven't even sat down with them and discussed it yet.

MMAInsider: Will your next event be in July?

Atencio: We're shooting for it, we haven't finalized it though. I take it one fight at a time. I just want to focus on each show at a time until we become seasoned at this, and then I'll be able to feel more comfortable to give dates. I like to take things slow. I want to make sure we’re doing everything right, and when we're not, to fix whatever we're doing wrong.

MMAInsider: Well, you mentioned seasoning, and one of the main things that people are looking at is your payroll. You've said in the past you want to make sure fighters don't look at you as a cash cow. You have most of these guys to three-fight deals, and originally, you said you wanted to put on three fights and no more. Is that one of the things you want to look at moving forward as a promotion?

Atencio: Well, just to correct you, I absolutely choose to stay in this. But the reality of it is -- whether we do -- it really comes down to finances. But having said that, the shows are successful in other ways than just that. Our plan is to have four fights a year with Golden Boy, M-1, and Mr. Trump, that's our plan right now. I'm just taking it easy because I want to make sure that each event is methodical on our side. I just don't want to get ahead of myself, get cocky, get arrogant, because I've seen what happens when people do that, and I like to learn from other people's mistakes. Hopefully, I can continue to stay grounded and do that.

Lindland Suspended 45 days Following KO Loss To Belfort

Team Quest original Matt Lindland says he's doing fine after a brutal knockout loss at the hands of Vitor Belfort last Saturday at Affliction's "Day of Reckoning."

"(I'm doing) fine, he just got me with a good shot," Lindland told MMAInsider via text message.

According to Lindland, the California State Athletic Commission has suspended him for 45 days, after which he will be able to compete again. His fight with Belfort was the second of a three-fight contract with Affliction.

"I'll be back whenever," he wrote.

At least for now, Affliction VP Tom Atencio has indicated a return date of July for the next co-promotion between the clothing/entertainment company and boxing promotion Golden Boy.

Fedor - Road to Reckoning (Saturday's Episode)

Roach: Arlovski Made A Young Man's Mistake

Boxing guru Freddie Roach has been an outspoken ally of his student Andrei Arlovski's striking abilities, and following Arlovski's loss to Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction's "Day of Reckoning," chalked the experience up to youthful inexperience.

"He made a young man's mistake," Roach told MMAInsider backstage. "It was too easy for him. He was winning the fight handily I thought, controlling the fight like we planned. He got a little cocky, and he tried the flying knee from too far away, no setup, and he paid for it."

While it seemed Arlovski may have thrown the high-risk strike because he thought Emelianenko was hurt, Roach disagreed.

"No, not at that moment," he continued. "But Fedor swings hard, that's his thing. He probably had his eyes closed, but he just got lucky, I think. If we had followed a more disciplined fight, and kept to the game plan, I think it was going to be easy."

Roach was unsure about what came next for Arlovski, but said he would continue to work with his student.

Lindland Taken To Hospital, Checks Out Okay

Vitor Belfort knocked highly ranked middleweight Matt Lindland to the canvas with a strong left hand, then followed with several rights that left "The Law" out cold. He lay on the mat for several minutes, ringside medical staff taking every precaution before the Olympic silver medalist was finally able to leave the ring under his own power.

During the Josh Barnett vs. Gilbert Yvel bout, it was reported that Lindland was taken to the UC Irvine Medical Center for follow-up treatment.

"He was doing good (when he got into the ambulance)," said Lindland's cornerman, Robert Follis. "You know, he was a little bummed and knew what happened – that he got rocked – but he was coherent. He was talking. He looked good. They're just taking him in to check him and make sure."

MMAWeekly.com later followed up with another member of Lindland's camp, Heath Sims, who said that, "Matt is doing okay," and doesn't seem to be suffering from any significant injuries.

Golden Boy Paid $5 Million by "The T-shirt Guys"?

While most MMA fans were focused on the battle brewing between Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski in Anaheim, or anticipating Sunday night's WEC card in San Diego, HBO boxing commentators Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant were once again taking their jabs at mixed martial arts during the HBO telecast of the boxing match between "Sugar" Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito.

But in the not-so-subtle barbs they tossed at one of the fastest growing sports in the world, they revealed a juicy little tidbit -- surely by accident -- about Oscar De La Hoya and his company's "commitment" to MMA.

"And celebrities here tonight, there's Sugar Ray Leonard in about the fourth row, and his one time Contender colleague Sly Stallone is in the front row," revealed Lampley. He continued, "George Lopez is here tonight, good buddy with the promoter. Mark Wahlberg comes to every major prize fight at Staples. Joe Pesci, a Goodfella, called this reporter for tickets. I didn't have 'em, but he got them somewhere else.

"And there's one big name celebrity, Larry, who isn't here tonight..."

"A celebrity who is here in bronze only," quipped Merchant, referring to a bronze statue of Oscar De La Hoya that stands outside the Staples Center. "Oscar De La Hoya, the live version, is in nearby Anaheim, where his company got a $5 million fee from a t-shirt maker so that he would be personally involved in the promotion of a mixed martial arts show."

He added, "It would take that much, Jim, to get me to go to one of those things."

Aside from Lampley and Merchant's degrading banter, the fee that Golden Boy Promotions received for De La Hoya's promised participation, if true, is quite revealing in regards to the wavering front that Golden Boy has presented when it comes to its involvement in MMA.

"We like to be involved with big fights," De La Hoya told MMAWeekly.com earlier in the week. "Fedor and Arlovski, I don't think it gets any bigger than this."

You probably wouldn't have to pay many people $5 million to say that, but evidently, that is De La Hoya's price... oh, and Merchant's too.

Fedor - Road to Reckoning (Friday's Episode)

Affliction Fedor vs. Arlovski Weigh-in Video

Affliction Behind-the-Scenes Video Channel

As part of its offerings for "Day of Reckoning," which takes place Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., Affliction has a video channel that will contain a mix of pre-recorded material and various live offerings.

The stream begins at 10 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday from the host hotel lobby where Affliction intends to conduct various fighters and trainer interviews, along with other notables. The weigh-ins will be live on HDNet and streamed on ESPN, but Affliction will offer an edited version on the video channel.

The channel is expected to continue streaming until "sometime in the evening," according to Affliction.

You can check out the Affliction video channel here.

Fedor - Road to Reckoning (Wednesday's Episode)

Fedor - Road to Reckoning (Wednesday's Episode) in two parts...