Affliction: Banned was a pretty good show…Arlovski, Barnett and Fedor all lived up the hype…Vitor Belfort also displayed some of the power that made him popular earlier in his career. I wasn’t crazy about Megadeth, but a lot better production than EliteXC’s first primetime show. And it was basically an all-star cast of HOF players. I’d say a solid B.
UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Irvin was basically what it was supposed to be. It was a quality show. Great fights with great production value. The UFC put the show together last minute, but Spike and The UFC have done this enough that there were very few if any hiccups. Though there weren’t as many big names on the UFC card, they made up for it with top notch young talent. I’d also give this show a solid B.
I watched both fights side by side to make a comparison. Each show had its ups and downs. I felt Brandon Vera came out extremely cautious and couldn’t finish even though he was obviously in charge the entire fight. It looked to me like he was just trying to get the decision from the very beginning. Matt Lindland looked very slow and winded after the first round, probably ring rust. Babalu looked like a different fighter. Not nearly as intense as other fights in the past, but if his fight would have been in a cage I see him sinking in one of those guillotines and finishing the fight. Hermes Franca looked way overmatched. Maybe ring rust…or maybe Frankie Edgar is that good.
What’s next? Well despite putting on a good show, Affliction has a lot of work ahead of it. The talent roster for the UFC is deep. Unlike the UFC, Affliction will have to compete with other organizations to keep fighters fighting for them. Putting on another all-star show is quite unlikely. And the UFC has most of the all-stars. The only way Affliction can have long term success is by winning the Fedor vs. Randy battle. This is the fight everyone wants to see. Whichever promotion gets this fight first will take a huge step forward. Affliction looks like it’s willing to put up some cash. The UFC might just steal this fight to stick it to them. Obviously Fedor is willing to fight for Affliction. Randy is willing to fight for the UFC. Will Dana White make a move or stick to his guns. Will he let Randy Couture age? Will the UFC tie Randy up in litigation for as long as possible? Hopefully terms will be reached. Maybe we’ll witness a new age in MMA. Co promotion. Only time will tell.
I'm a wanna be fighter that loves the sport of MMA. I'd like to give you all a fresh perspective of what I feel is the greatest sport on earth. Hopefully you enjoy!
