Affliction folds MMA promotion, will sponsor UFC

[venom33]

this could get real interesting and we might be close to seeing the fights we want!!!

After promoting two critically acclaimed but financially disastrous mixed martial arts cards, Affliction on Friday first canceled its pay-per-view card scheduled for Aug. 1 and then opted to get out of the promotional business, Yahoo! Sports has learned.

The company and the Ultimate Fighting Championship are expected to release a statement sometime on Friday in which it is announced that Affliction will cease operations as a promoter and that its clothing division will become a UFC sponsor.

Affliction had a card slated for Aug. 1 with a main event of Fedor Emelianenko against former UFC champion Josh Barnett at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

But Barnett tested positive for an anabolic steroid and on Tuesday was denied a license to fight by the California State Athletic Commission.

That left Affliction scrambling to fight a replacement for Emelianenko. With no viable alternatives – the best was former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort, who was already down to 195 pounds for a scheduled middleweight fight – Affliction early Friday opted to scrap the show.

Later in the day, Affliction came to terms on a deal in which it would quit promoting fight cards. However, the status of the fighter contracts belonging to Affliction is unknown.

They could revert to the UFC or they could become free agents, able to sign with the promoter of their choice.

Multiple sources had indicated to Yahoo! Sports that Affliction was on the verge of a deal with Strikeforce for some sort of merger, but that fell apart in the last 24-48 hours. That’s when talks began anew between White and Affliction. They had spoken earlier in July about such a scenario, but were unable to come to a deal.

[silentassasin]

That is phenomenal news for all of us fans.

Maybe Fedor versus Couture soon.

[Guest baseball25]

THATS WHY UFC IS THE BEST and DANA WHITE BABY...............

[venom33]

THATS WHY UFC IS THE BEST and DANA WHITE BABY...............

let the dead horse beating continue..... :-\

[Guest baseball25]

lol lol hey I mean this is the 2nd organization that has folded that FEDOR has fought for he needs to get the HINT, UFC is the BEST and IF FEDOR is the BEST than fight for the BEST lol

[venom33]

lol lol hey I mean this is the 2nd organization that has folded that FEDOR has fought for he needs to get the HINT, UFC is the BEST and IF FEDOR is the BEST than fight for the BEST lol

if you checkout his record i think its actually more than two,lol...

i dont think theres any doubt in anyones mind that he is infact the best! stats,numbers, and records dont lie...i just dont think hes willing to sell his soul to dana white, atleast not now.

[Guest baseball25]

lol lol, oh yeah he's the best Heavyweight out there so lets see what he does, and I got a good feeling he's about to make me happy...

[venom33]

lol lol, oh yeah he's the best Heavyweight out there so lets see what he does, and I got a good feeling he's about to make me happy...

i wonder if the ufc will absorb any remaining affliction contracts? if so fedor has one fight left!

i also read mousasi wants to sign with the ufc.. that would be huge!

[Rebel4Christ]

Is this fact or speculation.  This is the only place where I have read anything at all about it.

[venom33]

fact... check mmajunkie.com