Affliction: "Banned" Results
by Robert Sargent
The debut event for the Affliction clothing company, aptly titled "Banned," was a huge success, with a complete card of exciting fights and top-ranked fighters. In the main event, Fedor Emelianenko quickly dispatched of Tim Sylvia.
Proving his doubters wrong, Emelianenko destroyed former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Sylvia in just 36 seconds to capture the WAMMA Unified Heavyweight Championship.
WAMMA Unified Heavyweight Championship
"The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko vs Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia
Coming into this historic fight, contested for the first-ever World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts unified title, critics made frequent mention of Emelianenko's lack of recent fights against top competition. All criticism ceased after 36 seconds had transpired.Emelianenko drilled Sylvia with a left hook early on, then followed it up with a flurry of lefts and rights that dropped Sylvia to the mat, badly dazed. Emelianenko continued his relentless punishment, landing numerous punches as Sylvia tried to turtle up. Emelianenko quickly sunk in both hooks and locked on a modified rear naked choke, using just the edge of his forearm, and elicited a quick tapout from Sylvia.
An incredibly impressive display from Emelianenko, who becomes the first unified worldwide champion, claiming the WAMMA Unified Heavyweight Championship.
Winner: Fedor Emelianenko by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 0:36 of round one. He improves to 28-1-0, 1 NC, and becomes the first WAMMA Unified Heavyweight Champion.
Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski vs "Big" Ben Rothwell
Rothwell, fighting for the first time in nearly a year, looked to be in much better shape coming into this fight than in earlier bouts, but could not match the speed of Arlovski, whose aggression secured him a third-round knockout.Arlovski used leg kicks and quick punches to keep the distance from Rothwell early on, and the fighters clinched in the corner. Arlovski landed a solid right and came forward with punches, then scored a takedown. He attempted a heel hook on the ground, but Rothwell twisted free and got back to his feet. Late in the round, Rothwell trapped Arlovski in a corner, but Arlovski teed off with lefts and rights that rocked Rothwell, sending him backpedalling. Rothwell swung back with punches of his own, but Arlovski maintained the advantage until the bell.
Arlovski continued to land quick shots in round two, but Rothwell landed a pair of hard punches early in the round. Arlovski fought back with punches, then drilled Rothwell with a flurry that badly rocked him. Rothwell managed to hold on as Arlovski rushed forward with more punches, and Arlovski scored a takedown. Rothwell, bleeding from the nose, did little on the ground except try to nullify Arlovski's offence, but managed to reverse position and land strikes from Arlovski's guard for the next minute. The fight was stood up with 30 seconds left and Arlovski once again rocked Rothwell with huge punches, nearly knocking him out just before the bell.
Rothwell came forward with punches to begin round three and the fighters clinched in the corner. Arlovski landed a big right that rocked Rothwell, then came forward with a hook and a right uppercut that sent Rothwell crashing to the canvas. A highly impressive victory for Arlovski in his first fight since departing the UFC.
Winner: Andrei Arlovski by KO (Punches) at 1:13 of round three. He improves to 13-5-0.
"The Babyface Assassin" Josh Barnett vs Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo
Avenging the only true knockout loss of his career, Barnett emerged from a slow first round and came back with a looping left hook midway through round two that knocked Rizzo out cold.Barnett landed a stiff jab and a cross early in round one, but Rizzo began to land the more effective strikes in the opening minutes. Both fighters landed weak strikes, with Barnett scoring with a leg kick. Rizzo began to find his range with his jab and used good footwork to evade strikes from Barnett. Rizzo continued to land jabs and pushed the pace as the round wore on, with Barnett trying a flashy spinning back kick. Rizzo landed a head kick late in the round, but neither fighter did enough to clearly win round one.
Both fighters landed strikes early in round two, and Barnett continued to use front push kicks to keep Rizzo at bay. As Rizzo pressed forward, Barnett caught him with a right that staggered him briefly. Sensing his chance, Barnett came forward with a glancing right and a huge left hook that sent Rizzo flying across the ring to the mat, unconscious. A big win for Barnett, who avenges his only UFC loss.
Winner: Josh Barnett by KO (Punch) at 1:44 of round two. He improves to 26-5-0.
Mark "The Machine" Hominick vs Trenell "Savant" Young
Hominick, the vastly superior striker, had trouble landing effective punches against Young, but eventually managed to trap Young in an armbar late in round two.Hominick aggressively came forward with punches and kicks early in the first round, but could not land any solid shots. Young landed a Superman Punch and a leg kick. Hominick managed to land a couple of quick punches that put Young off-balance. Both fighters did a good job of evading lunging strikes from the other, and Young landed a pair of glancing haymakers. Hominick landed a couple of quick flurries late in round one, with Young coming back with single shots to the face and body. Hominick narrowly takes the first round.
Hominick pushed forward again in round two, but Young landed effective counters that nullified Hominick's offence. Hominick landed quick punches and a leg kick, as Young tried for repeated wild haymakers. Young scored a takedown and landed a few strikes from Hominick's guard, but Hominick locked on a triangle choke. Young used a slam to escape, then stood up. Young landed strikes to the downed Hominick in the corner, but Hominick locked on another triangle choke. When that failed, Hominick quickly transitioned into an armbar, forcing Young to submit.
Winner: Mark Hominick by Submission (Armbar) at 4:25 of round two. He improves to 16-8-0.
Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs Mike Whitehead
While not the most exciting fight ever, Sobral used effective strikes and pushed the pace, doing enough to emerge with a hard-fought decision over a very game Whitehead.Sobral mixed front kicks and leg kicks in with quick punching flurries early in round one, keeping Whitehead from getting into a rhythm. Whitehead tried unsuccessfully for a takedown and a lengthy clinch ensued. Sobral landed a hard left and Whitehead came back with a quick combination. Both fighters landed knees to the body in another lengthy clinch. Sobral landed a good leg kick and Whitehead clinched again. Sobral then scored a very brief takedown before the bell to take the close first round.
Sobral landed a series of stiff jabs to begin round two and Whitehead clinched once again. Kicks from Sobral partially landed. Whitehead managed to score a takedown and fell into Sobral's guard. Sobral used a shoulder lock to negate all offence from Whitehead, then tried for an omoplata. Back on the feet, Sobral landed knees to the body in the clinch, then narrowly missed a wild spinning back fist attempt. More knees to the body landed for Sobral, who took the close second round.
Sobral attempted an axe kick early in round three, which was caught by Whitehead, then Sobral fell out of the ring while defending a takedown attempt. Sobral continued to press forward, landing a kick and a quick combination. Once again, Sobral fell out of the ring while defending a takedown attempt and the ropes were briefly repaired. Sobral began to land hard punches as Whitehead fatigued. Sobral locked on a guillotine choke and an omoplata, but Whitehead escaped both. On the feet, Sobral scored with a front kick to the face in the final minute, then partially landed a spinning back kick to the head, and won round three and the fight.
Winner: Renato Sobral by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 30-7-0.
Matt "The Law" Lindland vs Fabio Negao
Returning to competition over a year after losing to Fedor Emelianenko, Lindland looked to be in fairly decent shape for this bout, knocking Negao down early on and controlling the fight for the duration.Lindland came out aggressively and knocked Negao down with a left hand seconds into the round. Negao tried to recover, but Lindland locked him in a rolling guillotine. Negao eventually got out, but Lindland landed strikes from the top, including the always entertaining Mongolian Chop. Negao occasionally tried for submissions, but the veteran, Lindland, easily escaped. In the final minute of round one, Lindland landed more punches and kicks, and easily took the round.
Lindland pressed forward with punches again in round two, but Negao came back with a flurry of his own after catching Lindland with an accidental poke to the eye. The fighters stood and traded punches wildly, with both landing big shots, but neither went down. Lindland scored a takedown in the corner and landed punches and elbows from the top for the duration of the round, as a fatigued Negao had few answers. Lindland takes round two.
Lindland pushed the pace in the third round, using punches to keep Negao backing up. Negao backpedalled and used kicks to the legs and body. The fighters traded punches as Negao began to noticeably slow. Lindland landed more weak punches and tried for a takedown, but Negao defended. Lindland tried again for a takedown and got Negao down, but he fell out of the ring. Back on the feet, Lindland landed a knee that dazed Negao, but Lindland's follow-up strikes were not enough to finish him off. Lindland easily takes the fight.
Winner: Matt Lindland by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) after three rounds. He improves to 21-5-0.
Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira vs Edwin "Babyface" Dewees
Once again displaying his vastly improved striking, Nogueira, with twin brother Rodrigo in his corner, dominated Dewees and dropped him with a big left hook late in round one.Dewees used kicks to the legs and body to keep Nogueira at a distance early on, but Nogueira trapped him in the corner and landed punches. The fighters clinched, with neither holding an advantage. Nogueira scored a takedown and landed strikes from the top, then stood up. Nogueira came forward with a knee, then grabbed a Thai clinch and landed another knee strike. More knees landed for Nogueira, who began teeing off with punches in the corner. Dewees tried to fight back, but a looping left hook from Nogueira dropped Dewees. After follow-up punches on the ground, the referee stopped the fight.
Winner: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by TKO (Punches) at 4:06 of round one. He improves to 14-3-0.
Mike "Quicksand" Pyle vs JJ Ambrose
The submission master, Pyle, made short work of his overmatched opponent, dominating the fight on the ground and scoring a quick submission victory.Ambrose came forward swinging with wild punches, then clinched and landed knees in the corner. Pyle scored a takedown and landed in side-control, then quickly moved to mount. After taking Ambrose's back, Pyle looked for a rear naked choke. Ambrose rolled over and Pyle briefly locked on an arm-triangle choke. Ambrose rolled back to his stomach, so Pyle tried again for a rear naked choke. After landing strikes to Ambrose's head, Pyle finally locked on the choke and Ambrose tapped out.
Winner: Mike Pyle by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:51 of round one. He improves to 17-5-1.
Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort vs "Tenacious" Terry Martin
Martin's chin has really never been the same since being brutally knocked out at UFC 54 by James Irvin, and it failed him once again, as Belfort came on strong in round two and knocked Martin out with a one-two combination.Martin came out aggressively, but Belfort landed a stiff kick to the body early on. Martin tried unsuccessfully for a takedown and Belfort landed more punches. After a clinch, Martin landed a hard overhand right, but Belfort came back with a quick combo. Both fighters landed punches in the final two minutes, but neither scored with any solid strikes and both were rather defensive. A very close round that could have gone to either fighter.
Martin came forward with a lunging left hook to begin round two, but Belfort replied with one of his own. Belfort briefly staggered Martin with a punch, then landed a hard kick to the body, and Martin scored a takedown. Belfort got back to his feet and landed hammerfists as Martin stood up. Martin pressed forward, but got caught with a vicious flying knee. Seconds later, Belfort connected with a right uppercut and a left cross that sent Martin crashing to the mat against the ropes. A slow start, but a great finish for Belfort.
Winner: Vitor Belfort by KO (Punches) at 3:12 of round two. He improves to 17-8-0.
Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello vs Gary "Big Daddy" Goodridge
Goodridge, a late replacement after Aleksander Emelianenko was forced to withdraw, put up a surprisingly good fight, but was overmatched by Buentello, who emerged with a decision victory.Goodridge landed a series of solid leg kicks in the early stages of round one, while Buentello was content to punch in flurries. Goodridge pressed forward, landing more leg kicks, but was met with a big combination from Buentello that sent Goodridge back into the ropes. However, he held on and even tried for a head kick after Buentello backed away. Neither fighter landed any other significant blows, and Buentello took round one.
Buentello landed a body kick early in round two, but Goodridge landed one of his own. Buentello scored with a series of elbows and grabbed a Thai clinch. Goodridge broke free and went back to leg kicks. Goodridge caught Buentello with a left hook in the middle of the round, and both fighters landed solid punches in a flurry. Buentello landed a quick one-two, but Goodridge came back with big punches of his own and the fighters clinched. More kicks to the legs and body landed for Goodridge, and Buentello came back with a late punching combination that rocked Goodridge. Buentello takes the close round.
Goodridge again scored with leg kicks in round three, as Buentello countered with punches and clinched. Goodridge landed strong punches to the body and then backed away. Buentello backed Goodridge up with two punches, then rushed in with a flying knee and more punches. Another flurry landed for Buentello, but Goodridge held on and clinched. Goodridge scored with uppercuts, but was visibly fatigued, having taken the fight on one day's notice. Goodridge went back to low kicks, then tried for a haymaker, but Buentello evaded and landed strikes in the clinch. Buentello landed another flurry before the bell and took round three.
Winner: Paul Buentello by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 26-10-0.
With a card featuring top-ranked fighters from top to bottom, Affliction: "Banned" was easily the best debut event for any North American mixed martial arts promotion in a very long time, and hopefully a sign of great things to come.
