Affliction II Fights Announced
by Robert Sargent
With new WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko sidelined due to a hand injury, Affliction: "Day of Reckoning" will be headlined by a #1 contender's bout between Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski and "The Babyface Assassin" Josh Barnett.
Also on the card will be a rematch between former PRIDE ace Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira and final IFL Light Heavyweight Champion Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko.
Originally slated to feature a title bout between Arlovski and Emelianenko, "Day of Reckoning" will now determine a clear-cut #1 contender for Emelianenko's title, after Emelianenko suffered a broken hand during his brief but exciting destruction of former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia on July 19th at Affliction: "Banned."
Arlovski (13-5-0), coming off of a very impressive and dominant performance over former IFL heavyweight standout "Big" Ben Rothwell at "Banned," will face a tough challenge in Barnett (23-5-0), who avenged a previous loss when he knocked out Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo minutes before Arlovski battled Rothwell.
Both fighters have held gold before, as former UFC Heavyweight Champions, and both will eagerly look to prove that they are deserving of a shot against the now-undisputed top heavyweight fighter in the world, Emelianenko.
For Arlovski, it's a chance at redemption, after falling short in his second and third battles with Sylvia in the UFC. For Barnett, a fight with Emelianenko is something that fans have been waiting for since early 2006 in PRIDE. With a victory over Arlovski, he would finally get his chance to re-establish himself as the top heavyweight fighter in MMA.
Regardless of the outcome, Emelianenko will face a tough test in his first title defence.
Also rumoured for the "Day of Reckoning" card is a light heavyweight rematch from 2002, pitting former PRIDE standout Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira against the man who beat him six years ago, final IFL Light Heavyweight Champion Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko.
Though not yet officially confirmed, the fight has been offered to both fighters and seems likely to receive the go-ahead.
Matyushenko (21-3-0) has won eight straight fights since his knockout loss to Andrei Arlovski at UFC 44, and holds a significant edge in experience. He also has the advantage of having won the first meeting with Nogueira in 2002, and it will be up to Nogueira to show that he has improved enough since then to reverse fortunes.
Nogueira (14-3-0) has rebounded nicely since his shocking 23-second knockout loss to Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at PRIDE 33, having scored wins over Todd Gouwenberg and, at Affliction: "Banned," Edwin Dewees. His striking and wrestling have improved dramatically since his first battle with Matyushenko, and a rematch would serve as a solid test for both fighters to gauge the growth of their careers.
Aside from Matyushenko's KO loss to Arlovski and Nogueira's shocking loss to Sokoudjou, neither fighter has ever been stopped at any other point in their careers, with all other defeats coming by way of decision.
Matyushenko lost a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout to Tito Ortiz at UFC 33 and, bizarrely, was outworked in a rematch against veteran journeyman Vernon "Tiger" White at an IFC event in 1999. He holds notable victories over Nogueira, White (in his 1997 MMA debut), Yuki Kondo, Travis Wiuff, Pedro Rizzo, Tim Boetsch, Alex Schoenauer and Jamal Patterson, the last of which won Matyushenko the IFL Light Heavyweight Championship.
Nogueira won eight in a row after his defeat against Matyushenko in 2002, but lost a thrilling battle to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005, in one of the best fights in MMA history. Nogueira holds notable wins over Guy Mezger, Kazuhiro Nakamura (twice), Kazushi Sakuraba, current DREAM star and Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem (twice) and former PRIDE Middleweight and Welterweight Champion Dan Henderson.
While Nogueira, like his twin brother and current UFC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tactician on the ground, it is likely that he would look to keep the bout standing against Matyushenko, a decorated wrestler who is known for his takedowns and ground control.
Matyushenko will need to be wary of Nogueira's vastly improved striking skills, which were a non-factor in their first meeting six years ago. Nogueira's boxing is now on a level where many feel that it is superior even to his heavyweight twin's, which could spell disaster for Matyushenko if he is unable to score a takedown.
With more great fights likely to be announced in the coming weeks, "Day of Reckoning" is already shaping up to be a very impressive second effort for the Affliction promotion.
