Belfort Injured, Off "Affliction II"
by Robert Sargent
After suffering a broken hand that has failed to heal quickly, Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming bout with Matt "The Law" Lindland at Affliction II: "Day of Reckoning." A replacement has not been named.
The injury was sustained in Belfort's knockout victory over Terry Martin at Affliction's debut "Banned" event, and Belfort has not recovered enough to compete against Lindland.
While a replacement opponent for Lindland has yet to be announced, EliteXC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields has been rumoured to be a potential foe. However, Shields's name has also been tied to a rumoured battle with former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Frank Shamrock, and nothing has been confirmed to date.
Belfort and Lindland are expected to face each other at some point in the future, likely in 2009, but Belfort remains focused on getting healthy in the meantime.
In other bouts on the October 11th card, a pair of heavyweight showdowns will pit final IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy "Big Country" Nelson against UFC and Strikeforce veteran Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello, and another former IFL standout, "Big" Ben Rothwell, against UFC veteran Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo.
Elsewhere on the radar for Affliction, the promotion has announced the signings of a pair of prized free agents, as former IFL stars Jay "The Thoroughbred" Hieron and "The Polish Hammer" Chris Horodecki will both join the Affliction ranks.
Hieron, a UFC veteran and the final IFL Welterweight Champion, is 8-2 in his last 10 bouts, and found great success competing in the IFL. He has fought against many of the best welterweights in the sport, including reigning UFC Welterweight Champion Georges "Rush" St. Pierre, and has used his recent training at Xtreme Couture to revitalise his career after setbacks in the UFC.
Horodecki, despite dropping a rematch to Ryan Schultz for the IFL Lightweight Championship, is regarded as one of the best lightweight prospects in the world. He has racked up knockout victories since his debut, including a win over Schultz, and was one of the most feared competitors in the International Fight League.
Both will look to have impressive showings in their Affliction debuts, and both have the potential to have huge impacts on the shape of the fledgling promotion's future.
