Barnett vs Yvel At Affliction II
by Robert Sargent
Showcasing yet another heavyweight showdown, Affliction II will see the feared and always controversial Gilbert "The Hurricane" Yvel return to competition when he takes on #3-ranked heavyweight "The Babyface Assassin" Josh Barnett.
Yvel (35-12-1, 1 NC), who has an amazing 30 victories by knockout, will look to keep the fight standing against Barnett (23-5-0), a submission wrestling ace.
Despite his incredible knockout power and impressive agility, Yvel is sadly best known as one of the true "bad boys" of MMA, with three of his 12 career losses coming via disqualification.
First disqualified for repeatedly biting Karimula Barkalaev back in 1998, Yvel was later disqualified again for gouging the eyes of MMA pioneer Don Frye at PRIDE 16 in 2001. As if that wasn't bad enough, Yvel became frustrated with a referee while fighting Atte Backman in 2004 and received his third DQ loss for knocking the referee out cold.
Why, then, is Yvel being showcased at a high-profile event in North America? The answer lies in the fact that Yvel, despite his immaturity and issues with discipline, is one of the most talented fighters in the sport. All 35 of his wins have come by stoppage, with the aforementioned 30 knockouts and five submissions. He has only been stopped five times in 49 fights, which is a feat matched by incredibly few fighters at the highest levels of MMA.
By contrast, Barnett is one of the most disciplined and cerebral fighters in the heavyweight division, and has scored wins over many of the best heavyweights competing today. His wrestling skills and grappling experience have allowed him to control opponents for years, and he holds victories over current UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira and former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion Randy "The Natural" Couture.
Though Barnett recently scored an impressive knockout victory over old rival Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo, it's painfully obvious that he will be looking to take the fight with Yvel to the ground quickly.
Yvel's striking has been the story of his career - when not getting himself disqualified - but he is no slouch on the ground, either. Barnett will have to work to take Yvel down and keep him there if he wants to secure a submission.
Barnett will enter the bout as a considerable favourite, but this is one fight where a split second can change everything, as Yvel's lightning-fast punches and kicks have abruptly ended many opponents' nights over the past 11 years.
Other bouts on the card include a WAMMA Unified Heavyweight Championship fight between "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski, a middleweight clash between former UFC champions Matt "The Law" Lindland and Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort, a light heavyweight rematch between Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira and Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko and a battle of lightweight young guns between "The Polish Hammer" Chris Horodecki and Dan Lauzon.
Other fighters competing on the card include newly-crowned Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral, final IFL Welterweight Champion "The Thoroughbred" Jay Hieron, former TKO Featherweight Champion Mark "The Machine" Hominick and former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello.
Affliction II: "Day of Reckoning" takes place on January 24th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
