Thursday, May 21, 2009

Affliction's third event takes place Aug. 1, Emelianko vs. Barnett headlines




Affliction's long-awaited and constantly changing third card is expected to take place Aug. 1, according to MMA FanHouse.

As expected, the main event will feature Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) vs. fellow heavyweight Josh Barnett (24-5), and official announcement could come in the next few days, according to the report.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported earlier this month after speaking with Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio, the show will take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

The same venue hosted the organization's first two shows: "Banned" in July 2008 and "Day of Reckoning" in January.

The Emelianenko vs. Barnett matchup was an early favorite to headline the Aug. 1 card. Atencio first mentioned it as a possibility after both fighters won their respective bouts at January's Affliction card. (Emelianenko defeated Andrei Arlovski with a first-round TKO, and Barnett scored a third-round TKO over a resilient Gilbert Yvel.)

On the May edition of MMAjunkie.com Radio, Atencio hinted at the match-up.

"It's the fight I want," Atencio said of Emelianenko vs. Barnett. "We're working on it."

Atencio also said he's working on a Paul Buentello vs. Tim Sylvia match-up. He'd also like to see Chris Horodecki vs. Dan Lauzon, though he said it could be a tough one to sign since Horodecki already has a fight planned for July.

mmajunkie

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