Aleksander Emelianenko out, Chris Horodecki in for Affliction October 11th

Former IFL fighter and MMA prodigy Chris Horodecki (12-1) has signed a three-fight deal with Affliction and will debut with the organization at its Oct. 11 event at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

However, Aleksander Emelianenko (13-3) -- a heavyweight fighter who was pulled from Affliction's debut event just seconds before he was set to weigh in for his fight with Paul Buentello -- will not be part of the October event.

Horodecki, a Canadian who turned pro just days after his 18th birthday, fought for the TKO organization before heading to the IFL. There, the now-20-year-old lightweight went 8-1 to become one of the organization's biggest stars. However, in a first-ever IFL lightweight title fight, he suffered a first-round TKO to Ryan Schultz.

Affliction executives have not yet determined an opponent for Horodecki's promotional debut.

Meanwhile, Atencio confirmed that Emelianenko -- a former PRIDE fighter and the younger brother of Affliction fighter Fedor Emelianenko -- will not be part of the Oct. 11 show, as was first planned.

Just as he was about to hit the scale for Affliction's event last month, Emelianenko was unexpectedly pulled from the fight card. (Gary Goodridge was quickly announced as a replacement.) The California State Athletic Commission stated that the 27-year-old fighter failed to meet licensing requirements, though officials could not divulge the reason why due to privacy regulations. Although it was widely reported that Emelianenko had tested positive for Hepatitis B, his camp has repeatedly denied the claims.

Emelianenko was visibly distraught after the decision and said the situation came as a complete surprise. And although he was optimistic the fighter could be cleared for the second event, Atencio said Emelianenko still faces licensing problems and that the organization had to move on without him being a part of the Oct. 11 event.

MATYUSHENKO AGREES TO NOGUEIRA AT AFFLICTION 2

Looking back over the brief, yet meaningful history of the International Fight League, one of the true feel-good stories of the promotion was the resurgence of Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko.

Often in the background of the battle for light-heavyweight attention due to his low-key demeanor, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran stepped into the spotlight in a big way in the IFL, winning all six of his bouts with the promotion en route to claiming its 205-pound championship.

But, as all things must come to the end, with the IFL closing shop this year, Matyushenko was left to look for a new place to call home, and he has found it, agreeing to participate in the upcoming Affliction 2 show, “Day of Reckoning,” on Oct. 11 in Las Vegas in a rematch with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

“I’m feeling great,” Vladimir said of joining Affliction. “I’ve finally figured out what I’m doing with my future.

“It’s hard to train when you don’t know what your next fight is. Affliction is a great opportunity to showcase my skills and test myself again.”

As it currently stands, a finalized deal has yet to be signed, but with a verbal agreement between Matyushenko, his management, and Affliction having been worked out; Vladimir is looking forward to a rematch with Nogueira, whom he defeated six years ago.

“He’s a tough guy,” stated Matyushenko. “I fought him to a unanimous decision (victory), but it was a tough fight, and I’m sure it’s going to be a tough fight this time, but I’m ready. I’m ready for anybody.”

Along with Matyushenko, it appears that fellow former IFL champ Roy Nelson will be appearing on the card as well; following a string of high profile opportunities for former members of the promotion.

SEAN SHERK TO RETURN AT UFC 90 VS TYSON GRIFFIN

Sean Sherk’s quest to regain his Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight belt begins again in Chicago.

After losing the strap to B.J. Penn at UFC 84 in May, Sherk will face off with Xtreme Couture standout Tyson Griffin at UFC 90. Both fighters have agreed to the bout, and are in the process of signing bout agreements, according to sources close to both camps.

Since his loss to Frankie Edgar at UFC 67, Griffin has been on a four-fight tear, recently defeating American Top Team’s Marcus Aurelio at UFC 86 in July.

Griffin’s camp had reportedly been wanting for the fight for quite some time, and with Sherk’s loss, everything seems to have worked out nicely.

“I’ve got five fights left, and I feel like I have a good strong future with the UFC,” Sherk said.

“Maybe one or two wins and I’ll be back in title contention again. I’ve been real careful with who I’m going to fight. I don’t want to fight up-and-coming guys. You start fighting up-and-coming guys and you have to fight more guys to make your way up to the top. I want to fight the best of the best, and that’s what I’m doing with this upcoming fight.”

Fedor-Arlovski Scrapped

Due to smashing his hand against Tim Sylvia's face, Fedor Emelianenko will be forced off the Affliction card in October.

Instead Two former UFC champions will collide in the main event of Affliction's second offering, "Day of Reckoning," on October 11 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Josh Barnett (26-5), fresh off his knockout win over Pedro Rizzo on July 19, will take on Andrei Arlovski (14-5), who -- in what was arguably the best performance of his career -- knocked out Ben Rothwell at the same event.

Affliction originally wanted Fedor Emelianenko to make his first WAMMA heavyweight title defense against Arlovski at this event but Fedor is out due to an injury to his right hand, which the California Athletic Comission suspended him 180 days for. Fedor would be allowed to shorten the suspension if he got clearance for a doctor, but it doesn't look like he'll be ready for October.

Barnett was a question mark for the event after saying he would not take a pay cut in response to the rumors that Affliction was asking fighters to take a 50% pay cut. But Barnett shot down the rumors in a blog posting Saturday:

"Straight from the mouths of my friends Tom Attencio and Todd Beard: No one is being asked to take a pay cut," Barnett wrote. "They would never ask anyone to take a pay cut and don't intend to. Tom was only referring to any fighters that may have been thinking they could get an exorbitant amount of money from Affiction just because. Again, no pay cuts asked and expected and they are doing just fine."

Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Tim Sylvia and Pedro Rizzo are all expected to return for the second Affliction event.