'Affliction: Banned' Debut Card Set for July 19th

Affliction Clothing has officially released details of its debut card, which takes place July 19.

The event is set for the Honda Center ("The Pond") in Anaheim, Calif., and features a previously announced main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia. The main card airs live on pay per view.

The organization has also confirmed a number of former UFC and PRIDE veterans for its event, entitled "Banned," which is a knock at the clothing company recently being banned as a sponsor of UFC and EliteXC fighters.

The UFC has obvious reasons for banning the clothing line due to Randy Couture's affiliation with the company. Promoting another fight organization is a breech of Randy Couture's contract. EliteXC is banning the clothing line only because Affliction is now an official MMA organization and it wouldn't make sense for them to promote the competition.

The Affliction fight card is a very impressive one. They haven't released their complete roster due to there being signings very rapidly but if they can put together fight cards like this one, they could pose a serious threat to the UFC.

Company executives report the following line-up:

MAIN CARD (PAY PER VIEW)

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia
Josh Barnett vs. Pedro Rizzo
Ben Rothwell vs. TBA
Paul Buentello vs. Aleksander Emelianenko
Matt Lindland vs. Fabio Nascimento
Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Mike Whitehead

PRELIMINARY CARD

Ray Lazama vs. Justin Levens
Mark Hominick vs. Savant Young
J.J. Ambrose vs. Patrick Speight
Brett Cooper vs. Mike Pyle

Rumor's are flying that Ben Rothwell's opponent will be former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski which gives the card even more credibility.

This card clearly proves that Dana White's disclaimer that the best fighters are in the UFC is not even close to being true. The most popular organization is the UFC and that's it.

That being said, it's gonne be extremely tough for Affliction to be able to lay down fight cards of this magnitude with their temporary deep pockets. They're spending just about every dime from their clothing line to pay the fighters. And these guys are getting paid well for this fight card.

They need to draw some serious numbers to be able to put on another packed card like this one just to be able to pay the fighters in the future. Time will only tell but if they promote and market the fighters properly it could make for a very interesting couple years in the MMA world. They're already getting help from Dana White and the UFC for cutting some serious talent from their organization.

Mir, Nogueira set to coach 'The Ultimate Fighter' 8

The current interim UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir will coach next season's "The Ultimate Fighter" on Spike TV.

Nogueira will defend his interim title against Mir in a pay-per-view event at the end of the year.

"The Ultimate Fighter 8," which showcases light heavyweights and lightweights, will begin taping on May 18 for six weeks. The season premiere is scheduled for Wednesday, September 17 at 10:00pm ET.

Upon learning this I realized that the once meager heavyweight division is basically history now. Hey, it's not that Mir and Big Nog aren't great fighters but is this really a heavyweight championship fight? That's the best they could come up with?

Unfortunately yes, this is the best they can come up with. There is absolutely no one in the UFC worth anything in the heavyweight division. There's nothing to look forward to at all except for maybe Brock Lesnar but only because of his prior reputation. Losing Randy Couture and Tim Sylvia were worse than they appeared at the time. Even if they did land Fedor Emelianenko there wouldn't be anyone to fight him. But why is it that as soon as someone loses in their championship fight, they get abolished from the organization? Look at how many awesome heavyweights are out there. Guys like Jeff Monson, Kevin Randleman, Josh Barnett would be able to stir things up in the division. Even a lousy Mirko Cro Cop is better than an awesome Antoni Hardonk.

The UFC only has 2 worthy divisions at the moment with the 155 lb and 170 lb weight classes with the 205 lb weight class somewhat bearable.

Anderson Silva owns the middleweight division and Rich Franklin is his pawn that can beat everyone else except Silva. The lightheavyweight division has potential but guys aren't fighting more than twice a year which is a snoozefest. Plus the loss of Tito Ortiz, even though he hasn't been dominant, will affect the division because he always was a huge draw.

The UFC is trimming their roster but they're not cutting the worst fighters. They're cutting the fighters who won't do what the establishment wants them to do.

Dana White preaches that the UFC has the best fighters in the world and he's so far off the mark it's ridiculous. He's cutting or losing good talent which is supposed to be the marketability of the sport of MMA but he'd rather promote the UFC, The Ultimate Fighter, and himself. We know he's smart but we've been talking about how he might be the undoing for the UFC. This is a sign that the apocolypse might be upon us.

Brad Imes to vie for IFL heavyweight belt on May 16

The Ultimate Fighter 2 runner-up Brad Imes will step up to face champion Roy Nelson in an IFL heavyweight title bout on May 16 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Imes (11-4), who entered the picture when Nelson's original opponent Branden Lee Hinkle pulled out due to injury, will be making his IFL debut. The Miletich Fighting Systems product has won six out of his last seven bouts since exiting the UFC after a loss to Heath Herring. As a heavyweight who stands at six-feet-seven, Imes has opened eyes by finishing two of those six wins by gogoplata submission.

Since the departure of Ben Rothwell, Nelson (12-2) has emerged as the face of the heavyweight division in the IFL. The 32-year-old is 5-1 in the IFL, with his sole loss a split decision to Rothwell.

Leben Out, Day In For Bisping at UFC 85

Middleweight Jason Day (17-5 MMA, 1-0), who defeated Alan Belcher as a late replacement last month at UFC 83, will now replace Chris Leben and fight Michael Bisping (15-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) at London's UFC 85.

The UFC today revealed the June 7 bout, which will remain on the televised main card of the pay-per-view event.

Leben was recently sentenced to 35 days in jail due to a probation violating stemming from a 2005 DUI arrest. He would have been released just two weeks before the event.

Leben had hoped to transfer his probation in 2007 after moving from Oregon to Hawaii for a teaching position at T. Jay Thompson's ICON Fitness facility. However, the request was denied, and a bench warrant was issued when Leben went ahead with the move. Leben, who voluntarily turned himself into Clackamas County Sheriff's Department early last week, was optimistic that he'd be released during his hearing on Thursday and granted his visa, but he was instead sentenced to further jail time.

In his place steps Day, who replaced an injured Patrick Cote and scored a first-round TKO upset of rising contender Alan Belcher on April 19. He'll go for his sixth straight victory when he meets Bisping, who most recently defeated Charles McCarthy via first-round TKO at UFC 83.

This fight could be a bad matchup for Bisping. Even though he's an unknown, Jason Day is a superb fighter and has defeated UFC vets Jonathan Goulet, and David Loiseau. This fight won't have the star power it would if it were Leben fighting but it shouldn't be any less exciting.

Chris Leben gets 35 days in jail

UFC middleweight Chris Leben was sentenced today to 35 days in jail for violating his parole from a DUI arrest 3 years ago.

Leben, who now resides in Hawaii, flew back to Oregon and surrendered himself to authorities last Wednesday in an effort to remove an old warrant. It was the only way for Leben to obtain a VISA to leave the country for his June 7 fight against Michael Bisping at UFC 85 in London.

The UFC will make an announcement soon on whether Leben will remain on the card with less preparation time or to remove him entirely from the event.

IFL Getting Desperate

It was well understood but not reported that the IFL had been struggling. While the IFL affiliates had been preaching how great the fighting league has been, it was no secret that the writing was on the wall. I had no real proof but wrote a post about 2.5 months ago about their horrible marketing strategies that were going to bite them. Well I had some proof, the loss of their prime time slot was a dead giveaway and also predictable.

Sure enough, to no one's surprise, the company is in deep struggles.

In order to combat their losses they've decided to change things up a bit. The IFL will switch from a four-sided ring to a six-sided ring dubbed "The Hex" when the league returns to the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey on August 15.

IFL CEO Jay Larkin said the reason for the change was to expand the size of the fighting surface while still keeping the use of a ring.

The new surface will go into effect in the fourth event of the 2008 season, which follows the May 16 event at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

However, after the 2008-09 season, no one is sure if the IFL will be in existence.

UFC Making More Cuts and Who Knows When They'll Stop

The UFC has cut former UFC lightweight contender Din Thomas (22-8 MMA, 5-4 UFC), "The Ultimate Fighter 6" runner-up Tommy Speer (9-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) and Shooto veteran Kuniyoshi Hironaka (11-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) from its roster of fighters.

The three fighters are the latest casualties as the UFC continues to cut its roster by a reported 25 percent.

Thomas, 31, made his octagon debut in 2001 as a highly touted prospect with a 10-1 record. Victories over UFC champ Jens Pulver and veteran Japanese fighter Dokonjonosuke Mishima earned him a UFC contract, but he eventually left the organization in early 2003. He'd return, via a "comeback" fourth season of "The Ultimate Fighter," and re-emerged as a contender after consecutive victories over Rich Clementi, Clay Guida and Jeremy Stephens.

However, Thomas suffered a significant knee injury in a main event loss to Kenny Florian, and he then dropped a unanimous decision to Josh Neer earlier this month. According to the report, he is considering whether to retire or continue fighting outside the organization. Despite rumors he has not been assigned to the WEC, the UFC's sister organization, but he does plan to move to 145 pounds.

Speer, 23, excelled on the sixth season of "The Ultimate Fighter" but suffered a first-round submission to Mac Danzig at the show's live finale. He subsequently suffered a devestating 51-second knockout to Anthony Johnson last month at UFC Fight Night 13.

Hironaka, 31, made his octagon debut at UFC 64 and took top welterweight contender Jon Fitch to a decision in a loss. He bounced back for a decision victory over Forrest Petz but has since suffered second-round TKOs to Thiago Alves and Jonathan Goulet.

Other fighters dropped from their UFC contracts over the past month include Joe Doerksen, Travis Lutter, Charles McCarthy, Jake O'Brien and Kalib Starnes. Additionally, numerous cast members from "The Ultimate Fighter 6" were cut earlier this year, and the majority of cast members from the current season of "TUF" will be released from the organization next month.

UFC officials have recently stated that they want to trim the roster to assure fighters can be scheduled more frequently and to avoid long layoffs between fights.

Correction: Chris Leben Arrested for Probation Violation

It was reported earlier that UFC middleweight Chris Leben had been arrested for DUI when in fact Leben turned himself in and was arrested in Oregon on Wednesday for a parole violation stemming from a previous DUI offense, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.

As of late Wednesday evening, Leben remained behind bars.

Leben will go before a judge at 3 p.m. on Thursday. It was determined upon his booking that he was not eligible for bail because of the probation violation, according to the representative.

Leben (18-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC), 27, most recently defeated Alessio Sakara in March at UFC 82. After Chuck Liddell was forced to pull out of a UFC 85 main-event bout with Rashad Evans, the UFC booked fights between Leben and Bisping, as well as Matt Hughes and Thiago Alves. The popular fighter found his way to the UFC via the first season of the UFC reality series, "The Ultimate Fighter."

There's no word how and if the arrest may impact his June 7 fight with Bisping, which takes place overseas in London, England.

Roger Huerta vs. Kenny Florian Set for UFC 87

UFC lightweight contenders Kenny Florian (9-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) and Roger Huerta (20-1-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) have made no secret of their desire to fight each other, and Florian specifically has mentioned a UFC 87 event in August as the most likely date for the bout.

The Florian-Huerta fight will most likely serve as a co-main event for the Aug. 9 event. A heavyweight bout between UFC hall-of-famer Mark Coleman former WWE performer and NCAA champion Brock Lesnar headlines the event.

Florian fought earlier this month at UFC Fight Night 13 and defeated Joe Lauzon via second-round TKO. It was his fourth consecutive victory since a loss to Sean Sherk for the then-vacant lightweight title. Florian has now won seven of his past eight fights -- all via stoppage.

Huerta, meanwhile, will enter the bout with 16 consecutive victories (with one no-contest), including a perfect 6-0 mark in the UFC. The 24-year-old fought five times in 2007 and opted to take some time off to recover from the grueling schedule. His fight against Florian will be his first bout in more than eight months; he last defeated Clay Guida via third-round submission in The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale main event.

The Florian-Huerta bout will have obvious implications on the UFC's lightweight title picture, as the winner will likely next face either B.J. Penn or Sean Sherk, who fight for the title next month at UFC 84.

Travis Lutter Cut From the UFC

UFC middleweight and "The Ultimate Fighter 4" winner Travis Lutter, who most recently suffered a second-round TKO to Rich Franklin at UFC 83, has been released from the UFC.

Lutter confirmed the news with a recent blog post.

Lutter, who nearly submitted Franklin with a first-round armbar at the April 19 event, has been dropped from the UFC after facing arguably the division's top two fighters: Franklin and UFC middleweight title-holder Anderson Silva.

"Friday [afternoon] I was told by my manager that UFC matchmaker Joe [Silva] had left my him a message on his phone that I had been released from my UFC contract because of my two losses in a row," Lutter wrote.

After defeating Patrick Cote to win "TUF 4," Lutter earned his guaranteed title shot with Silva. However, he failed to make weight for the event -- earning the wrath of MMA fans and even UFC president Dana White -- and despite a solid first round, he ultimately suffered a second-round submission loss via strikes.

Lutter (9-5 MMA, 2-5 UFC) made his octagon debut at UFC 50 and earned a second-round knockout victory over Marvin Eastman.

This is no surprise given the dog house Dana White had put him in. Do you think he was really cut because of having 2 losses in a row against Anderson Sylva and Rich Franklin respectively? He failed to make weight and then gassed out after the first round. If fights were only one round long and only 5 minutes Lutter would be the middleweight champion. He simply dominates in the first round and then the tank runs dry.

Travis Lutter will be a pretty good force in another organization and needs to work on some serious cardio. I wouldn't be surprised if he returns to the UFC in the future when the ever boring middleweight division needs a bit of shaking up.

It just goes to show, don't get on the boss's bad side in the UFC.