My Take On MMA 7.25.08: Afflicted Thoughts

Posted by Larry Csonka on 07.25.2008

In the aftermath of Affliction’s debut in the world of MMA, I share some thoughts Arlovski, FEDOR, the GIANT Affliction ring and more!



WELCOME~!:
Welcome back to another edition of My Take on MMA! I am back in the saddle here at 411 after a few days off, the kiddo was sick and we had the big move to complete. Moving when it is 100 degrees out sucks, just some FYI for you all. But as I get the 411 Command Center West complete, I got the chance to check out some of the Affliction show, and after I got done I have some thoughts I wanted to share. Others have already discussed the show in full detail, so I won't do that here, instead just some points that stood out to me that I felt I needed to get out. Enjoy!



Afflicted Thoughts ~!:

The Ring: Heading into the Affliction PPV there were tons of questions about what the company would use. Most figured a ruing and that had been confirmed. I assumed a ring because their biggest star, Fedor, is used to the ring and they wanted to accommodate him. It only makes sense, plus if they want to compete with UFC I think you need to be different from UFC, and whether some like it or not, a ring does that. Although to some a ring is a negative due to it being linked to boxing and wrestling; some people link them immediately and it turns them off. It seems silly, but I know people that make that connection and are turned off.

Anyway, they debuted this ring and it was giant! I mean, it looked like they were battling on a football field. The ring was roughly 28ft x 28ft. To put this in perspective, the PRIDE ring was 23ft x23ft and a WWE Ring is 20ft x 20ft. THIS WAS A GIGANTIC FIGHTING SURFACE. I have to say that I personally didn't like it. Not the size really, that didn't bother me. I was worried that it would make for a lot of stalling, but it really didn't. My issue is that I prefer my MMA in a cage. To me the ropes cause too many issues. Guys falling through, getting tangled in there and they have to slide them back in and restart; it kills the flow of the fight for me, and in the end my overall enjoyment. I am sorry; I guess I am not a ring man. But hey, at least it's not the YAMMA~! I wonder what happened to those guys?

Andrei Arlovski: In the roundtable I had stated that I was a HUGE Arlovski fan back in the day. To me I couldn't see how someone wasn't a fan of his. The man was a badass as he was taking people out with ease and just looked awesome with the long hair and the fangs, A BEAST! And then he cut the hair, and as the story goes Samson lost his strength and his title. But I do feel that the two loses to TIM-MAH sobered him up and turned him around, even if the UFC didn't think so. He was able to rattle off three straight wins over O'Brien, Cruz and Werdum, but couldn't get a title shot due to the contract negotiations. I do have to say that I am still stunned that the UFC let him go with how thin their HW Division is (Although I know Affliction offered Arlovski as INSANE amount of money and UFC refused to match it, but still, damn). Rothwell was on a 13-fight winning streak, with 9 of those fights ending in round one. The man has been DOMINANT, you cannot take that away from him. But Rothwell was seen as unproven due to the quality of his opponents. Both men had a lot to prove and in the end of the night Arlovski proved that he was a BAD man once again. He brutalized Ben Rothwell the entire fight, but I will give credit to Rothwell; he survived and took a TON of punishment from Arlovski. Rothwell is a good fighter, and he showed a lot of heart out there. I hope he doesn't go away with a completely defeated feeling from this fight, he can build off of it because he hung with Arlovski in the big time. When this fight was finished all I could think is, "Andrei Arlovski is back and I want him to fight FEDOR right now." And it looks like it is going there…

FEDOR: BRINGER OF DEATH: In the roundtable I had stated: In no way am I downplaying the ability of FEDOR when I say this. He is a bad ass, he has only lost one fight and everyone has every right to pick him here. But really, when was the last time he has REALLY been tested? The Choi fight was a joke, Lindland and Hunt were also no challenge to him. TIM-MAH, while boring as piss to some is a BIG guy that knows how to use his size to his advantage. If he can keep it standing and bully FEDOR around, I seriously believe that TIM-MAH has a good chance. Conversely, the moment this goes to the ground TIM-MAH will be FEDOR'S bitch. I just want to remind people that this is a fight, shit happens in a fight, FEDOR could get popped on the button and that could be it. I firmly believe that FEDOR will win the fight, but I will not be shocked if TIM-MAH did win, and in a way I hope he does because I would love to watch the Internet implode.

Well the Internet didn't explode, the stars didn't align and TIM-MAH didn't remember his rabbit's foot because FEDOR KILLED THIS MAN! The bottom line is that FEDOR showed why many consider him not only the best Heavyweight in the sport, but many consider him THE best, the best pound for pound, hell; people think he is THE SHIT. He charged this larger man, a former champion and HUMBLED him. Sorry, but that short a match is a HUMBLING. Let's put this in perspective, FEDOR took longer to defeat Hong Man Choi AND pro-wrestler Yugi Nagata! FEDOR did the thing that seems to work on TIM-MAH, and that is charge him and confuse him. Couture did it and TIM-MAH never recovered for example. This was a destruction for FEDOR, this is what they needed him to do. I believe that I both overestimated TIM-MAH and underestimated the destructive power of FEDOR. The man is great and will get my money for a big fight.

I am losing the desire to see FEDOR vs. Randy…: Now don't take this as "I have no desire to see the fight," but I have to admit that lately I am losing the desire I once had to see this fight. It has been a slow process. FEDOR couldn't come to terms with the UFC. Couture defends the title and then the shit hits the fan as he quits/retires but is caught in a legal battle due to his contract. We get an "Interim" champion due to legal reasons, and we are going on one year of Randy Couture not fighting. And while this is all happening I am discouraged as a fan. I want this fight, but I want it is UFC because without TV, Affliction can't give what should be a HUGE fight the (in my opinion) proper build it deserves. It is a simple story, the EVIL Russian that is considered the best and that just DESTROYED TIM-MAH vs. Captain America, the Rocky-Like figure that defied the odds coming out of retirement to win the title, coincidentally from TIM-MAH. But then I watched the Affliction show and I see Arlovski have a great fight and look great in his win. I see Josh Barnett knock the hell out of Pedro Rizzo and while I don't think it would be as big a fight, I want to see him get a shot. With Barnett you could play the story that he beat FEDOR'S brother, storytelling does sell tickets. Which brings us back to Randy vs. FEDOR. I want to see the fight, but if I am honest, not nearly as much as I did a year ago.

But on the bright side, if he faces Arlovski and wins and then beats Couture and Barnett, it will be FEDOR'S own "Ass Kicking of Former UFC World Champions" tour! Let's drag in Ricco Rodriguez, Dan Severn's Corpse, Kevin Randleman, and Maurice Smith. But leave Bas out of this, unless it is a street fight.

Thanks for joining me, take care and remember to check out 411's LIVE Elite XC Coverage tomorrow night!