MMA Spotlight 8.21.08: Does Affliction MMA Stand a Chance?

Posted by Reuel Mante on 08.21.2008

An ongoing debate since Affliction first announced an MMA event under their banner is whether or not they have what it takes to be successful. Of course they do!




I have to admit that when I first heard about Affliction Clothing promoting an MMA event independent of UFC, I was skeptical. The t-shirt company was enjoying the easiest product placement on one of the kings of Pay-per-View in the UFC. Every fighter was practically wearing one of their shirts before and after fights. They even had fighter exclusive shirts bearing the names and logos of Randy Couture, Quinton Jackson, and (my favorite) Georges St. Pierre. Their reputation was growing like wildfire and they had yet to release one commercial on T.V.

Once they declared their intentions to promote an event under their banner, the UFC released a statement regarding that fighters were banned to wear Affliction apparel. Right there could have been the first nail in the proverbial coffin. Their easy marketing base had been cut off at the source.

But the company would not be denied. The event was scheduled to take place in Texas with a main event featuring Fedor Emelianenko. Wow. Now that was something. Left and right, former UFC fighters were showing up on the fight card: Josh Barnett, Pedro Rizzo, Tim Sylvia, Andre Arlovski, Renato Sobral, Vitor Belfort and Matt Lindland. The card was getting deeper as recognizable faces kept showing up to fight at the inaugural event. What I thought was a great acquisition for them was Ben Rothwell. Rothwell was sporting a 33-5 record and hadn't lost in three years. What was even better was that he made his name outside of the UFC. Without holding a single event, Affliction was sporting a deeper and more lethal 206+ weight class than UFC's dismal heavyweight division.

Another roadblock for them was their original booking in Texas fell through. They quickly rebounded with a booking in Anaheim, California and were back in business. Not long after that was the announcement that Donald Trump had purchased a stake in Affliction MMA. You really can't get better with mainstream exposure especially when the Trump and his hair get involved. So the card was set, the venue booked, and celebrities were prepared to show their faces. It was now all down to Affliction and the fighters to bring it on. Had the show been boring or failed miserably, I wouldn't have bothered to write this article.

First up were the preliminaries as Mike Pyle, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Vitor Belfort and Paul Buentello all delivered sound victories. The first three fights on the main card were pretty bland until the three heavyweight showdowns. Barnett/Rizzo delivered on a knockout only this time Josh getting the win. Arlovski/Rothwell turned out the barnburner that everyone expected. The main event featured what I like to call: the Destruction of the Maine-iac. From top to bottom, it was not a bad show. It could have been much worse like EliteXC on CBS.

I know what you're probably thinking and yes I have thought about how good Kimbo Slice really is. Just kidding. "Sure they put on one great event but how can they make the next one better?" The point for their first show to do so well is that they don't have to put another great card like that together for a while. Affliction has established that they are willing to pull out all the stops to prove that they are for real. They got Fedor while Dana White couldn't. They got Josh Barnett to fight in an American MMA organization while rumors keep flying around that UFC can't agree on a contract for him. They got Arlovski to show the fire in ring that he used to display in the cage as champion. Hell, Vitor Belfort delivered a highlight knockout midway through his own fight. That t-shirt company really delivered when the odds were stacked against them. Now for their next PPV Affliction: Day of Reckoning, they are going balls out by having their event take place in the UFC's backyard at the Thomas and Mack Center. The audacity! Once again, they give another main event worth watching as Josh Barnett will fight Andre Arlovski presumably to decide who will fight Fedor for the WAMMA championship. I'm all set for this one!

One major complaint about Affliction that I want to address is how much money they lost in their first PPV and how much more they'll lose in the next one. All I really have to say about that is this: with Donald Trump as your backer, who gives a rip about how much money is lost? Are some of you so naïve as to think that Trump wouldn't have expected that? He's a businessman. You have to spend a lot of money to make money. It was only their first event and they lost about $3 million just on payroll. That's chump change to Donald. He finds that inside the cushions in his couch!

Do I think that Affliction has what it takes to last in this business? Hell yes! They have the money. They have the endorsements. They have the attitude. And they have Megadeth…nevermind. They really have all the tools to be successful and make a difference. Of course, this is just my opinion and only time will tell. But you can be damn sure I'll be watching the PPV on October 11th.