(Photo by Joe Corrigan/Getty Images)
According to CNNSI, the recently troubled Affliction: Trilogy card has been canceled.
The troubles for the promotion started when Josh Barnett was forced off the card due to testing positive for a banned substance. From there, the organization scrambled to find a last minute replacement to fight Fedor, the top ranked heavyweight in mixed martial arts.
From Bobby Lashley to Vitor Belfort to Brett Rogers; apparently no one would fit the bill. Even fighters like Jeff Monson and Don Frye volunteered to fight the unbeatable Russian.
Fedor had said would prefer to fight Brett Rogers, the undefeated rising star under the Strikeforce banner, but Strikeforce said he was off the table.
Vitor Belfort was eager at opportunity to fight Fedor so one could speculate that Fedor and his management team would not sign off on the fight, thus dooming the main event. There were reports from Belfort's camp that bout agreements had been signed and that fight was a go.
MMA Weekly is adding to the early report by saying that Affliction’s pay-per-view provider, Showtime, played a major factor in the cancellation. Perhaps that is the real reason for the cancellation.
Not to be overlooked, another loss is not getting to see the U.S. debut of Gegard Mousasi who was taking on vetran fighter Renato Sobral in the co-main event.
Perhaps Affliction simply needed more time to regroup and this event will be postponed, like their second event "Day of Reckoning."
Stay close to Bleacher Report as details break.
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