The migration of IFL fighters to Affliction continues today with the acquisition of 20-year-old standout Chris Horodecki.
Horodecki has but one blemish on his record and has a huge future in this business. He owns a 12-1 record and is a big time acquisition who will build toward the future.
Horodecki is a very good striker and half of his wins come by way of KO or TKO. His exciting style and quick hands and legs make for a big attraction. He should have an exciting career with Affliction. However Horodecki, is not the only standout to work his way into a big contract there.
Vladimir Matyushenko is another IFL star that has signed for top dollar in Affliction. Matyushenko may have been a breakout star in the IFL, but he is also a journeyman holding a 3-2 record in the UFC, beating greats like Yuki Kondo and Pedro Rizzo while losing to fellow Belarussian Andrei Arlovski and Tito Ortiz in his prime.
"The Janitor" took the IFL by storm going on a six-fight win streak. He should be an interesting dark horse seeing as his 21-3 record holds wins over Lil Nog, Kondo, and Rizzo. I am definitely looking for him to surprise people.
Savant Young was another big time IFL prospect. With lightning quick strikes and a stout powerful frame, Young is a knockout waiting to happen.
Although he lost to Mark Hominick at Affliction: Banned, he has some amazing potential. He is quick and powerful. While not on the level of maybe a Guillard in the explosiveness category, he is a definite combustible element.
One of the more famous acquisitions from the IFL was heavyweight standout Ben Rothwell. Rothwell was one of the more feared heavies in the IFL, winning all nine of his fights, most notably against former UFC champ Ricco Rodriguez (Deja Vu).
He was also a loser at Banned, but managed to last until the third round with big time striker Andrei Arlovski. That is certainly something to take into account.
Lastly, IFL heavyweight champ Roy Nelson is rumored to be featured on the next Affliction card. This may make things interesting as Nelson is deceptively athletic for his build. His hands are definitely heavy, as is everything about Big Country. He is coming off of two first round TKO victories of Brad Imes and UFC vet, Fabiano Scherner. (Scherner is best remembered for being knocked out by Brandon Vera.) Either way, he is making his presence known to doubters of his skill. Bas Rutten is also a big believer in Nelson and is pushing for a bigger fight for him in the future.
So in the stream of IFL fighters fleeing their promotion for money and fame, there looms a question. Will the IFL go under? The answer: Probably not. But there sure will be fewer viewers.
On a side note, Affliction has reportedly talked with Denis Kang and Takanori Gomi about contracts. Boy would I love to see that.
Overall though, I wish the best to the IFL fighters, because although they may not have the big names, they have the big hearts.
12 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete