The Five-Finger Death Punch: "Affliction: Day of Reckoning"

(Credit for the photo goes to MMA Weekly)

1. Fedor via midair knockout

If you blinked, you missed it.

If you turned your head to point out to a friend how Fedor Emelianenko was struggling to contend with Andrei Arlovski’s vaunted boxing, you very well might have spilled your beer the moment your attention turned back to the television screen.

Heck, if your eyes were zeroed in on Arlovski’s attempted rising knee attack, sensing impending doom for Emelianenko, you were probably at a loss for explanation when you looked up and saw the 240-pound Belarusian crumple in midair and collapse onto the canvas.

Fight fans, that is how you finish a fight.

Prior to the finish of Saturday’s headline bout, the intrigue was definitely there, as the fight could not have gone any better for Arlovski.

He kept Emelianenko at bay with a string of leg kicks, and his advantage in technical striking was as evident as ever, with “The Pitbull” evading Emelianenko’s looping, unorthodox strikes and responding with a smooth right hand of his own.

Then just when it seemed like the momentum had swung entirely following an Arlovski body kick, Andrei got a little ahead of himself and forgot he was swooping in for the kill on the most dangerous mixed martial artist on the planet.

Just like with any overly dominant sports figure or franchise, if you’re not going to catch your opponent on an off-night, it’s going to take a flawless performance if you plan on coming out on top, and one opening for Emelianenko was all he needed to add another chapter to his legacy.

For all the talk that’s being raised on how good Arlovski looked on his feet before being finished, I’m not really sure why this is such a big surprise.

It’s hardly going out on a limb when you say Arlovski is the more polished, efficient technical striker between him and Emelianenko, and given all the hoopla surrounding Freddie Roach and the improvements made to Andrei’s boxing, he was performing as expected.

But just as most pegged Arlovski to have the advantage if the bout turned into a kickboxing contest, it’s no shock to find out that his ever-suspect chin was put to the test and failed with flying colors.

What made the finish ever more intriguing was how uncharacteristic it was, not just in it’s execution, but coming the fact that while Emelianenko’s punching power is well-documented, he’s never been the kind of fighter capable to pull the one-punch knockout.

More times than not, his striking power is used to set up a hopeful submission finish and despite claiming seven knockouts to his record, many are filed under technical knockout, with Saturday’s bout being only the second time Emelianenko has recorded a legitimate KO when finishing an opponent.

Hats off to “The Last Emperor,” for only preserving his title as the world’s top heavyweight and dare I say top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, but for capturing the dubious honor of being “the best heavyweight in the world…tonight,” according to Tito Ortiz, who may very well be to MMA analysis what Emmitt Smith is to NFL analysis.

2. Barnett lets Yvel hang around about 10 minutes too long

The evening’s co-main event laid one piece of the groundwork for an upcoming Affliction headline bout, with Josh Barnett earning what we would all assume to be the opportunity to fight for the WAMMA heavyweight title.

Nobody really gave Gilbert Yvel a prayer in pulling off the upset, and given the way the action transpired, the Dutchman made what was a thoroughly one-sided affair into a pretty entertaining contest.

Playing defense on all but a few occasions, I’ll tip my hat to Yvel for surviving as long as he did, especially in the bout’s opening frame, when Barnett threw the kitchen sink at him from the mount position.

With Barnett landing punch after punch and as many times as I was certain that Herb Dean would jump in and halt the action, Yvel persevered for the time being.

Barnett’s too smart to be baited into a standup war with someone like Yvel and had no trouble in getting the action to the ground and securing a dominant position, although it was clear he pretty much shot his wad trying to finish Yvel in the first round.

In the end, this fight seemed a lot like the contest between Rousimar Palhares and Jeremy Horn last weekend, in that it just seemed like the bout shouldn’t have lasted as long as it did, considering the multiple fight-ending predicaments both Yvel and Horn found themselves in.

Still, a win’s a win, and now the build towards Barnett vs. Fedor begins. It still amazes me that these two never crossed paths in PRIDE.

While Barnett’s performance last night probably didn’t inspire the greatest amount of hope in the Fedor detractors, you fellas have plenty of time to convince yourselves otherwise.

I, for one, can’t wait for that fight.

3. Hey, our first “KTFO” moment of 2009

While this will obviously be overshadowed by the “KTFO” moment that transpired an hour later, Vitor Belfort has made quite the impression since competing for Affliction.

Knocking Terry Martin silly against the ropes is one thing, but Belfort’s showing against Matt Lindland—who in the eyes of several publications, had worked his way back into the top-10 fray at middleweight—had shades of Wanderlei Silva’s mauling of Keith Jardine last May written all over it, minus the rape choke, of course.

Bear in mind, I’m not ready to sit back and proclaim the Vitor of old is back, but it will be interesting to see where the veteran goes from here, as Affliction’s middleweight pool is relatively slim. I’m reading elsewhere that Belfort may be a free agent, so he should have more a few options at his disposal.

As for Lindland, despite his current standing in the division, it’s been forever since Lindland has done anything of note at 185 pounds. Last night left me with the impression that the ride may be coming to an end for “The Law.”

I can’t say I was thoroughly impressed with Lindland’s showing against Fabio Negao during the first Affliction event. While the middleweight division isn’t bursting at the seams with world-beaters, it’s hard to fathom Lindland being able to keep pace with the current influx of talent at 185 pounds.

4. Same song, different tune for Sokoudjou

Like many fans, I felt Renato Sobral vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou was the next most intriguing bout of Saturday’s card outside of the main event; so intriguing that I somehow managed to squeeze out over 1,000 words about it in my last article.

Sokoudjou’s status in the fight game becomes clearer by the day, and last night was nothing we haven’t seen before out of “The African Assassin.”

Sokoudjou fought at a frantic, early pace that he wouldn’t be able to maintain and his Ford Pinto-esque gas tank reared its ugly head yet again, as with one minute remaining in the opening round, the Team Quest fighter was already spent.

From that point forward, Sobral had no problem getting a takedown early in the second round and working from his comfort zone.

Much like the Lyoto Machida fight 13 months ago, Sokoudjou showed little in the way of awareness as to how to handle himself when fighting off his back.

Sobral tagged him with persistent ground-and-pound before working for the eventual fight-ending Brabo Choke, and I can’t say I was shocked in the slightest.

The blueprint for the now 5-4 Sokoudjou is becoming all the more apparent, and props to “Babalu,” who extended his current winning streak to five straight.

If he sticks around to complete for Affliction down the road, a possible date with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira sounds quite enticing.

5. It’s okay Kirill, “Grown up Fedor” has never been finished either

I feel sorry for Kirill Sidelnikov. I really do.

The 20 year old was doomed from the start by being labeled “Baby Fedor,” a moniker that sets the bar far too high for any prospective fighter to live up to.

What’s worse, his first exposure on American soil is having the chance to compete against one of the heavyweight division’s most battle-tested standup fighters in Paul Buentello.

Buentello was on-point for most of the evening, finding a nice home for his jab early on. “The Headhunter” mixed in crosses and hooks as the action progressed, while Sidelnikov could do nothing but show that while inexperienced, he does possess quite the sturdy chin.

But who are we kidding: just like Dana White dropped the ball with Phillipe Nover by branding him as “lightweight Anderson Silva,” there’s no need to dub an up-and-comer who now has a professional record of 5-3 as “Baby Fedor.”

Sidelnikov’s time may come soon enough, but Saturday night affirmed that he’s still a project with a long ways to go, so tap the brakes on the outrageous nickname hyperbole.