Affliction DOR: What's Next for the Winners and Losers

§  WAMMA Heavyweight Championship bout:  Fedor Emelianenko vs.  Andrei Arlovski

Emelianenko defeated Arlovski via KO (punch) at 3:14 of round 1 to retain the WAMMA Heavyweight Championship.

Fedor: It’s obvious the next fight for Fedor will be former UFC Champion Josh Barnett.  Although Josh did not look impressive in his fight earlier in the night, I think he can still be a major threat for Fedor is he can manage to take the fight to the ground.  I just hope we don’t have to wait another six months for the next Affliction card to see it. There aren't too many Heavyweight threats out there for Fedor who aren't already signed with the UFC, so Barnett makes the most sense right now.

Arlovski: He looked good in the early going, but like most of Fedor’s opponents he made a mistake and paid for it. After looking at Affliction’s heavyweight division, I would like to see Andrei rematch Paul Buentello.  The two fought a few years back in the UFC in what was a quick knockout win for Arlovski.  Buentello looked good earlier on the card against “Baby Fedor.”  So I feel an Arlovski-Buentello rematch would be a good fight.

§  Heavyweight bout:  Josh Barnett vs.  Gilbert Yvel

Barnett defeated Yvel via submission (strikes) at 3:05 of round 3.

Barnett: He didn’t look too great against Yvel for the majority of the fight.  It wasn’t until the end of the fight that we really got to see Barnett’s strength on the ground.  Obviously, Fedor is next for “The Baby Faced Assassin,” and if Barnett wants a shot to do what no man has done before, he’s going to need to take Fedor down and try to wear him down.  Regardless, this is fight I can’t wait to see.

Yvel: In what many saw as a “push over” fight for Barnett, Yvel actually gave Barnett some trouble and showed he can hang with some of the best in the heavyweight division. Gilbert Yvel has a vicious stand up and would make for an entertaining fight against either Buentello or possibly Arlovski. 

§  Middleweight bout:  Matt Lindland vs.  Vitor Belfort

Belfort defeated Lindland via KO (punches) at 0:37 of round 1.

Belfort:  After Belfort's recent performances, many are quick to claim that the “Old Vitor” is back, but I don’t see it that way.  I think this is a new and improved Belfort.  Training at Xtreme Couture has done wonders for the former UFC Champion.  Affliction’s Middleweight division isn’t too deep, so for Belfort’s next fight I can only hope that Affliction will be able scoop up some of EliteXC’s middleweights, a fight with EXC Middleweight Champ Robbie Lawler could be a good one.

Lindland:  In what was a scary of couple of minutes following his devastating knockout loss, at age 38, Lindland’s best years are obviously behind him.  At this point, I don’t see any intriguing match ups for “The Law.”  It may be time for Lindland to hang them up, as another knockout loss could do some serious damage.

§  Light Heavyweight bout:  Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs.  Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

Sobral defeated Sokoudjou via submission (Brabo Choke) at 2:37 of round 2.

Babalu: Babalu looked impressive against “The African Assassin.”  He managed to take what looked to be a larger Sokoudjou down and essentially have his way with him.  I would like to see Babalu take on Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, but another big named fight could be taking place, seeing as Sobral has been heard calling out Tito Ortiz for the past couple of months.  A fight like that might be what Affliction needs to gain more star power to the casual MMA fan.

Sokoudjou: After becoming an overnight MMA sensation after big knockout wins over Ricardo Arona and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Sokoudjou now finds himself 1-3 in his last four fights.  I don’t feel he’s done, but he definitely needs to go back to the drawing board.  I think it may have been a little too much too soon for him.  I feel it would be in his best interest to take fights on smaller shows to build up some more experience.  The sky’s the limit for Sokoudjou, but he’s needs to work his way back up to the "big show.”

§  Heavyweight bout:  Paul Buentello vs.  Kirill Sidelnikov

Buentello defeated Sidelnikov via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 4:18 of round 3.

Buentello:  Buentello had one of the best performances of his career.  After taking a few good shots from “Baby Fedor,” he was able to get in the clinch and turn the fight in his favor.  As I wrote earlier, I would like to see a rematch with Andrei Arlovski.  If the fight stays on, it would definitely make for some fireworks.

Sidelnikov: “Baby Fedor” looked decent during the early going of this fight. There were definitely some similarities between his and Fedor as far as their fighting styles go.  I saw the same flat-footed stance and looping punch that Fedor usually throws.  At 20 years old, “Baby Fedor” has a ton of potential, working with the best heavyweight in the world doesn’t hurt either.  We’ll definitely see him back.

§  Lightweight bout:  Dan Lauzon vs.  Bobby Green

Lauzon defeated Green via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:55 of round 1.

Lauzon- After a setback loss in the UFC over two years ago, Lauzon has been racking up impressive wins, and this was another one.  After three low blow breaks, Lauzon did not let those faze him and was able to get the submission victory in the first round.  I would really looking forward to his originally scheduled fight against former IFL Champion Chris Horodecki.  So I can only hope that’s what we’ll see next from Lauzon.

Green:  Not much was known about Green going into this fight as he was filling in on short notice.  Despite three low blows he made for an exciting fight but clearly lost momentum after the breaks.  Fans love a good stand up fight and Green can make for an exciting one.  I think we’ll see him back, if not in Affliction, then definitely somewhere else.

Overall, I really enjoyed Affliction's second offering.  All the fights were entertaining.  The commentary was good, as was the production.  This was definitely better than their first show.  This event has left me wanting more.  I cannot wait for Affliction’s next show.  So I give this show an 8 out of 10.