Fedor Destroys ex-UFC champ Tim Sylvia at Affliction Banned
It took less than one minute for a few introductions to be made on Saturday night at Affliction Banned in Anaheim, Calif.: the legendary Fedor Emelianenko made himself known to the casual mixed-martial-arts fans in North America, he introduced his fists to Tim Sylvia's face, and a new player in MMA showed it may have the moxie to give Ultimate Fighting Championship a headache or two.
In the main event of Affliction Banned, Emelianenko (28-1, one NC) needed just 36 seconds to dismantle Sylvia (24-5), a two-time UFC heavyweight champion. The powerful Russian, who made his legend fighting in Japan but had yet to post a breakthrough performance in the United States, floored Sylvia with rights and lefts before pouncing on his fallen opponent and choking him out. With the stunningly efficient performance, Emelianenko captured the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) heavyweight title and continued to make his case for the mythical title of top pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.
Affliction, a T-shirt company that made its name in large part due to UFC fighters endorsing the apparel, made its debut in fight promotion on Saturday. Fighters' salaries for the card have been estimated in the $4-5 million range, with many of the top heavyweights in the world fighting on the Affliction pay-per-view. The announced attendance was 13,998 at the Honda Center, showing that UFC - the unquestioned top company in mixed-martial-arts - may have to deal with the company in the future.
"I was very pleased with my performance," said Emelianenko following the bout.
"Everything I wanted to do, I was able to do."
In other bouts:
- Ex-UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski (13-5) beat Ben Rothwell (29-6) in a three-round heavyweight battle that went back and forth before Arlovski finally floored Rothwell, forcing the referee to stop the bout.
- Josh Barnett (23-5), another former UFC heavyweight champion, knocked out Pedro Rizzo (16-8) with a left hook in the second round, avenging a loss to Rizzo from more than seven years ago. Barnett and Arlovski said they would like a shot at Emelianenko, as did current UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture. Couture, however, is locked in a legal battle with UFC, putting his status for any promotion up in the air.
- Canadian Mark Hominick (16-8) forced Savant Young (9-8) to tap out to an armbar in the second round of a lightweight match.
- Light heavyweight Renato Sobral (30-7) defeated Mike Whitehead (20-6) via unanimous decision.
- Middleweight Matt Lindland (21-5) knocked off Fabio Nascimento (8-4) in another unanimous decision.
- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3) destroyed Edwin Dewees (35-13) with a combination of knees and fists before it was stopped late in the first round of a light heavyweight bout.
- Middleweight Vitor Belfort (17-8), a former UFC light heavyweight champ, knocked out Terry Martin (16-5) midway through the second round.
- Welterweight Mike Pyle (16-5-1) choked out J.J. Ambrose (9-2) midway through the first round.
- In a heavyweight match-up, Paul Buentello (26-10) won by unanimous decision over Gary Goodridge (23-18-1), who was a last-minute replacement for Aleksander Emelianenko. Emelianenko, Fedor's younger brother, did not meet licensing requirements late in the week.
Silva impresses at UFC Fight Night
Anderson Silva (22-4), considered by most to be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, moved up a weight class on Saturday night but was as dominant as ever.
The reigning UFC middleweight champion moved up to the light heavyweight division and needed just 1:01 to knock out James Irvin (14-5-1) at a hastily-organized UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas that was put together following the announcement of Affliction's pay-per-view. Silva caught an Irvin kick and landed a devastating right hand before finishing with nine unanswered shots on the mat.
In the semi-main event, Brandon Vera (9-2) moved down to the light heavyweight division and posted a unanimous decision over Reese Andy (7-2).
In other matches:
- Frankie Edgar (9-1) defeated Hermes Franca (19-7) via unanimous decision.
- Cain Velasquez (4-0) beat Jake O'Brien (10-2) via TKO in the first round.
- Kevin Burns (8-1) won a controversial TKO over Anthony Johnson (5-2) 3:35 into the third round after Johnson was poked in the eye and couldn't continue; the referee, however, did not see the eye poke.
- C.B. Dollaway (8-2) forced Jesse Taylor (7-3) to submit to a Peruvian necktie in the first round.
source - www.canada.com>
