AFFLICTION EVENT STILL IN LIMBO, BELFORT MOST LIKELY OPPONENT FOR FEDOR

One day after Josh Barnett’s positive test for steroids forced his withdrawal from the ‘Affliction: Trilogy’ MMA main event against Fedor Emelianenko, the promotion was still trying to salvage the card.  While Affliction’s Tom Atencio continued the search for a viable replacement opponent with only nine days to go before the event, Barnett’s future in the sport—at least in the US remained very much in doubt.

Most reports suggest that Vitor Belfort will jump two weight classes to face Fedor, and from purists’ standpoint is likely the best quality opponent available despite the size disparity.  Without a weight cut, Belfort will be at 210-215 by fight time so it’s not as pronounced of a mismatch as one might think.  Affliction is reportedly trying to get at least one more option, with Emelianenko’s management getting the final say as to which opponent they’d prefer to face.

The plot thickened even more early Thursday morning in Moscow, where Fedor and his management team were meeting the media to promote the event.  While Fedor himself maintain his usual stance that he’s willing to fight anyone, manager Vadim Finkelchtein took issue with the potential of Belfort as his replacement opponent:

"By the end of the evening we expect to officially announce who’ll be the replacement for Barnett. We personally entertain the idea of having Brett Rogers step in since he knocked Andrei Arlovski out. But if there is any problem with Rogers, then it’s pretty safe to say it’s going to be Belfort. However, we are well aware of the fact that fans don’t consider Vitor Belfort to be a suitable replacement.”

 “People want to see Fedor fight. Belfort can make heavyweight, but the fans don’t want this fight. Fedor isn’t seeking an easy fight. If logistics weren’t an issue, we’d like to see Fedor fight against Brett Rogers. Fans want it, and so do we.”

Josh Barnett, meanwhile, was taking unspecified steps to appeal his positive drug test and suspension.  He finally broke his silence on Thursday morning with the following statement posted on his MySpace page:

“Many of you are wondering what’s happening. What I can say is that when applying for my license, the CSAC asked for me to submit a urine sample for testing prior to granting my license as they do with everyone, I believe. It was not a random test. I had no reason to believe there would be any issues and went in to submit my sample at the earliest possible opportunity on June 25th. I never once thought there would be a problem.”
“My representatives and I are working to gather as much info as possible and handle this situation as best as we can. I am embarrassed and want for nothing more than to resolve this issue and receive a license from the State of California as I have done many times already and for other states as well.”

Another option is for Affliction to postpone the fight card, if for no other reason than to give them a better opportunity to deal with the situation.  Promotion VP Atencio indicated that wasn’t being considered at the time, but has yet to speak on the record since.