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Emelianenko humbles Silvia at Affliction's first mixed martial arts show |
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Written by THE CANADIAN PRESS
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Sunday, 20 July 2008 |
Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (left) and former Pride star Fedor Emelianenko are shown in a handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-The Fight Network
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Fedor Emelianenko nearly broke Tim Silvia in half - and barely broke a sweat in the process.
The Russian slugger needed just 36 seconds to choke out Silvia in a stunning main event at the Affliction: Banned pay-per-view Saturday night at the Honda Center. The whupping galvanized Emelianenko's status as the most dominant heavyweight in the sport - and possibly the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.
Emelianenko, who was awarded the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts championship for the victory, was humble after the fight.
"I'm very happy about the fight, and very happy about my performance," said Emelianenko, who improved to 28-1 with the win. "I thank Tim very much for coming out and fighting with me."
Silvia didn't do much fighting at all Saturday night.
Emelianenko went right after the former UFC heavyweight champion, landing blow after blow that staggered Silvia and sent him to his knees. From there, the six-foot Russian wrapped himself around his six-foot-eight opponent and secured a vice-like chokehold, forcing Silvia to tap. While Emelianenko celebrated with his corner, Silvia (24-5) rose to his knees and shook his head, blood streaming from the bridge of his nose.
Running head-to-head against a hastily organized UFC televised card, Affliction's first pay-per-view MMA card was a monumental success, with the majority of bouts drawing cheers. And a future main event may already be in the offing after Emelianenko told the soldout crowd he would like to fight Randy Couture next.
Couture, who is still at contractual odds with the UFC, said the feeling is mutual.
"I would love to fight Fedor," said Couture. "Sometime this year, if I'm lucky."
Emelianenko wasn't the only heavyweight to impress on Affliction's inaugural pay-per-view. Andrei (The Pit Bull) Arlovski (13-5) put on a punching clinic in his knockout victory over Ben Rothwell (29-6), earning a standing ovation from the crowd - and a possible future rematch with Emelianenko, who won a unanimous decision in their only previous meeting in 2001.
Arlovski controlled the pace early, wrestling Rothwell to the mat and narrowly missing a heel lock that would have ended the match. The former UFC heavyweight champion then ended the round with a series of stiff punches that rocked Rothwell.
Arlovski picked up where he left off in Round 2, bludgeoning Rothwell with strikes that left his face a bloody mess. Rothwell retaliated after eluding Arlovski's second attempt at a heel lock, landing on top of the bearded Belarusian and stinging him with elbows.
Arlovski escaped late in the round and answered with a devastating array of punches and knees, bringing the crowd to its feet. He ended the fight with a short uppercut at 1:13 of the third round, sending his six-foot-five, 265-pound opponent crashing to the mat like a redwood.
Mark (The Machine) Hominick (15-8) of Thamesford, Ont., used a triangle choke to submit Savant Young (9-8) at 4:25 of the second round in a one-sided lightweight bout.
Hominick kept Young at bay in the first round, sending the 45-year-old back on his heels. Hominick continued taking it to Young in round two, nearly locking in a triangle choke before Young broke out of it by slamming Hominick into the mat.
Hominick maintained the pressure, and locked in an armbar that forced Young to tap.
Crowd favourite Renato (Babalu) Sobral (30-7) was rarely threatened in a unanimous decision victory over Mike Whitehead (21-6), who lost for the first time in 13 fights.
Aside from an occasional connected punch and kick, both fighters spent the majority of the first round clinched against the ropes. After several unsuccessful attempts, Whitehead finally drove Sobral to the mat early in the second round, but couldn't capitalize. Sobral answered by pinning Whitehead in the corner at the end of the round, nailing him with a pair of solid knees.
Sobral had the best chance to end the bout midway through the third, securing a guillotine choke which Whitehead escaped after 10 seconds of pressure. Sobral punctuated the win with a pair of solid kicks to Whitehead's face.
Matt (The Law) Lindland (21-5) beat Fabio Negao (8-4) via unanimous decision, using his strong mat skills to win his first MMA fight in more than 16 months.
Lindland, an Olympic silver medallist in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2000 Sydney Games, knocked Negao to the mat with a well-placed punch 10 seconds into the fight and controlled the rest of the opening round from the ground. After the two exchanged big elbows and punches early in the second round, Lindland used a double-leg takedown in the corner to gain position and resumed his mat dominance, bloodying Negao's mouth with shots.
The third round saw the two tired combatants exchange non-threatening punches, most of which found air.
Antonio Rogerio (Minotoro) Nogueira (14-3) used a flurry of knees and strikes to subdue Edwin (Babyface) Dewees (35-13) at 4:06 of Round 1. Nogueira, the twin brother of interim UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, softened up his opponent with knees to the head and chest before sending Dewees to the mat for good with a stiff overhand left to the temple.
Dewees, a submission specialist who competed in The Ultimate Fighter 4, has lost his last four fights.
Josh (The Baby-Faced Assassin) Barnett (22-5) had the knockout of the night, laying out Pedro (The Rock) Rizzo (16-8) at 1:44 of the second round with a powerful left hook that sent Rizzo sprawling to the canvas. Referee Herb Dean stopped the fight instantly, and Barnett climbed the ropes to celebrate with fans.
Mike (Quicksand) Pyle (17-5-1) posted an impressive submission win over JJ Ambrose (9-2) at 2:51 of the opening round. Pyle was the aggressor from the beginning, keeping Ambrose pasted to the mat with punches and submission attempts before cinching in a rear-naked choke.
On Saturday's undercard, former UFC light-heavyweight champion Vito (The Phenom) Belfort (17-8) used an uppercut-jab combination to take out Terry Martin (16-5) at 3:12 of the second round. Martin had taken Belfort to the mat moments earlier, but Belfort got back to his feet in a hurry and jolted Martin with a knee to set up the two-punch knockout.
Paul (The Headhunter) Buentello (26-10) beat Canadian Gary (Big Daddy) Goodridge by unanimous decision to open the card. Goodridge was named as a last-minute replacement for Aleksander Emelianenko after Fedor's younger brother failed to obtain a licence from the California State Athletic Commission in time for the bout.
Notes: Metal band Megadeth performed three songs. ... Unlike the UFC, which uses the famed Octagon cage, Affliction fights take place in a ring. That caused a problem in more than one bout, where fighters backpedalled into the ropes and end up falling through - forcing the referee to assist the fallen pugilist back to the centre. ... Celebrities in the crowd included real estate mogul Donald Trump, actor Rob Schneider, former New York Giants star Michael Strahan and former WWE star (Stone Cold) Steve Austin.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 20 July 2008 )
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