While Affliction’s first-ever mixed martial arts card on July 19 does not appear to be in peril, it looks like the event may require a new venue.
On Saturday afternoon, FiveOuncesOfPain.com was informed by a source that a proposed deal between Affliction and HDNet appeared to have fallen through. As a result, Affliction was not able to finalize an agreement to book the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas for its first show.
The event, which is slated to be headlined by Fedor Emelianenko taking on Tim Sylvia, could now be held at The Pond in Anaheim, Calif., instead. That revelation was made by current UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture while appearing Saturday night as a guest on “Rear Naked Radio” on 105.3 FM in Dallas.
While the collapse of a promotional agreement between Affliction and HDNet doesn’t appear to be a catastrophic loss for the clothing maker’s MMA plans, it could be construed as a setback. According to sources, Affliction and HDNet were discussing an arrangement in which HDNet would televise several matches from the undercard on July 19 as a way to drive buys for the pay-per-view telecast. The card was then also expected to air approximately a week later on HDNet on a tape-delay basis.
The failure to consummate a deal with HDNet is apparently not the first time the new Affliction promotion has lost a potential television partner. According to previous reports, Affliction at one point was going to move ahead with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions as a promotional partner. It is believed that Golden Boy could have potentially served as a conduit for a broadcast deal with premium cable provider HBO.
In other Affliction-related news, Five Ounces of Pain has also learned that EliteXC has joined the UFC as the second major North American mixed martial arts promotion to ban its fighters from wearing Affliction clothing during cage-walk entrances.