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Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia confirmed for July 19th

by LR 4/8/2008 10:47:00 AM

Although this has been a rumor that has been flying around the MMA community for most of the day today, Greg Savage over at Sherdog.com is confirming that Fedor Emelianenko will in fact take on former UFC Heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia on July 19 at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas. Savage and Evgeni Kogan were able to obtain this quote from the PRIDE Heavyweight champion:

"[Sylvia] is a good fighter, a strong fighter, the former UFC heavyweight champion, which is important," Emelianenko said via telephone from Stary Oskol, Russia. "I am looking forward to fighting him and training hard for this fight."

Details haven’t been disclosed as of yet, but the event is scheduled in Dallas on the 19th of July and it has been indicated to Savage that it will air on HDNet. The promotion behind the move could very well be Affliction, according to the article.

Get ready for a huge bout… literally. Sylvia’s size could cause problems, but as Sylvia stated after his matchup with Nogueira, “I hate jiu-jitsu”. This should be a classic striker vs. grappler, but Fedor possesses devastatingly quick striking coupled with awesome takedowns and unparalleled submission abilities. Fedor does, however, lack the tough skin to avoid cuts, and the match may take place in a cage which would give Sylvia a slight advantage.

I’m glad Monte gave us a quality fight for fans to be really excited for. This is probably one of the first times that I’m glad for both sides of the matchup. Fedor finally stepped up to take on a legitimately tough opponent in Sylvia, and Sylvia moved away from the UFC as he had hoped for more money and the opportunity to take on Fedor. Most importantly, it works out great for the fans of this sport.

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Tags:

Fedor Emelianenko | Tim Sylvia

Comments

April 8. 2008 16:17

So HDNet gets a major bout without spending any more than a television rights.

Tim and Adrenaline MMA gain money and exposure. Fedor and M-1 gain money and exposure.

But Affliction is the one that confuses me. This is going to cost them quite a bit of money and, unless they sell out the arena, will likely lose money on this show.

I think it is great for the sport and, if Tim wins, could make Tim a far bigger star than ever before.

If this does well, it could set up future one offs of Tim/Barnett, Barnett/Fedor AA vs. each of these.

But the pessimist in me sees this as Affliction stepping into a business in which they have little understanding. If Golden Boy was still involved, I would have more faith in this venture.

Jeremy

April 8. 2008 20:44

this is a great fight.
i can't wait!
i want fedor to be famous here in the USA.

yasu

April 9. 2008 03:15

Jeremy,

I agree with your assessment of Affliction. It's especially strange considering it's their first show, and it could be a sign of some people within the company not really knowing the MMA business as well as they think they do. Sylvia vs. Fedor won't sell a lot of subscriptions to HDNet due to the availability and because Fedor isn't a drawing power yet. Fedor's best bet for exposure was CBS, and that fell through right now.

I believe Golden Boy dropped their partnership, which was the smart thing to do. Outside of the UFC, there really isn't many fights you can make that are blockbusters.