Next Affliction Show Set for October 11th in Las Vegas?

MMA Weekly (link below) is reporting that Affliction is close to finalizing details for their second show. Despite widespread rumors that the next show would take place in November, MMA Weekly is reporting that industry sources have indicated that the show will likely take place on October 11th.

Even more interesting is the fact that apparently the event will be taking place at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. As MMA Weekly (correctly) points out - this is "smack in the backyard of industry juggernaut the Ultimate Fighting Championship".

If this date and location are confirmed, then it just goes to show that "Affliction" is clearly buoyed by the results of their first show. The buyrate for the PPV will apparently top the 100,000 mark, the live gate was better than expected, and the event was largely applauded by industry watchers. "Affliction" did a great job in building up three of their biggest stars - Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett. There is also the possibility of other big names being added to the promotion between now and then (namely, Tito Ortiz). Also, with a viable (and deep-pocketed) competitor now surfacing, I would expect some current UFC stars to jump to the new promotion, lured by the prospect of big matches and even bigger money.

The reason for the move to an October date is likely tied to Fedor Emelianenko. Emelianenko's management team has already publicly stated that Fedor will be fighting twice more this year - once for Affliction in the fall, and one in Japan on New Year's Eve.

In order to accommodate their biggest star, "Affliction" likely bumped the date of their next PPV up a month so that Fedor would be able to properly prepare for his fight on New Year's Eve. Fedor is clearly the jewel of the "Affliction" promotion right now, and I am not surprised that they are doing what they can to keep Fedor happy.

There are still many unanswered questions about Affliction's next show, such as:

1. Who will Fedor fight? Josh Barnett? Andrei Arlovski? Or maybe even Randy Couture?

2. Will "Affliction" dish out the same amount of money that they spent on their first PPV for fighter salaries?

3. What type of counter-programming will the UFC have on that night?

4. Will "Affliction" be able to build on their first-show numbers (PPV, gate, etc)

One thing is for sure - "Affliction" is for real, and the UFC has a legitimate new competitor.

Source: Affliction Nearing Oct. 11 Date in Las Vegas

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