The Weekly Wrap: May 30 – June 5

Affliction 3 Announced

Affliction Entertainment firmed up its third MMA pay-per-view offering, as it held a press conference in New York to officially announce “Trilogy” on Aug. 1, with Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett as the main event. The card, like the promotion’s previous two shows, will emanate from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. In making the announcements, Affliction executives also sought to counter a pervasive perception that “Trilogy” will be the outfit’s final event. Donald Trump and HDNet founder and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban were on hand for the press conference. Tickets for “Trilogy” went on sale Thursday.

A light heavyweight match between Gegard Mousasi and Strikeforce champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral was confirmed. Vitor Belfort, at one point penciled in to face Mousasi, will likely face Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago. The following bouts are also expected on the show: Tim Sylvia vs. Paul Buentello, Jay Hieron vs. Paul Daley, Dan Lauzon vs. Chris Horodecki, Ben Rothwell vs. Chase Gormley and Deividas Taurosevicius vs. Brett Cooper. The undercard will air live on HDNet.

Executives brushed off suggestions that Affliction’s third MMA card will be its last. The company’s chief operating officer, Michael Cohen, told MMA Fanhouse he expects a fourth, fifth and sixth show, including another one in 2009, mostly likely on the East Coast. Most Affliction contracts -- which are widely considered too lucrative for the company to turn a sustainable profit -- were three-fight deals and will have to be re-negotiated. Affliction vice president Tom Atencio told Fanhouse the company will have to restructure after the current event because contracts are up. Management for Emelianenko, whose fight with Barnett will be the last on his Affliction contract, were talking of seeking a rare one-fight deal with the UFC to challenge the winner of the Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir match at UFC 100. Cohen said “Trilogy” will turn a profit, and the payroll will be lower than that of the first two Affliction cards.