Affliction Day of Reckoning Andrei Arlovski vs Fedor Emelianenko who will win?
- Thread starter Shogun Locc
- Start date
I LIKE HOW FEDOR RESPONDED TO FREDDIE ROACH AND ARVLOVSKI REGARDING FEDOR'S SAMBO LOSS AND ROACH'S CRITIQUE ON FEDORS BOXING. HE SAID SOME SHIT LIKE "WELL GOOD THING WE ARE NOT FIGHTING SAMBO OR BOXING, WE ARE FIGHTING MMA"
DUDE GOT CLASS AND DONT SHIT TALK. BUT WITH HIS SKILLS AND RECORD THERE ISNT ANY NEED TO.
DANA WHITE SAID HE THOUGHT ARVLOVSKI WAS GONNA WIN TOO.
DUDE GOT CLASS AND DONT SHIT TALK. BUT WITH HIS SKILLS AND RECORD THERE ISNT ANY NEED TO.
DANA WHITE SAID HE THOUGHT ARVLOVSKI WAS GONNA WIN TOO.
DEMYSTIFYING FEDOR: FACT AND QUOTES FROM FEDOR EMELIEANENKO
link: http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content4118.html
Growing curiosity surrounds the whereabouts of current MMA megastar and WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko, who is set to face the fierce Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski at the fast approaching Affliction M-1 "Day of Reckoning." Widely considered the greatest heavyweight mixed martial artist in the history of the sport, Fedor has always had an air of mystery about him, causing fans to speculate wildly about his personal life and skills. But recently released information from his inner circle reveals that Fedor is deeply entrenched in fight preparations, with little time for anything else. Sequestered in his training camp in the small, secluded town of Stary Oskol in a remote Southwest corner of Russia, Fedor prepares for what will surely be one of his most challenging fights to date. To arrive in this ancient and isolated city takes a lengthy 12-hour train ride from Moscow, followed by a three hour bus ride.
link: http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content4118.html
Growing curiosity surrounds the whereabouts of current MMA megastar and WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko, who is set to face the fierce Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski at the fast approaching Affliction M-1 "Day of Reckoning." Widely considered the greatest heavyweight mixed martial artist in the history of the sport, Fedor has always had an air of mystery about him, causing fans to speculate wildly about his personal life and skills. But recently released information from his inner circle reveals that Fedor is deeply entrenched in fight preparations, with little time for anything else. Sequestered in his training camp in the small, secluded town of Stary Oskol in a remote Southwest corner of Russia, Fedor prepares for what will surely be one of his most challenging fights to date. To arrive in this ancient and isolated city takes a lengthy 12-hour train ride from Moscow, followed by a three hour bus ride.
Fedor Insider Training Facts and..
DreamFighters.com got the “Insider Training Secrets of Fedor Emelianenko” from Affliction MMA Today. Enjoy! LONG Read
Trainers
At 12 years old, Fedor’s family could not afford to buy him the Judo suit and training shoes he needed for class, so his first trainer, Vasiley Gavrilov, bought them for him.
Fedor remains loyal to his earliest trainers, such as Vladimir Voronov, who has trained him since he was 12 years old, long before his MMA career began. Voronov specializes in Sambo and Judo. In 1997, he was training Fedor for the Russian national Judo team, in preparation for the Olympics. Since amateur athletes in Russia at the time received no economic support from the government, many fighters would work as hired muscle for the mafia. So in 2000, Voronov and Fedor decided to focus on MMA.
At that time, Fedor enlisted Alexander Michkov to be his second trainer and striking coach. Michkov is a “Master of Sport” in boxing, the highest level a boxer can achieve in Russia. He has been with Fedor and Voronov since 2000.
Fedor often travels to Holland to train with Yogan Vos and Lucien Carbin, two more reputable members of his training circle, who focus on developing his Muay Thai skills.
Stary Oskol- Russia
Stary Oskol is a small mining town in the Belgorod region of Russia, located 385 miles south of Moscow. The city sits on one of the largest iron ore deposits in the world. With more than eight million tons of iron ore mined there per year, most locals make their living in the mining industry in one form or another. The population of about two hundred twenty-five thousand live eight thousand feet above sea level. At this time of year, Stary Oskol is in the dead of winter and covered in a thick layer of snow. Although there is a small airport in the city, it is rarely used throughout the year, and never in the winter. Everyone in the town knows Fedor and praises his signature humility. Locals say that the 235 pound powerhouse is the most humble person they know, despite his great talent and success. Fedor still lives in the same apartment and drives the same Toyota given him by town officials in honor of his achievements.
Temperature
A typical day for Fedor in the camp is marked by extremely cold temperatures. The highs throughout camp are in the mid-teens (Fahrenheit) and the lows are from negative four to negative eight degrees. It snows around 11 hours each day, and today left an additional 2.6 inches of snow on the ground. Tomorrow there is a 70% chance of snow. Fedor loves the challenge of these training conditions, because it gives him strength and perseverance.
Training Regimen
Fedor trains twice a day—once in the morning at 10am and again at 5pm. He first does cardio before every training session. Then he works on technique and strength training for a couple of hours. He finishes with some grappling and sparring.
Living Accommodations While Training
Fedor’s living accommodations are very basic when he’s training in Stary Oskol. The team lives in small rooms near the training facility where everything is simple and clean. There are no big training machines, no treadmills, or other complicated equipment common to all gyms in the U.S. Fedor prefers to use the resources of his natural surroundings for training. He loves to exercise and run outside, even though the winters are very cold, and he makes a point to do certain exercises outside in the elements to get his blood flowing. The simplicity helps Fedor become creative, adaptable and train harder.
Training Partners
Fedor’s training partners from the M-1 Global and Red Devil stable of fighters are a combination of both youthful athleticism and veteran skills. The Red Devil Academy is in St. Petersburg, Russia. It consists of a team of MMA fighters who compete on a regular basis. Fedor and his brother, Aleksander Emelianenko, both belong to the Red Devil Academy. Fedor also works out with long time training partner and fellow M-1 Global fighter, Roman Zentsov. Zentsov is a veteran fighter who has competed in over 30 professional MMA fights. He fought Andrei Arlovski in an M-1 cage in September of 2000, losing by TKO. His specialties are boxing and wrestling, and he has been a sparring partner of Fedor’s for several fights.
Fedor also trains with his protégé, Kiril “Baby Fedor” Sidelnikov. Sidelnikov is a 20-year-old phenom, who will be appearing on the Affliction M-1 “Day of Reckoning” card against Paul Buentello. Most recently, Sidelnikov led the Red Devil team into the finals of the 2008 M-1 Challenge. Sidelnikov is a very talented fighter with great stand up and grappling skills.
Nutrition
Fedor does not have a cook or a specific diet, but sticks to eating three meals a day. While he strives to eat healthily, he does not go out of his way to limit himself. Mostly, Fedor’s diet consists of meat, fish, vegetables and fruits. He also takes in as much liquid as he can, such as fresh juices and herbal teas. Fedor tries to stay away from soda, french fries and candy—some of his favorites when not training. He also refrains from drinking alcohol when he is training.
Interview with Fedor:
What is your training regimen like?
“Generally, all fighters train the same. But everyone puts their own accents on preparation, their own unique styles and preferences depending on their needs at the time. Every fighter, myself included, has certain exercises that they focus on based on the task at hand. But there are no secret exercises that lead me to victory, just hard work in whatever I do.”
Why do you choose to live and train there?
“There is no other choice. This is my home. This is my land. I would not want to choose anywhere else.”
Do you think this will be one of the hardest fights of your career?
“Yes, Andrei is a very skilled and dangerous fighter, another tough UFC Champion on my resume. I expect a very difficult fight similar to my fights with Noguiera. I must be very prepared.”
What are you worried most about and what are you working on in camp to prepare for this?
“Andrei is very quick on his feet. When he uses his speed in his stand-up, he can be very dangerous. We must work to neutralize his effectiveness on his feet.”
How do you stay calm before a fight?
“I just try to approach every fight in a smart manner, so I am completely prepared for anything that can happen. And I always try to keep my composure and think quickly in the ring. Good preparation leads to calmness.”
What does the gym look like that you train in?
“It looks like any other training gym. Mats, ring and training equipment. But it is the location that is the difference. We are high in the mountains and the high elevation is good for cardio and muscle endurance. We train in an area that is famous for its strong people. It feels more like home here.”
Do you get nervous before a fight; and if so, when does it happen?
“I get nervous just like anybody else but I try to compose myself around fight time. I have good trainers that help me stay calm. I just know that I have a job to do and I just try and go out and do it professionally.”
Do you do any other exercises outside?
“Yes. Nature is always more tasty. I love to do exercises outside although it has been cold. But we still run outside and do certain exercises to get the blood flowing.”
Do you have to watch your weight when training?
“No not really. I am usually in pretty good shape. It is just a matter of getting into fighting shape. The training allows my body to find its natural weight for the fight.”
What time do you wake up and go to bed?
“I wake up around 8am and go to sleep around 11pm.”
What are your favorite foods you have to give up while training?
“Well, there is no drinking vodka for one thing. And I can’t have any sweets.”
Family
Fedor spends most of his time with his family. He has two daughters—Marina, who is nine years old and Vasilia, who is one. He likes to play with them, take them to the zoo, take them for rides and shopping, but he particularly likes to read books to them. He has two younger brothers, Aleksander and Ivan, and an older sister, Marina. Both of his brothers have trained in MMA. His father, Vladimir, was a steel worker and his mother, Olga, was a teacher. Fedor attributes much of what he has accomplished to his mother as she always encouraged him to pursue martial arts.
Do you see your family when you are training?
“Yes. It calms me.”
Is it hard to be a father having to be away from home when you are traveling for business?
“Yes. I am always looking for a department store or toy store when I am traveling so I can bring something back to my kids. I am also always talking to them on the phone.”
Do your kids know what you do? Have they ever seen you fight or watched one of your fights on tape?
“My youngest is too young, but the oldest knows. She has never seen me fight however.”
Best Friend/Relationships
His best friend is Dennis, a friend since they were kids. Dennis helps him train, comes out to all of his fights and is always in his corner.
Fedor is also an acquaintance of the Former President of Russia Vladimir Putin.
What is your relationship with Vladimir Putin?
“We do not talk on a regular basis. It is just that he had seen one of my fights on TV and took an interest. Vladimir Putin has always been very kind to me and I have always appreciated his interest in my career and the sport of MMA. We have in common our love for Sambo, the National sport in Russia as well as MMA. Vladimir Putin is a black belt in Judo and a master in Sambo. I have promised him that I would always participate in Sambo if I was able to, so that I could be a role model for young people in Russia and continue the rich tradition of the sport. After I beat Matt Linland in Russia, Vladimir Putin was very kind and invited all of the fighters and their camps to the Presidential Mansion.”
Outside of Training
Most of Fedor’s free time is spent with friends and family. He usually just goes with the flow, depending on what his friends want to do—barbecuing, fishing, or whatever. On his own time, he goes to church. He also enjoys reading and drawing.
Favorite Movie/ Actor:
He likes American action movies and Bruce Willis is his favorite actor.
Favorite Music
When he was younger, Fedor was musically gifted, but his mother made him choose between the accordion and Judo. He chose Judo. Fedor enjoys listening to anything from classical music to hip-hop.
Favorite Food
He loves a good steak and lobster.
What were you like when you were younger?
“I was a pretty independent and responsible child. My two focuses were studying and training. I fell in love with Judo at the age of 12.”
What other sports do you like?
“Soccer, swimming and basketball.”
Do you like traveling?
“Not really. I like staying home and being with my friends and family. I miss them when I am away.”
What countries do you like to visit?
“Japan and the United States and any place that has scary roller coasters.”
How would you like to be remembered in the sport?
“As someone that was a good ambassador of a growing sport, that always wanted to fight the best fighters and always gave the fans the best he could give.”
DreamFighters.com got the “Insider Training Secrets of Fedor Emelianenko” from Affliction MMA Today. Enjoy! LONG Read
Trainers
At 12 years old, Fedor’s family could not afford to buy him the Judo suit and training shoes he needed for class, so his first trainer, Vasiley Gavrilov, bought them for him.
Fedor remains loyal to his earliest trainers, such as Vladimir Voronov, who has trained him since he was 12 years old, long before his MMA career began. Voronov specializes in Sambo and Judo. In 1997, he was training Fedor for the Russian national Judo team, in preparation for the Olympics. Since amateur athletes in Russia at the time received no economic support from the government, many fighters would work as hired muscle for the mafia. So in 2000, Voronov and Fedor decided to focus on MMA.
At that time, Fedor enlisted Alexander Michkov to be his second trainer and striking coach. Michkov is a “Master of Sport” in boxing, the highest level a boxer can achieve in Russia. He has been with Fedor and Voronov since 2000.
Fedor often travels to Holland to train with Yogan Vos and Lucien Carbin, two more reputable members of his training circle, who focus on developing his Muay Thai skills.
Stary Oskol- Russia
Stary Oskol is a small mining town in the Belgorod region of Russia, located 385 miles south of Moscow. The city sits on one of the largest iron ore deposits in the world. With more than eight million tons of iron ore mined there per year, most locals make their living in the mining industry in one form or another. The population of about two hundred twenty-five thousand live eight thousand feet above sea level. At this time of year, Stary Oskol is in the dead of winter and covered in a thick layer of snow. Although there is a small airport in the city, it is rarely used throughout the year, and never in the winter. Everyone in the town knows Fedor and praises his signature humility. Locals say that the 235 pound powerhouse is the most humble person they know, despite his great talent and success. Fedor still lives in the same apartment and drives the same Toyota given him by town officials in honor of his achievements.
Temperature
A typical day for Fedor in the camp is marked by extremely cold temperatures. The highs throughout camp are in the mid-teens (Fahrenheit) and the lows are from negative four to negative eight degrees. It snows around 11 hours each day, and today left an additional 2.6 inches of snow on the ground. Tomorrow there is a 70% chance of snow. Fedor loves the challenge of these training conditions, because it gives him strength and perseverance.
Training Regimen
Fedor trains twice a day—once in the morning at 10am and again at 5pm. He first does cardio before every training session. Then he works on technique and strength training for a couple of hours. He finishes with some grappling and sparring.
Living Accommodations While Training
Fedor’s living accommodations are very basic when he’s training in Stary Oskol. The team lives in small rooms near the training facility where everything is simple and clean. There are no big training machines, no treadmills, or other complicated equipment common to all gyms in the U.S. Fedor prefers to use the resources of his natural surroundings for training. He loves to exercise and run outside, even though the winters are very cold, and he makes a point to do certain exercises outside in the elements to get his blood flowing. The simplicity helps Fedor become creative, adaptable and train harder.
Training Partners
Fedor’s training partners from the M-1 Global and Red Devil stable of fighters are a combination of both youthful athleticism and veteran skills. The Red Devil Academy is in St. Petersburg, Russia. It consists of a team of MMA fighters who compete on a regular basis. Fedor and his brother, Aleksander Emelianenko, both belong to the Red Devil Academy. Fedor also works out with long time training partner and fellow M-1 Global fighter, Roman Zentsov. Zentsov is a veteran fighter who has competed in over 30 professional MMA fights. He fought Andrei Arlovski in an M-1 cage in September of 2000, losing by TKO. His specialties are boxing and wrestling, and he has been a sparring partner of Fedor’s for several fights.
Fedor also trains with his protégé, Kiril “Baby Fedor” Sidelnikov. Sidelnikov is a 20-year-old phenom, who will be appearing on the Affliction M-1 “Day of Reckoning” card against Paul Buentello. Most recently, Sidelnikov led the Red Devil team into the finals of the 2008 M-1 Challenge. Sidelnikov is a very talented fighter with great stand up and grappling skills.
Nutrition
Fedor does not have a cook or a specific diet, but sticks to eating three meals a day. While he strives to eat healthily, he does not go out of his way to limit himself. Mostly, Fedor’s diet consists of meat, fish, vegetables and fruits. He also takes in as much liquid as he can, such as fresh juices and herbal teas. Fedor tries to stay away from soda, french fries and candy—some of his favorites when not training. He also refrains from drinking alcohol when he is training.
Interview with Fedor:
What is your training regimen like?
“Generally, all fighters train the same. But everyone puts their own accents on preparation, their own unique styles and preferences depending on their needs at the time. Every fighter, myself included, has certain exercises that they focus on based on the task at hand. But there are no secret exercises that lead me to victory, just hard work in whatever I do.”
Why do you choose to live and train there?
“There is no other choice. This is my home. This is my land. I would not want to choose anywhere else.”
Do you think this will be one of the hardest fights of your career?
“Yes, Andrei is a very skilled and dangerous fighter, another tough UFC Champion on my resume. I expect a very difficult fight similar to my fights with Noguiera. I must be very prepared.”
What are you worried most about and what are you working on in camp to prepare for this?
“Andrei is very quick on his feet. When he uses his speed in his stand-up, he can be very dangerous. We must work to neutralize his effectiveness on his feet.”
How do you stay calm before a fight?
“I just try to approach every fight in a smart manner, so I am completely prepared for anything that can happen. And I always try to keep my composure and think quickly in the ring. Good preparation leads to calmness.”
What does the gym look like that you train in?
“It looks like any other training gym. Mats, ring and training equipment. But it is the location that is the difference. We are high in the mountains and the high elevation is good for cardio and muscle endurance. We train in an area that is famous for its strong people. It feels more like home here.”
Do you get nervous before a fight; and if so, when does it happen?
“I get nervous just like anybody else but I try to compose myself around fight time. I have good trainers that help me stay calm. I just know that I have a job to do and I just try and go out and do it professionally.”
Do you do any other exercises outside?
“Yes. Nature is always more tasty. I love to do exercises outside although it has been cold. But we still run outside and do certain exercises to get the blood flowing.”
Do you have to watch your weight when training?
“No not really. I am usually in pretty good shape. It is just a matter of getting into fighting shape. The training allows my body to find its natural weight for the fight.”
What time do you wake up and go to bed?
“I wake up around 8am and go to sleep around 11pm.”
What are your favorite foods you have to give up while training?
“Well, there is no drinking vodka for one thing. And I can’t have any sweets.”
Family
Fedor spends most of his time with his family. He has two daughters—Marina, who is nine years old and Vasilia, who is one. He likes to play with them, take them to the zoo, take them for rides and shopping, but he particularly likes to read books to them. He has two younger brothers, Aleksander and Ivan, and an older sister, Marina. Both of his brothers have trained in MMA. His father, Vladimir, was a steel worker and his mother, Olga, was a teacher. Fedor attributes much of what he has accomplished to his mother as she always encouraged him to pursue martial arts.
Do you see your family when you are training?
“Yes. It calms me.”
Is it hard to be a father having to be away from home when you are traveling for business?
“Yes. I am always looking for a department store or toy store when I am traveling so I can bring something back to my kids. I am also always talking to them on the phone.”
Do your kids know what you do? Have they ever seen you fight or watched one of your fights on tape?
“My youngest is too young, but the oldest knows. She has never seen me fight however.”
Best Friend/Relationships
His best friend is Dennis, a friend since they were kids. Dennis helps him train, comes out to all of his fights and is always in his corner.
Fedor is also an acquaintance of the Former President of Russia Vladimir Putin.
What is your relationship with Vladimir Putin?
“We do not talk on a regular basis. It is just that he had seen one of my fights on TV and took an interest. Vladimir Putin has always been very kind to me and I have always appreciated his interest in my career and the sport of MMA. We have in common our love for Sambo, the National sport in Russia as well as MMA. Vladimir Putin is a black belt in Judo and a master in Sambo. I have promised him that I would always participate in Sambo if I was able to, so that I could be a role model for young people in Russia and continue the rich tradition of the sport. After I beat Matt Linland in Russia, Vladimir Putin was very kind and invited all of the fighters and their camps to the Presidential Mansion.”
Outside of Training
Most of Fedor’s free time is spent with friends and family. He usually just goes with the flow, depending on what his friends want to do—barbecuing, fishing, or whatever. On his own time, he goes to church. He also enjoys reading and drawing.
Favorite Movie/ Actor:
He likes American action movies and Bruce Willis is his favorite actor.
Favorite Music
When he was younger, Fedor was musically gifted, but his mother made him choose between the accordion and Judo. He chose Judo. Fedor enjoys listening to anything from classical music to hip-hop.
Favorite Food
He loves a good steak and lobster.
What were you like when you were younger?
“I was a pretty independent and responsible child. My two focuses were studying and training. I fell in love with Judo at the age of 12.”
What other sports do you like?
“Soccer, swimming and basketball.”
Do you like traveling?
“Not really. I like staying home and being with my friends and family. I miss them when I am away.”
What countries do you like to visit?
“Japan and the United States and any place that has scary roller coasters.”
How would you like to be remembered in the sport?
“As someone that was a good ambassador of a growing sport, that always wanted to fight the best fighters and always gave the fans the best he could give.”
Arlovski Responds to Fedor Interview
Arlovski is preparing with a team of trainers, each with an understanding of the role they play as part of a cohesive team. Every morning Arlovski spends an hour working on his conditioning-running, strength and balance. At 1:00 p.m. he is back at the gym working on his stand-up game. Roach, famous for studying fight tapes and dissecting fighters’ weaknesses, has been feeding Arlovski vital information about Fedor’s vulnerabilities and helping him develop a game plan for the upcoming bout. Arlovski also spars three times a week-Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday-in addition to pad work, jumping rope, or working the speed and heavy bags. In the evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Arlovski works on his ground work.
In addition to his training team, strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza plays a crucial role in Arlovski’s preparation. Hired just over a year ago by Roach, Ariza has worked with some of the biggest names in boxing (Manny Pacquiao, Diego Corrales, Erik Morales and Peter Manfredo), as well as some of the best in MMA. Ariza is working on reducing some of Arlovski’s upper body bulkiness, building muscle in his legs and bringing his weight to under 240 lbs. The results have thus far paid off, providing the heavyweight with more range and less stiffness, while still maintaining his natural speed.
Unlike Fedor, who does not maintain a strict or specific diet while preparing for a fight, other than cutting out junk food, Arlovski’s diet, which consists of seven to eight small meals a day, is closely monitored by Ariza. Arlovski’s intake is highly restricted, limited to eggs, fish, chicken, steak and protein supplements. Each Monday, body composition testing is done to determine his muscle to fat ratio.
“The goal is to actually increase his fat content toward the end of training,” Ariza says. “While we don’t expect the fight will go a full five rounds, we are prepared for it and I want his body to have a little extra fat to give him a lot of extra energy.”
Arlovski is preparing with a team of trainers, each with an understanding of the role they play as part of a cohesive team. Every morning Arlovski spends an hour working on his conditioning-running, strength and balance. At 1:00 p.m. he is back at the gym working on his stand-up game. Roach, famous for studying fight tapes and dissecting fighters’ weaknesses, has been feeding Arlovski vital information about Fedor’s vulnerabilities and helping him develop a game plan for the upcoming bout. Arlovski also spars three times a week-Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday-in addition to pad work, jumping rope, or working the speed and heavy bags. In the evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Arlovski works on his ground work.
In addition to his training team, strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza plays a crucial role in Arlovski’s preparation. Hired just over a year ago by Roach, Ariza has worked with some of the biggest names in boxing (Manny Pacquiao, Diego Corrales, Erik Morales and Peter Manfredo), as well as some of the best in MMA. Ariza is working on reducing some of Arlovski’s upper body bulkiness, building muscle in his legs and bringing his weight to under 240 lbs. The results have thus far paid off, providing the heavyweight with more range and less stiffness, while still maintaining his natural speed.
Unlike Fedor, who does not maintain a strict or specific diet while preparing for a fight, other than cutting out junk food, Arlovski’s diet, which consists of seven to eight small meals a day, is closely monitored by Ariza. Arlovski’s intake is highly restricted, limited to eggs, fish, chicken, steak and protein supplements. Each Monday, body composition testing is done to determine his muscle to fat ratio.
“The goal is to actually increase his fat content toward the end of training,” Ariza says. “While we don’t expect the fight will go a full five rounds, we are prepared for it and I want his body to have a little extra fat to give him a lot of extra energy.”
Tuesday's "Day of Reckoning" press conference open to NYC public
Tuesday's "Affliction: Day of Reckoning" press conference in New York City, which features everyone from Fedor Emeliankenko to Affliction executive Donald Trump to Golden Boy Productions President Oscar de la Hoya, will be open to the public.
The event takes place at the Trump Tower Atrium (725 Fifth Ave.) at 11 a.m. EST.
The media and fan event will help promote Saturday's "Affliction: Day of Reckoning" card that takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Emelianenko puts his WAMMA heavyweight title on the line against former UFC title-holder Andrei Arlovski in the night's main event.
The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and brought to you by Trump's Affliction Entertainment and its partners, Donald J. Trump and M-1 Global.
Others scheduled to appear at the NYC press conferences are Tom Atencio (Vice President of Affliction Entertainment), Vadim Finkelstein,(President of M-1 Global), Donald Trump Jr. (Executive Vice President of The Trump Organization), Tito Ortiz ("Day of Reckoning' broadcaster) and Michael Cohen (Chief Operating Officer of Affliction Entertainment).
Saturday's preliminary card airs on HDNet (7 p.m. EST), and the main card is slated for pay per view (9 p.m. EST).
Tuesday's "Affliction: Day of Reckoning" press conference in New York City, which features everyone from Fedor Emeliankenko to Affliction executive Donald Trump to Golden Boy Productions President Oscar de la Hoya, will be open to the public.
The event takes place at the Trump Tower Atrium (725 Fifth Ave.) at 11 a.m. EST.
The media and fan event will help promote Saturday's "Affliction: Day of Reckoning" card that takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Emelianenko puts his WAMMA heavyweight title on the line against former UFC title-holder Andrei Arlovski in the night's main event.
The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and brought to you by Trump's Affliction Entertainment and its partners, Donald J. Trump and M-1 Global.
Others scheduled to appear at the NYC press conferences are Tom Atencio (Vice President of Affliction Entertainment), Vadim Finkelstein,(President of M-1 Global), Donald Trump Jr. (Executive Vice President of The Trump Organization), Tito Ortiz ("Day of Reckoning' broadcaster) and Michael Cohen (Chief Operating Officer of Affliction Entertainment).
Saturday's preliminary card airs on HDNet (7 p.m. EST), and the main card is slated for pay per view (9 p.m. EST).
Emelianenko's legendary demeanor unchanged for "Day of Reckoning"
By now, WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko's reputation as an ice-water-in-his-veins, seemingly non-human fighting cyborg has been well documented.
Therefore it should be of no surprise that "The Last Emperor" was his usual, stoic self in a recent media call promoting his Jan. 24 bout with Andrei Arlovski (14-5) at "Affliction: Day of Reckoning" in Anaheim, Calif.
And while his unwavering demeanor has become a part of an intimidating aura, Emelianenko (28-1) says it's not a persona he's had to work hard to craft.
"To be honest with you I don't put too much thought into it and don't worry about it too much," Emelianenko said. "I'm completely concentrated on my preparation and how I'm feeling and not too much on my opponents' emotions."
On Saturday night Arlovski will look to do what Emelianenko's 26 previous opponents have not: break through the 32-year-old Russian's sterile exterior and defeat the WAMMA champ. Emelianenko views the bout as business-as-usual.
"To be honest with you, I don't have any specific strategy for Arlovski," Emelianenko said. "Once we get into the ring, really it depends on what he can offer to me and what I have to offer to him. Then, based on certain different factors that may occur, we've got strategies ready. But there's no specific strategy for going into the ring."
It's not that Emelianenko doesn't respect what his Belarusian opponent will bring to the ring.
"Andrei is one of the best fighters in the world today," Emelianenko said. "He's a very dangerous opponent and what will make it so dangerous and what makes preparing for him so difficult is that he's one of the most well-rounded fighters in MMA in the world.
"With respect to his weaknesses, that's something that we have to wait and see and see what happens in the ring and take advantage of any weaknesses that exist."
In an age which has seemed to favor the master strategies developed by the lauded tacticians at Xtreme Couture or Team Greg Jackson, Emelianenko remains a throwback. Rather than attack a specific target from the opening bell, Emelianenko waits patiently for his chance to strike.
"It's just like any sport or any athlete that goes through his career," Emelianenko. "[My calm mentality] is something that comes with time. It's for me its part of the training process.
"When I'm in training camp, one of the things that I work on very much is controlling my emotions. Earlier in my career I worried a lot more, and then I got a lot more nervous and the emotions were much less controllable. And there wasn't any particular fight or any particular moment when I got more control over it. It was a step by step process throughout my career where every time I train for another fight, and every time I go through certain things, I put more emphasis on that as part of the training process."
With Arlovski primed to provide Emelianenko another stern test to his legacy as the world's best MMA fighter, the Red Devil Sports Club athlete insists he will be unquestionably prepared.
"My mentality is that I'm always ready," Emelianenko said. "Mentally, I'm always there. I'm always ready.
"Physically, most of the hard stuff is over. But right now I'm still not there. Right now we're still working on some of the finite things -- speed and accuracy and reaction time and things like that."
And though Emelianenko admits he hopes to represent Russia admirably in this regional battle against Belarus' finest, it's only his performance in this bout -- and not his place in history -- that drives him.
"As far as people considering me the greatest and whether there's any pressure on fulfilling those words, I don't worry about it at all," Emelianenko said. "It's just something honestly that I just never think about."
And though Arlovski and his trainers feel Emelianenko is primed for an upset, the PRIDE veteran knows he can only be concerned with his own mental state.
"To be honest with you I don't put too much thought into it and don't worry about it too much," Emelianenko said. "I'm completely concentrated on my preparation and how I'm feeling and not too much on my opponents' emotions."
By now, WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko's reputation as an ice-water-in-his-veins, seemingly non-human fighting cyborg has been well documented.
Therefore it should be of no surprise that "The Last Emperor" was his usual, stoic self in a recent media call promoting his Jan. 24 bout with Andrei Arlovski (14-5) at "Affliction: Day of Reckoning" in Anaheim, Calif.
And while his unwavering demeanor has become a part of an intimidating aura, Emelianenko (28-1) says it's not a persona he's had to work hard to craft.
"To be honest with you I don't put too much thought into it and don't worry about it too much," Emelianenko said. "I'm completely concentrated on my preparation and how I'm feeling and not too much on my opponents' emotions."
On Saturday night Arlovski will look to do what Emelianenko's 26 previous opponents have not: break through the 32-year-old Russian's sterile exterior and defeat the WAMMA champ. Emelianenko views the bout as business-as-usual.
"To be honest with you, I don't have any specific strategy for Arlovski," Emelianenko said. "Once we get into the ring, really it depends on what he can offer to me and what I have to offer to him. Then, based on certain different factors that may occur, we've got strategies ready. But there's no specific strategy for going into the ring."
It's not that Emelianenko doesn't respect what his Belarusian opponent will bring to the ring.
"Andrei is one of the best fighters in the world today," Emelianenko said. "He's a very dangerous opponent and what will make it so dangerous and what makes preparing for him so difficult is that he's one of the most well-rounded fighters in MMA in the world.
"With respect to his weaknesses, that's something that we have to wait and see and see what happens in the ring and take advantage of any weaknesses that exist."
In an age which has seemed to favor the master strategies developed by the lauded tacticians at Xtreme Couture or Team Greg Jackson, Emelianenko remains a throwback. Rather than attack a specific target from the opening bell, Emelianenko waits patiently for his chance to strike.
"It's just like any sport or any athlete that goes through his career," Emelianenko. "[My calm mentality] is something that comes with time. It's for me its part of the training process.
"When I'm in training camp, one of the things that I work on very much is controlling my emotions. Earlier in my career I worried a lot more, and then I got a lot more nervous and the emotions were much less controllable. And there wasn't any particular fight or any particular moment when I got more control over it. It was a step by step process throughout my career where every time I train for another fight, and every time I go through certain things, I put more emphasis on that as part of the training process."
With Arlovski primed to provide Emelianenko another stern test to his legacy as the world's best MMA fighter, the Red Devil Sports Club athlete insists he will be unquestionably prepared.
"My mentality is that I'm always ready," Emelianenko said. "Mentally, I'm always there. I'm always ready.
"Physically, most of the hard stuff is over. But right now I'm still not there. Right now we're still working on some of the finite things -- speed and accuracy and reaction time and things like that."
And though Emelianenko admits he hopes to represent Russia admirably in this regional battle against Belarus' finest, it's only his performance in this bout -- and not his place in history -- that drives him.
"As far as people considering me the greatest and whether there's any pressure on fulfilling those words, I don't worry about it at all," Emelianenko said. "It's just something honestly that I just never think about."
And though Arlovski and his trainers feel Emelianenko is primed for an upset, the PRIDE veteran knows he can only be concerned with his own mental state.
"To be honest with you I don't put too much thought into it and don't worry about it too much," Emelianenko said. "I'm completely concentrated on my preparation and how I'm feeling and not too much on my opponents' emotions."
Emelianenko, Arlovski Spotlighted in Documentaries
The magnitude of Saturday’s meeting between Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski at Affliction “Day of Reckoning” has not been lost on TV producers.
Two documentary projects cast the spotlight on the pair of world-ranked heavyweights this week.
Fox Sports Network airs the one-hour “Best Damn Fedor Special –- The Baddest Man on The Planet” on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. EST/PST (check local listings), while Arlovski’s preparation for the world’s No. 1 heavyweight is chronicled in the seven-part mini-series “Arlovski 360: On the Road to Reckoning” at www.arlovski.com
“Baddest Man” takes viewers inside the feared Russian’s never-before-seen training camp, speaking with the stoic fighter, his trainers, and sparring partners. Complete with footage from Emelianenko’s great conquests in Pride Fighting Championships, the episode also introduces Emelianenko’s mother and investigates the fighter’s childhood, his rise in MMA, and the legacy he has created in the sport.
MMA personalities Randy Couture, Kevin Randleman, Frank Trigg, Bas Rutten, “Big” John McCarthy, Sherdog.com News Editor Loretta Hunt, Sports Illustrated’s Josh Gross, commentator Stephen Quadros, and author Sam Sheridan are also featured.
“Arlovski 360” follows the Belarusian heavyweight through his six-week training camp leading up to his Jan. 24 meeting with Emelianenko at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Cameras roll in Chicago and Los Angeles, recording key moments during Arlovski’s quest to become the world’s greatest fighter. Arlovski’s physical preparation, mental game, and entourage are also dissected, while those closest to “The Pitbull” describe the man behind the fighter.
The magnitude of Saturday’s meeting between Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski at Affliction “Day of Reckoning” has not been lost on TV producers.
Two documentary projects cast the spotlight on the pair of world-ranked heavyweights this week.
Fox Sports Network airs the one-hour “Best Damn Fedor Special –- The Baddest Man on The Planet” on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. EST/PST (check local listings), while Arlovski’s preparation for the world’s No. 1 heavyweight is chronicled in the seven-part mini-series “Arlovski 360: On the Road to Reckoning” at www.arlovski.com
“Baddest Man” takes viewers inside the feared Russian’s never-before-seen training camp, speaking with the stoic fighter, his trainers, and sparring partners. Complete with footage from Emelianenko’s great conquests in Pride Fighting Championships, the episode also introduces Emelianenko’s mother and investigates the fighter’s childhood, his rise in MMA, and the legacy he has created in the sport.
MMA personalities Randy Couture, Kevin Randleman, Frank Trigg, Bas Rutten, “Big” John McCarthy, Sherdog.com News Editor Loretta Hunt, Sports Illustrated’s Josh Gross, commentator Stephen Quadros, and author Sam Sheridan are also featured.
“Arlovski 360” follows the Belarusian heavyweight through his six-week training camp leading up to his Jan. 24 meeting with Emelianenko at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Cameras roll in Chicago and Los Angeles, recording key moments during Arlovski’s quest to become the world’s greatest fighter. Arlovski’s physical preparation, mental game, and entourage are also dissected, while those closest to “The Pitbull” describe the man behind the fighter.
The Time Is Now
On Christmas Day, Andrei Arlovski didn’t open presents.
Instead, Freddie Roach opened the doors of his Wild Card boxing gym to the fighter and his trainers for two scheduled training sessions.
Roach, one of a handful of coaches that has prepped the Belarusian over the last six weeks for his heavyweight tilt against Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction “Day of Reckoning” this Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., undoubtedly had somewhere else to be. They all had somewhere better to be, of course, on Christmas Day. Still, Arlovski’s trainers all answered the call.
It goes without saying between them that this is the most important fight of Andrei Arlovski’s career. Not only is the No. 1 world-ranked Emelianenko virtually undefeated –- barring a 17-second stoppage eight years ago that revolved around an elbow, blood, and a squeamish referee –- but promotional rivalries have kept many of Arlovski’s contemporaries from ever facing the revered Russian. Champion Randy Couture resigned from the UFC in 2007 in his quest to face the holy grail of heavyweights, only to be ushered back under the black cloud of a lawsuit in 2008.
Arlovski has sacrificed much to get here. Rounding the final base of his UFC contract in 2007, the fighter and his representatives could not reach a new deal with the mega promotion. Sitting out eleven months between bouts, “The Pit Bull” was then doled out the final fight on his contract at the very last moment possible. Arlovski grinded out a second-round stoppage against wrestler Jake O’Brien, then took the biggest risk of his young career. He left the UFC.
Of all the fighters that have ventured outside the safety of the Octagon’s pearly gates in the last year, Arlovski has made the biggest mark. He lit up former IFL standout Ben Rothwell at Affliction’s first “Banned” event last July with a movie-reel montage of hooks, uppercuts, and flying knees. Another stroke of luck came in October, when CBS requested the dynamic striker for its third televised event. Though not as spectacular a display, Arlovski iced rotund IFL heavyweight champion Roy Nelson halfway into the second round.
Leaving the stability and exposure offered by the UFC has been a calculated risk, but one that’s paid off. Arlovski will face Emelianenko in his prime, with both fighters ranked among the top five in the world.
While most heavyweight bouts have little, if any, bearing on the division, the Emelianenko-Arlovski fight oozes relevance. Seven months removed from the top promotion where Arlovski won and lost its coveted title, the 29-year-old fighter can breathe a sigh of reassurance in his decision to go.
Yet if it were just one man who had taken the journey, Arlovski is certain he wouldn’t have made it. It takes a village to raise a fighter.
That’s why no member of Team Pitbull belly-ached when it was decided the returning fighter would move his camp back to Los Angeles when they couldn’t chance him falling prey to a particularly harsh Midwest winter. Arlovski and his four-man coaching staff packed their belongings; kissed their wives, children, and their day jobs good bye; and settled into the cramped, decrepit quarters of the fittingly named Vagabond Motel, directly next to Roach’s gym. There was not a hint of misgiving that their efforts would be wasted.
“It never crossed our mind that Andrei is not capable of beating Fedor,” Arlovski’s longtime manager Leo Khorlinsky said in the third episode of “Arlovski 360,” a seven-part series the fighter’s reps commissioned to publicize the bout. “What crossed our mind is that we need to put a game plan together and Andrei needs to know what he needs to do in terms of the preparation to be successful in the fight.”
That preparation has included a sober analysis of Arlovski’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to Emelianenko’s skill set.
Dino Costeas, Arlovski’s jiu-jitsu instructor and a Rickson Gracie black belt, has had the task of reminding the striker that an accomplished sambo stylist is still lurking inside him.
“I think that the love for boxing is so evident in Andrei, so what do you do? I’d be lying if I told you it didn’t bug me when he comes out here and trains two weeks at a time with Freddie and I don’t get to see him. I want to pull my hair out,” said Costeas. “But I’m out here [now] and we’re always working on his ground game and transitions. His ground game is actually fine. Can it be improved? Sure, we can all be improved. I constantly remind him of that world champion in the UFC that took [Tim] Sylvia’s leg home with him.”
Sean Bormet and John Kading, both NCAA Div. I coaches, have traded off wrestling duties.
“Andrei’s a smart enough guy to know who and when he can give a little more ground to,” said Bormet, “but there is no relaxation at any point in this fight with Fedor. There is no hesitation when you do get that takedown and you do get on top. You immediately take a strong position. We’ve been doing rounds and rounds and rounds of it so he hits the ground and immediately gets a strong position.”
But the area of Arlovski’s game most fans are pinning their hopes on is the Belarusian’s crisp standup. Though he’s never been knocked out, Emelianenko has at least stumbled under the weight of a heavy glove.
Mike Garcia, the team’s head boxing coach out of Chicago, has been entrusted with collecting all the threads of Arlovski’s tutelage and tying it up into a nice, neat bow.
“Before I come up with a game plan, I have to talk to Dino, John, and Sean,” said Garcia. “I have to make sure I’m not making Andrei susceptible to getting taken down or put in a bad position. This isn’t just a boxing match.”
The training is paramount, but Khorlinsky, Costeas, Bormet, Kading, Garcia, and Roach have also filled a void in the 29-year-old fighter’s life. After the fight, Arlovski will call his mother in Minsk, as he’s done for all his 20 fights, to tell her how her son fared. She does not attend his fights, while Arlovski does not speak about his father.
The people surrounding Arlovski in the locker room, before and afterward, aren’t just his instructors. They are his family.
Some of the best times Arlovski’s spent with his family in Los Angeles have been when they’ve taken his mind off the fight by taking him out for a cup of tea or coffee at a local bookstore.
“I feel like they care about me,” said Arlovski. “Mike says, ‘Come on baby, let’s do something.’ Baby. I’m twice as big as Mike. Sometimes I feel like I’m little brother or some child with too much attention. Sometimes for me it’s like p---es me off a little bit, but more the times is like, ‘This is great.’ I’m with great men, first of all, great trainers with a lot of knowledge behind them. They don’t spend like two times in some gym with me and leave. They are, all the time, around me, which is great.”
It has become old hat for Arlovski and his trainers to ambush one another from behind closed doors and parked cars, a video camera in hand. The bigger the fright, the bigger the laugh, and that breaks up the tension of training for an enigma.
Most nights, the team has gone to the cinema to keep Arlovski’s mind from dawdling.
Arlovski said he’s seen every film released in the last six weeks and some he’s seen twice. “The Wrestler,” a gritty portrait of a washed-up pro wrestler clinging to the crowd’s roar through the bottom-of-the-barrel circuit, made a lasting impression on the fighter and reminded him to seize opportunity when it finds its way in front of you.
Arlovski was moved when he met Mickey Rourke at Wild Card, after watching the actor’s physically demanding and often times heartbreaking turn as Randy “The Ram” Robinson in the film. Roach’s Los Angeles-based gym has become a trendy hotspot for Hollywood’s pugilistic inspired thespians, who can be found there on any given day.
Roach’s own celebrity has skyrocketed since he led another student, Manny Pacquiao, to a lopsided victory over boxing’s golden boy Oscar De La Hoya last December. If the added attention has been a pressure for Arlovski, he hasn’t noticed it. He’s only felt relief that Chicago boxing coach Garcia and Roach seemed to agree on his course in the ring.
“It was great for me [because] before I went to first few weeks I came to LA, Mike told me what he think about my fight. Freddie, he had the same workout in his mind,” he said. “It’s great that all my trainers were on the same page. I just have to step in the ring and do my best.”
Outside his training, Arlovski has been unfazed by the media whirlwind –- some of it natural and some of it manufactured –- that has circled around him. Back in Emelianenko’s homeland, journalists have tried to peg the fight as a great nationalistic struggle between Russia and Belarus.
“First of all, I fight for myself, for my family, for my trainers,” said Arlovski. “I have a responsibility to my family, who put their knowledge, their love, everything [into this.] For three weeks, they left their families and came to be with me and I have a responsibility for this.”
Emelianenko’s fall to 23-year old Bulgarian Blagoi Ivanov on points at the World Combat Sambo Championships in November, his first loss at the event in four years, has been heavily analyzed by Team Pit Bull from all sides.
“For all athletes, wrestlers, boxers, judo wrestlers, sambo wrestlers: [a] loss is [a] loss,” said Arlovski. “He stepped on the mat like he was probably so sure about himself that he’d beat the Bulgarian kid. I can’t say that [watching] gave me more confidence, but I find out for myself a couple of things about Fedor that I will use in the ring.”
Costeas has found the replays of particular benefit.
“There are certain things in Fedor’s game that we’re absolutely going to avoid,” said Costeas. “It’s hard to find a weakness in Fedor; ask any MMA coach. But we did our homework, passed it along, and we’re gonna move forward.”
It was determined a while ago that Arlovski has no fear of Emelianenko. There is only resolve.
“Only my weakness for this [fight] coming up could be I over-train because I’m really hungry for knowledge,” said Arlovski. “Maybe I judge myself too much, that I’m not working hard enough.”
In those fleeting moments of doubt, Arlovski defers to his trainers for guidance.
“For me, it’s important to call my trainers and communicate,” said Arlovski. “To be honest with you, sometimes I have sh---y days. Sometimes I’m great. I trust my trainers. I trust all of their comments, after boxing and wrestling. I have to be in great shape for this fight.”
Arlovski has slept soundly most nights training outside of Chicago for the first time ever, but he knows that will not be so once he gets to Anaheim on Wednesday. He’s only had one dream about fighting, but won’t discuss it till after Jan. 24 has come and gone. Arlovski is the most peaceful he’s ever been in his career. He knows his time is now.
“I can tell you my game plan. My game plan is to beat Fedor,” he says with a relaxed smile. “I want to be the [Buster] Douglas of MMA. Everybody was scared to fight Fedor and everybody was frozen. Against Fedor, they didn’t believe it could be done, like Douglas when he went against Tyson. I want to be the first one to beat Fedor.”
On Christmas Day, Andrei Arlovski didn’t open presents.
Instead, Freddie Roach opened the doors of his Wild Card boxing gym to the fighter and his trainers for two scheduled training sessions.
Roach, one of a handful of coaches that has prepped the Belarusian over the last six weeks for his heavyweight tilt against Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction “Day of Reckoning” this Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., undoubtedly had somewhere else to be. They all had somewhere better to be, of course, on Christmas Day. Still, Arlovski’s trainers all answered the call.
It goes without saying between them that this is the most important fight of Andrei Arlovski’s career. Not only is the No. 1 world-ranked Emelianenko virtually undefeated –- barring a 17-second stoppage eight years ago that revolved around an elbow, blood, and a squeamish referee –- but promotional rivalries have kept many of Arlovski’s contemporaries from ever facing the revered Russian. Champion Randy Couture resigned from the UFC in 2007 in his quest to face the holy grail of heavyweights, only to be ushered back under the black cloud of a lawsuit in 2008.
Arlovski has sacrificed much to get here. Rounding the final base of his UFC contract in 2007, the fighter and his representatives could not reach a new deal with the mega promotion. Sitting out eleven months between bouts, “The Pit Bull” was then doled out the final fight on his contract at the very last moment possible. Arlovski grinded out a second-round stoppage against wrestler Jake O’Brien, then took the biggest risk of his young career. He left the UFC.
Of all the fighters that have ventured outside the safety of the Octagon’s pearly gates in the last year, Arlovski has made the biggest mark. He lit up former IFL standout Ben Rothwell at Affliction’s first “Banned” event last July with a movie-reel montage of hooks, uppercuts, and flying knees. Another stroke of luck came in October, when CBS requested the dynamic striker for its third televised event. Though not as spectacular a display, Arlovski iced rotund IFL heavyweight champion Roy Nelson halfway into the second round.
Leaving the stability and exposure offered by the UFC has been a calculated risk, but one that’s paid off. Arlovski will face Emelianenko in his prime, with both fighters ranked among the top five in the world.
While most heavyweight bouts have little, if any, bearing on the division, the Emelianenko-Arlovski fight oozes relevance. Seven months removed from the top promotion where Arlovski won and lost its coveted title, the 29-year-old fighter can breathe a sigh of reassurance in his decision to go.
Yet if it were just one man who had taken the journey, Arlovski is certain he wouldn’t have made it. It takes a village to raise a fighter.
That’s why no member of Team Pitbull belly-ached when it was decided the returning fighter would move his camp back to Los Angeles when they couldn’t chance him falling prey to a particularly harsh Midwest winter. Arlovski and his four-man coaching staff packed their belongings; kissed their wives, children, and their day jobs good bye; and settled into the cramped, decrepit quarters of the fittingly named Vagabond Motel, directly next to Roach’s gym. There was not a hint of misgiving that their efforts would be wasted.
“It never crossed our mind that Andrei is not capable of beating Fedor,” Arlovski’s longtime manager Leo Khorlinsky said in the third episode of “Arlovski 360,” a seven-part series the fighter’s reps commissioned to publicize the bout. “What crossed our mind is that we need to put a game plan together and Andrei needs to know what he needs to do in terms of the preparation to be successful in the fight.”
That preparation has included a sober analysis of Arlovski’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to Emelianenko’s skill set.
Dino Costeas, Arlovski’s jiu-jitsu instructor and a Rickson Gracie black belt, has had the task of reminding the striker that an accomplished sambo stylist is still lurking inside him.
“I think that the love for boxing is so evident in Andrei, so what do you do? I’d be lying if I told you it didn’t bug me when he comes out here and trains two weeks at a time with Freddie and I don’t get to see him. I want to pull my hair out,” said Costeas. “But I’m out here [now] and we’re always working on his ground game and transitions. His ground game is actually fine. Can it be improved? Sure, we can all be improved. I constantly remind him of that world champion in the UFC that took [Tim] Sylvia’s leg home with him.”
Sean Bormet and John Kading, both NCAA Div. I coaches, have traded off wrestling duties.
“Andrei’s a smart enough guy to know who and when he can give a little more ground to,” said Bormet, “but there is no relaxation at any point in this fight with Fedor. There is no hesitation when you do get that takedown and you do get on top. You immediately take a strong position. We’ve been doing rounds and rounds and rounds of it so he hits the ground and immediately gets a strong position.”
But the area of Arlovski’s game most fans are pinning their hopes on is the Belarusian’s crisp standup. Though he’s never been knocked out, Emelianenko has at least stumbled under the weight of a heavy glove.
Mike Garcia, the team’s head boxing coach out of Chicago, has been entrusted with collecting all the threads of Arlovski’s tutelage and tying it up into a nice, neat bow.
“Before I come up with a game plan, I have to talk to Dino, John, and Sean,” said Garcia. “I have to make sure I’m not making Andrei susceptible to getting taken down or put in a bad position. This isn’t just a boxing match.”
The training is paramount, but Khorlinsky, Costeas, Bormet, Kading, Garcia, and Roach have also filled a void in the 29-year-old fighter’s life. After the fight, Arlovski will call his mother in Minsk, as he’s done for all his 20 fights, to tell her how her son fared. She does not attend his fights, while Arlovski does not speak about his father.
The people surrounding Arlovski in the locker room, before and afterward, aren’t just his instructors. They are his family.
Some of the best times Arlovski’s spent with his family in Los Angeles have been when they’ve taken his mind off the fight by taking him out for a cup of tea or coffee at a local bookstore.
“I feel like they care about me,” said Arlovski. “Mike says, ‘Come on baby, let’s do something.’ Baby. I’m twice as big as Mike. Sometimes I feel like I’m little brother or some child with too much attention. Sometimes for me it’s like p---es me off a little bit, but more the times is like, ‘This is great.’ I’m with great men, first of all, great trainers with a lot of knowledge behind them. They don’t spend like two times in some gym with me and leave. They are, all the time, around me, which is great.”
It has become old hat for Arlovski and his trainers to ambush one another from behind closed doors and parked cars, a video camera in hand. The bigger the fright, the bigger the laugh, and that breaks up the tension of training for an enigma.
Most nights, the team has gone to the cinema to keep Arlovski’s mind from dawdling.
Arlovski said he’s seen every film released in the last six weeks and some he’s seen twice. “The Wrestler,” a gritty portrait of a washed-up pro wrestler clinging to the crowd’s roar through the bottom-of-the-barrel circuit, made a lasting impression on the fighter and reminded him to seize opportunity when it finds its way in front of you.
Arlovski was moved when he met Mickey Rourke at Wild Card, after watching the actor’s physically demanding and often times heartbreaking turn as Randy “The Ram” Robinson in the film. Roach’s Los Angeles-based gym has become a trendy hotspot for Hollywood’s pugilistic inspired thespians, who can be found there on any given day.
Roach’s own celebrity has skyrocketed since he led another student, Manny Pacquiao, to a lopsided victory over boxing’s golden boy Oscar De La Hoya last December. If the added attention has been a pressure for Arlovski, he hasn’t noticed it. He’s only felt relief that Chicago boxing coach Garcia and Roach seemed to agree on his course in the ring.
“It was great for me [because] before I went to first few weeks I came to LA, Mike told me what he think about my fight. Freddie, he had the same workout in his mind,” he said. “It’s great that all my trainers were on the same page. I just have to step in the ring and do my best.”
Outside his training, Arlovski has been unfazed by the media whirlwind –- some of it natural and some of it manufactured –- that has circled around him. Back in Emelianenko’s homeland, journalists have tried to peg the fight as a great nationalistic struggle between Russia and Belarus.
“First of all, I fight for myself, for my family, for my trainers,” said Arlovski. “I have a responsibility to my family, who put their knowledge, their love, everything [into this.] For three weeks, they left their families and came to be with me and I have a responsibility for this.”
Emelianenko’s fall to 23-year old Bulgarian Blagoi Ivanov on points at the World Combat Sambo Championships in November, his first loss at the event in four years, has been heavily analyzed by Team Pit Bull from all sides.
“For all athletes, wrestlers, boxers, judo wrestlers, sambo wrestlers: [a] loss is [a] loss,” said Arlovski. “He stepped on the mat like he was probably so sure about himself that he’d beat the Bulgarian kid. I can’t say that [watching] gave me more confidence, but I find out for myself a couple of things about Fedor that I will use in the ring.”
Costeas has found the replays of particular benefit.
“There are certain things in Fedor’s game that we’re absolutely going to avoid,” said Costeas. “It’s hard to find a weakness in Fedor; ask any MMA coach. But we did our homework, passed it along, and we’re gonna move forward.”
It was determined a while ago that Arlovski has no fear of Emelianenko. There is only resolve.
“Only my weakness for this [fight] coming up could be I over-train because I’m really hungry for knowledge,” said Arlovski. “Maybe I judge myself too much, that I’m not working hard enough.”
In those fleeting moments of doubt, Arlovski defers to his trainers for guidance.
“For me, it’s important to call my trainers and communicate,” said Arlovski. “To be honest with you, sometimes I have sh---y days. Sometimes I’m great. I trust my trainers. I trust all of their comments, after boxing and wrestling. I have to be in great shape for this fight.”
Arlovski has slept soundly most nights training outside of Chicago for the first time ever, but he knows that will not be so once he gets to Anaheim on Wednesday. He’s only had one dream about fighting, but won’t discuss it till after Jan. 24 has come and gone. Arlovski is the most peaceful he’s ever been in his career. He knows his time is now.
“I can tell you my game plan. My game plan is to beat Fedor,” he says with a relaxed smile. “I want to be the [Buster] Douglas of MMA. Everybody was scared to fight Fedor and everybody was frozen. Against Fedor, they didn’t believe it could be done, like Douglas when he went against Tyson. I want to be the first one to beat Fedor.”
Fedor's Affliction
With the aspirations of an upstart mixed martial arts organization resting squarely on his shoulders, Fedor Emelianenko’s performance Saturday night will play a huge role in determining Affliction’s success.
That’s because the heavyweight championship of the world remains a huge feather in any promotional cap, especially in lieu of boxing’s inability to establish a clear successor to Lennox Lewis since he retired five years ago. It’s still the biggest prize in sports, and despite MMA’s booming growth, the UFC hasn’t been able to grab that kind of recognition with a heavyweight for an extended period of time since it became mainstream.
Affliction, and Fedor, could challenge all that and create an interesting set of paradoxes for both promotions to deal with, given how Fedor’s bout with Andrei Arlovski turns out.
That’s because the Russian phenom, recognized as the world’s finest heavyweight, is an elusive commodity whose services the UFC has been unable to secure. And in facing Arlovski, Sherdog.com’s No. 2-ranked heavyweight, it isn’t just a question of whether Fedor wins (or loses) but also how he performs that influences the likelihood of Affliction building a core fan base that can help it endure in these decidedly lean economic times.
As the UFC continues to power ahead in the wake of savage flameouts of rival promotions, it holds multiple advantages over Affliction in the ever-changing battle for the consumer’s pay-per-view dollar. UFC can program several months ahead (read below), has a huge edge in brand awareness among fans and a far deeper roster of talent with which to assemble fight cards and develop fresh rivalries, rematches and storylines.
Affliction, meanwhile, has but one high card in its hand -- Emelianenko -- and even the casual MMA fan might think twice about dropping $45 for a pay-per-view card largely comprised of ex-UFC fighters, few of whom competed, much less succeeded, for an extended period of time at the championship level.
Take a peek at Saturday night’s fight poster -- of the 10 fighters shown, seven are UFC vets. Recycling is a great idea when it comes to saving the Earth, but in building a new fight promotion, public perception is everything. Stacking a talent base with guys perceived to be UFC retreads (fair or not, this is the de facto conclusion some fans might reach) does not a successful promotion make. At least not when the nation is headed for 10-percent unemployment and a severe shrinkage of disposable consumer spending.
However, despite these challenges, Fedor could be the force that puts Affliction on firmer ground. At 28-1 (with one no-contest), he has amassed a record of startling consistency, underscored with a penchant for highlight-reel destructions. In his July 19 debut with Affliction, he dispatched former UFC heavyweight boss Tim Sylvia in 36 seconds. It was a huge win for both the fighter and the promotion, but with a bare heavyweight cupboard beyond Arlovski, Fedor can win while Affliction loses. Here’s how the case-by-case scenario breaks down:
Another Fedor blowout
A short-term win for Affliction, which must then dig up another live body for Fedor. Arlovski is clearly one of the most talented heavyweights in the world -- and in dismantling any chance of a rematch, Fedor’s victory immediately jacks up the price for the services of any top-level heavyweight. If this happens, the UFC would be smart to sign as many heavyweight prospects as possible, while retaining veteran names to keep them in-house.
An exciting fight that Emelianenko wins
The perfect outcome for Affliction, as it can build on this scenario to draw more customers for a future PPV card while buying time to build its brand. It’s very possible that Arlovski gives Fedor a good go, as he has the tools to do it. With potent hands, athleticism and good takedown defense, Arlovski will do the promotion a favor by giving Fedor a tough fight. Outside of Josh Barnett (who faces Gilbert Yvel on the card), there’s nobody on Affliction’s roster that would rate better than a 10-1 underdog against Fedor. That’s why the way this fight plays out is so important.
Emelianenko loses a tough fight
A small setback for the company, but it can build toward a quick rematch (see above). If this happens, however, it deals a critical blow to Emelianenko’s bargaining position down the road with the UFC. As Affliction’s survival seems to be on a month-by-month basis, seeing their marquee attraction lose doesn’t do them a lot of favors. Plus, if Arlovski wins, you can almost hear the quotes coming out of Dana White about how Fedor lost to a former UFC champ.
Arlovski in a blowout
Hard to fathom, but if anybody’s got the goods to send Emelianenko packing, it’s “The Pitbull.” He has dangerous hands, a renewed training regimen and will be three inches taller with a lot of options to unload. Hot and cold at times, when Arlovski is dialed in, he delivers destructive shots. Emelianenko’s grappling game is so superb that you can just about forget beating him in a ground-grinding match, but he does have a tendency to wade in throwing haymaker shots. If this happens, mute the TV, open the door and point your ear toward Vegas -- you’ll hear the high-pitched cackle of the Zuffa executive brass enjoying a hearty, competitor-crushing laugh.
The reason Fedor’s showing is so important is that a massive vacuum has existed in combat sports for five years -- because there is no widely recognized heavyweight champion. And as the sweet science has lacked a captain of its flagship division, the prize is there for the taking. It’s not going to be assumed Saturday night, regardless of what happens, but with the emergence of Brock Lesnar in the UFC (who’ll have to fight Frank Mir to settle who owns the UFC belt), a Lesnar-Fedor fight down the road might be so big that everyone involved has to blink and let the cash cow happen.
The problem with that scenario is that the UFC has a much deeper talent base and can wait it out while Affliction battles for survival. Check the programming dates of upcoming fight cards, both pay-per-view and cable, and it’s easy enough to understand how Affliction faces the dual challenges of recurring programming that draws in viewers, along with getting a date where there isn’t already a show -- MMA or otherwise -- that could potentially suck away viewers. Held at the Honda Center in Anaheim and co-promoted by Golden Boy, the Affliction show already has to deal with the weird byproduct of another Golden Boy-affiliated event at the Staples Center in L.A., the Antonio Margarito-Shane Mosley bout on HBO.
It doesn’t get any easier in the coming months. The UFC is already ginning up the schedule with PPV shows on Jan. 31 and March 7 and with cards on Spike Feb. 7 and 21. Whatever the crossover factor is between potential boxing and MMA conflict, it stands to reason that at least a few potential MMA buyers also contemplate sweet science PPVs, and with about one per month in that sport, Affliction could literally get squeezed out unless the cards fall in a very specific way.
The hard truth of it is that boxing, which has been ripe for the taking for years, still hasn’t consolidated its mess of belts to produce a successor to Lennox Lewis. That five-year gap in lineage between recognized heavyweight champions is the longest in the sport’s history since John L. Sullivan started the chain in 1885.
Boxing has always had the heavyweight champion and the attendant spoils of ownership. Whether it was the memorable bouts waged between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier or the Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson rivalry, the sport could always fall back on the massive booster shot of heavyweight bucks to give itself a surge (illegal bites notwithstanding).
The PPV industry was largely built around heavyweight boxing as it came into maturation in the 1980s, and today’s model is sorely lacking in heavyweight attractions. Wladimir Klitschko owns two barely meaningful belts, his brother Vitali has the third, with another Russian, Ruslan Chagaev, holding the fourth. There are no contenders of note for either Klitschko to tangle with, and Wladimir’s recent performances have been one-sided beatings -- the bad kind that make you immediately erase the recording and reminisce about the division’s better days.
Boxing’s biggest prize is ready to be taken, if only someone will emerge with the badass quotient and requisite big-stage fury and permanently tip the scales so that when the subject of who is the heavyweight champ comes up around the water cooler, the geek in Accounts Receivable will name someone in MMA.
That’s why Fedor’s performance is more than just a fight. Affliction’s very health depends on it. Forget about the constant quibbling between White and Fedor’s management, who’ve been at odds since the organization was unable to sign him last year. And with Lesnar’s fight-by-fight improvement revealing him to be every bit the monster he was billed to be, someone could emerge as the Mike Tyson of MMA. It’s all a matter of how the baddest heavyweight in the world performs Saturday night and whether or not he generates the necessary traction to motivate the powers that be to make it happen.
Promotional rivalries aside, the biggest prize in sports -- the heavyweight title and the windfall that comes with it -- is there to be taken.
With the aspirations of an upstart mixed martial arts organization resting squarely on his shoulders, Fedor Emelianenko’s performance Saturday night will play a huge role in determining Affliction’s success.
That’s because the heavyweight championship of the world remains a huge feather in any promotional cap, especially in lieu of boxing’s inability to establish a clear successor to Lennox Lewis since he retired five years ago. It’s still the biggest prize in sports, and despite MMA’s booming growth, the UFC hasn’t been able to grab that kind of recognition with a heavyweight for an extended period of time since it became mainstream.
Affliction, and Fedor, could challenge all that and create an interesting set of paradoxes for both promotions to deal with, given how Fedor’s bout with Andrei Arlovski turns out.
That’s because the Russian phenom, recognized as the world’s finest heavyweight, is an elusive commodity whose services the UFC has been unable to secure. And in facing Arlovski, Sherdog.com’s No. 2-ranked heavyweight, it isn’t just a question of whether Fedor wins (or loses) but also how he performs that influences the likelihood of Affliction building a core fan base that can help it endure in these decidedly lean economic times.
As the UFC continues to power ahead in the wake of savage flameouts of rival promotions, it holds multiple advantages over Affliction in the ever-changing battle for the consumer’s pay-per-view dollar. UFC can program several months ahead (read below), has a huge edge in brand awareness among fans and a far deeper roster of talent with which to assemble fight cards and develop fresh rivalries, rematches and storylines.
Affliction, meanwhile, has but one high card in its hand -- Emelianenko -- and even the casual MMA fan might think twice about dropping $45 for a pay-per-view card largely comprised of ex-UFC fighters, few of whom competed, much less succeeded, for an extended period of time at the championship level.
Take a peek at Saturday night’s fight poster -- of the 10 fighters shown, seven are UFC vets. Recycling is a great idea when it comes to saving the Earth, but in building a new fight promotion, public perception is everything. Stacking a talent base with guys perceived to be UFC retreads (fair or not, this is the de facto conclusion some fans might reach) does not a successful promotion make. At least not when the nation is headed for 10-percent unemployment and a severe shrinkage of disposable consumer spending.
However, despite these challenges, Fedor could be the force that puts Affliction on firmer ground. At 28-1 (with one no-contest), he has amassed a record of startling consistency, underscored with a penchant for highlight-reel destructions. In his July 19 debut with Affliction, he dispatched former UFC heavyweight boss Tim Sylvia in 36 seconds. It was a huge win for both the fighter and the promotion, but with a bare heavyweight cupboard beyond Arlovski, Fedor can win while Affliction loses. Here’s how the case-by-case scenario breaks down:
Another Fedor blowout
A short-term win for Affliction, which must then dig up another live body for Fedor. Arlovski is clearly one of the most talented heavyweights in the world -- and in dismantling any chance of a rematch, Fedor’s victory immediately jacks up the price for the services of any top-level heavyweight. If this happens, the UFC would be smart to sign as many heavyweight prospects as possible, while retaining veteran names to keep them in-house.
An exciting fight that Emelianenko wins
The perfect outcome for Affliction, as it can build on this scenario to draw more customers for a future PPV card while buying time to build its brand. It’s very possible that Arlovski gives Fedor a good go, as he has the tools to do it. With potent hands, athleticism and good takedown defense, Arlovski will do the promotion a favor by giving Fedor a tough fight. Outside of Josh Barnett (who faces Gilbert Yvel on the card), there’s nobody on Affliction’s roster that would rate better than a 10-1 underdog against Fedor. That’s why the way this fight plays out is so important.
Emelianenko loses a tough fight
A small setback for the company, but it can build toward a quick rematch (see above). If this happens, however, it deals a critical blow to Emelianenko’s bargaining position down the road with the UFC. As Affliction’s survival seems to be on a month-by-month basis, seeing their marquee attraction lose doesn’t do them a lot of favors. Plus, if Arlovski wins, you can almost hear the quotes coming out of Dana White about how Fedor lost to a former UFC champ.
Arlovski in a blowout
Hard to fathom, but if anybody’s got the goods to send Emelianenko packing, it’s “The Pitbull.” He has dangerous hands, a renewed training regimen and will be three inches taller with a lot of options to unload. Hot and cold at times, when Arlovski is dialed in, he delivers destructive shots. Emelianenko’s grappling game is so superb that you can just about forget beating him in a ground-grinding match, but he does have a tendency to wade in throwing haymaker shots. If this happens, mute the TV, open the door and point your ear toward Vegas -- you’ll hear the high-pitched cackle of the Zuffa executive brass enjoying a hearty, competitor-crushing laugh.
The reason Fedor’s showing is so important is that a massive vacuum has existed in combat sports for five years -- because there is no widely recognized heavyweight champion. And as the sweet science has lacked a captain of its flagship division, the prize is there for the taking. It’s not going to be assumed Saturday night, regardless of what happens, but with the emergence of Brock Lesnar in the UFC (who’ll have to fight Frank Mir to settle who owns the UFC belt), a Lesnar-Fedor fight down the road might be so big that everyone involved has to blink and let the cash cow happen.
The problem with that scenario is that the UFC has a much deeper talent base and can wait it out while Affliction battles for survival. Check the programming dates of upcoming fight cards, both pay-per-view and cable, and it’s easy enough to understand how Affliction faces the dual challenges of recurring programming that draws in viewers, along with getting a date where there isn’t already a show -- MMA or otherwise -- that could potentially suck away viewers. Held at the Honda Center in Anaheim and co-promoted by Golden Boy, the Affliction show already has to deal with the weird byproduct of another Golden Boy-affiliated event at the Staples Center in L.A., the Antonio Margarito-Shane Mosley bout on HBO.
It doesn’t get any easier in the coming months. The UFC is already ginning up the schedule with PPV shows on Jan. 31 and March 7 and with cards on Spike Feb. 7 and 21. Whatever the crossover factor is between potential boxing and MMA conflict, it stands to reason that at least a few potential MMA buyers also contemplate sweet science PPVs, and with about one per month in that sport, Affliction could literally get squeezed out unless the cards fall in a very specific way.
The hard truth of it is that boxing, which has been ripe for the taking for years, still hasn’t consolidated its mess of belts to produce a successor to Lennox Lewis. That five-year gap in lineage between recognized heavyweight champions is the longest in the sport’s history since John L. Sullivan started the chain in 1885.
Boxing has always had the heavyweight champion and the attendant spoils of ownership. Whether it was the memorable bouts waged between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier or the Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson rivalry, the sport could always fall back on the massive booster shot of heavyweight bucks to give itself a surge (illegal bites notwithstanding).
The PPV industry was largely built around heavyweight boxing as it came into maturation in the 1980s, and today’s model is sorely lacking in heavyweight attractions. Wladimir Klitschko owns two barely meaningful belts, his brother Vitali has the third, with another Russian, Ruslan Chagaev, holding the fourth. There are no contenders of note for either Klitschko to tangle with, and Wladimir’s recent performances have been one-sided beatings -- the bad kind that make you immediately erase the recording and reminisce about the division’s better days.
Boxing’s biggest prize is ready to be taken, if only someone will emerge with the badass quotient and requisite big-stage fury and permanently tip the scales so that when the subject of who is the heavyweight champ comes up around the water cooler, the geek in Accounts Receivable will name someone in MMA.
That’s why Fedor’s performance is more than just a fight. Affliction’s very health depends on it. Forget about the constant quibbling between White and Fedor’s management, who’ve been at odds since the organization was unable to sign him last year. And with Lesnar’s fight-by-fight improvement revealing him to be every bit the monster he was billed to be, someone could emerge as the Mike Tyson of MMA. It’s all a matter of how the baddest heavyweight in the world performs Saturday night and whether or not he generates the necessary traction to motivate the powers that be to make it happen.
Promotional rivalries aside, the biggest prize in sports -- the heavyweight title and the windfall that comes with it -- is there to be taken.