Each week we conduct a poll in conjunction with HDNet's weekly "Inside MMA" news show, and a week ago, we asked MMAjunkie.com readers if they would purchase "Affliction: Banned."
The event takes place Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and airs on pay per view for $39.95.
Do fans plan to dish out $40 for one of the most intriguing cards in recent MMA history?
As it turns out, more than half of MMAjunkie.com readers who voted plan to do so. A full 58 percent will purchase the event; 42 percent won't.
"This question is asked among MMA fans, right?" host Bas Rutten asked. "Why isn't that 100 percent?"
Well, the UFC may have something to do with it. In recent weeks, the UFC launched UFC Fight Night 14 (also dubbed "UFC: Silva vs. Irvin"), an event that will counter Affliction. However, the UFC's offering airs on free basic cable via Spike TV. Although the card isn't on par with other UFC pay-per-view events from a talent standpoint, fans do get to watch UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva -- perhaps the best pound-for-pound fighter alive -- for free. The same goes for notables Brandon Vera, Hermes Franca, Anthony Johnson and Frankie Edgar.
Many fans will simply skip the Affliction event for the free offering.
Or, there could be another reason.
"The 42 percent are going to go over to the 52 percent's house," panelist Rob Schneider joked.
HDNet's "Inside MMA" and MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) run a weekly poll due to to a partnership between the two news outlet. Catch new episodes of "Inside MMA" on Fridays at 9:30 p.m. ET. For more information on "Inside MMA" and HDNet Fights, visit
www.hdnetfights.com. For more information on HDNet and how to subscribe, visit
