Affliction Entertainment's next event, dubbed "Day of Reckoning," will take place Oct. 4 and feature a main event between Andrei Arlovski (13-5) and Josh Barnett (23-5), according to afflictionclothing.com.
Barnett replaces top-ranked heavyweight and WAMMA title-holder Fedor Emelianenko (28-1), who was scratched from the pay-per-view event due to a hand injury.
MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) couldn't immediately reach Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio for confirmation, and messages left with Emelianenko's management weren't returned.
As previously announced, the event will take place at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV in Las Vegas.
After Affliction's July 19 "Banned" debut at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., Atencio was originally mum on the following event's headline bout. However, Emelianenko and Arlovski were reportedly set to meet at the October event. But, as MMAjunkie.com previously reported, Emelianenko was issued a 180-day medical suspension due to a hand injury. He can be cleared early by a doctor -- but only if the injury isn't serious.
Emelianenko defeated former UFC champion Tim Sylvia in just 36 seconds at "Banned." Likewise, Andrei Arlovski defeated Ben Rothwell via knockout. The two clear-cut fan favorites were then expected to headline the second show for what would likely be Affliction's most marketable bout to date.
Instead, Barnett, who defeated and avenged a previous loss to Pedro Rizzo at "Banned," will get the fight instead.
No other bouts have been confirmed for the event, though a number of fighters -- including Sylvia, Rizzo, Aleksander Emelianenko and others -- have publicly stated that they plan to be a part of Affliction's second event.
This is what i was hoping for. Hopefully this time Josh won't derail himself
