Author: John Duke

On Saturday January 24th Mixed Martial Arts promotion Affliction will be putting on a monster fight card dubbed “Day of Reckoning”. It will feature Affliction’s star attraction Fedor Emelianenko, who will go up against Andre Arlovski for the WAMMA heavyweight championship. This will be the second show by the promotion and with the fighters listed on the event card, this looks to be another success. Let’s take a look at three of the main event fights as they’re broken down.

Fedor Emelianenko vs Andrei “the Pittbull” Arlovski
Affliction’s WAMMA champion Fedor Emelianenko puts his belt on the line against former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski. The battle of Russian heavy weights will show who the top heavyweight in MMA is, but also if Fedor is actually an unbeatable force.  Arlovski is a former UFC champ, but many question his chin and his ability on the ground, which happens to be Fedor’s strength. It should be interesting to see if both men’s sambo background will be showcased for any submissions, or if this will be a stand up war.  Arlovski’s best bet is to make this a technical boxing and kickboxing match, which will allow him to try and pick Fedor’s average boxing skills apart. Fedor will probably go in to the clinch and look for a takedown. If he gets Andrei to the ground he will look to throw elbows and set up a submission. Emelainenko is favored to win, and probably should barring a knockout punch or kick.  Don’t blink because this fight could end abruptly.

Matt Lindland vs Vitor Belfort
Matt “the law” Lindland is an Olympic silver medal wrestler who has competed in numerous MMA promotions, who does quite well using ground and pound tactics. His opponent is former UFC lightheavy weight champion “the Phenom” Vitor Belfort, who possesses all the physical skills to be a dominant MMA fighter. This fight should be fantastic as it has so many possible outcomes. While Belfort is a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, it is his pro boxing skills that frighten so many competitors and Lindland loves using the clinch and getting in close, which puts him at risk of a knockout. If the fight goes to the ground, look for Lindland to try and control top position and for Vitor to try and stand up and maybe throw an arm bar attempt. Outside of his mental breakdowns in certain fights, Belfort should be able to take Matt out. Look for a quick finish by TKO from “the Phenom”, who has put away opponents in under a minute in previous fights.

Renato “Babalu” Sobral vs Rameau Sokoudjou
One of the main event matches features Brazilian fighter Babalu Sobral, an outstanding wrestler and Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt against kickboxer and judo practitioner Sokoudjou. Both fighters are ex-UFC fighters who had their contracts cut. This is not the best match up for Sokoudjou, who has already lost to other Brazilian jiu jitsu stand outs.  His only chance to really defeat Sobral is to keep him standing and try and keep the distance between the two. If he uses his kicks to set up combinations, he can avoid going to the mat. Babalu is more than likely the favorite to win and if he can impose his will and keep the fight on the ground, he should be able to submit Sokoudjou.