Report: Fedor To January Afflicition Show
September 11, 2008
Mike Chiappetta of NBCSport.com spoke with Affliction COO Michael Cohen and broke the news that Fedor will appear on the next Affliction card:
Affliction COO Michael Cohen told NBCSports.com that the company is expecting to run the show in January, and that they would also make a major announcement in the next two weeks that would “change the dynamics of mixed martials arts. Not just nationally, but globally.â€
Cohen said that Emelianenko will fight on the new January card, but an opponent has not yet been decided.
When asked whether the show would still air on pay-per-view, Cohen responded, “No comment,†and would not elaborate further,
Cohen’s reply to the PPV question is intriguing. If there is traction to the Affliction-Golden Boy pairing (which chatter amongst industry execs indicates), the no comment may indicate a move from PPV to a pay TV outlet such as HBO. Golden Boy enjoys an extremely close relationship with HBO and would be able facilitate negotiations to bring the MMA brand to the channel. Kevin Iole of Yahoo adds to the evidence that Golden Boy and Affliction may be working out a deal:
It is likely that Affliction is going to announce some sort of partnership with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions at a boxing card that De La Hoya is promoting on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said Wednesday “we are close with those guys” and said he might have news about a deal between the two later.
