rockybalboa25

Affliction is taking a few big risks this weekend. First of all they have paid their fighters extremely large guarantees. If the UFC card (which they should have expected) draws enough viewers away. They could lose money. So even if the fights are great, the PPV could be called a failure.

The second problem is that they have put all their eggs in the Fedor basket. The problem with that is that no one knows how good Fedor is. Now before all the PRIDE fanboys jump on me, we know that in 2006 the only way to beat Fedor was with a stick while he was asleep. He was the best in the world, and possibly the best ever. However two years has past without Fedor fighting anyone of consequence. The fight game is a funny thing. What skills made a fighter unstoppable at one point may not be effective if they are 1/2 second slower. Also there are some rumors of Fedor being injured, which could hamper his effectiveness.

If Fedor does lose, Affliction loses any chances at Randy Couture. Why would he want to fight someone who lost to Sylvia, a man he dominated. Sylvia Couture II won't be appealing to Randy. Randy could then want NOG or simply retire. There is the possibility that there could be a rematch. However this time around Affliction would find themselves in a bidding war for Tim Sylvia with the UFC. The UFC might appeal to Sylvia, because he would be next in line after a win over Fedor to take NOG (sorry Frank Mir, but you're not going to win).

This might be all for nothing. IF they roll a 7 with Fedor, and he destroys Sylvia, then they get Randy. Also if they are able to break even on the PPV, Couture vs Fedor could be the highest selling PPV of the year. In business, you have to take risks. You got to give it to Affliction they got balls. We'll just see what happens.