NYFS Robbed of UFC 101 Tix!

So, Cagepotato and Fight! Magazine ran a caption contest this week. The prize: a pair of UFC 101 tickets. The pic and our entry:

“Josh, I have better idea than I kill you in ring. Instead, I have plan destroy Affliction, make Dana crazy again, help Strikeforce and give M-1 much money for no do nothing. It all take 2 weeks most. NO…we no look couple of stupid assholes in end!”

The winner’s caption: “Josh Barnett announced that he signed a lifetime contract with Condom Depot’s rival sponsor, Herpes.”

Really Cagepotato? Really?

Josh Barnett’s Reps Issue First Official Statement Since Afflictiongate

Warren “The Oldmanfaced Blogger” Piece

Below is an official statement from “The Babyfaced Assassin’s” representatives. But a word (or two) before you commence reading. First, please note that you heard/read it here first. Second, a thought: Much of the blame for Affliction MMA’s recent demise has been placed on Josh’s shoulders (much to Tom Atencio and Co.’s great relief). But what if banned substance allegations were not the reason for Josh’s inability to fight on August 1st? What if, instead, he had broken his leg in training? Would Affliction still have been so quick to fold the entire event and company (in my and many other’s opinion (including Fedor’s), Brett Rogers would have been a solid replacement)? Perhaps Affliction has been praying for such a scapegoat for some time now. Something to ponder (imagine that last sentence said in a Yoda voice).

Through his representatives, Josh Barnett has released the following statement:

The media has reported that Mixed Martial Arts Heavyweight fighter Josh Barnett would not be eligible to fight Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction Trilogy as he was denied his California license due to an alleged positive test for 2α-methyl-5α-androstan-3α-ol-17-one, which is purportedly a metabolite of a banned substance. Mr. Barnett was shocked at these allegations and was extremely disappointed to learn that Affliction had made the hasty decision to cancel the August 1st event in its entirety. Mr. Barnett vehemently denies intentionally ingesting any banned substances in preparation for the August 1st fight and he is looking forward to presenting his case to the California State Athletic Commission.

In the meantime, Mr. Barnett has yet to learn of the results of the B sample testing and he has not received any of the documentation that provides further details of the alleged positive sample despite numerous requests. In fact, the documentation that Mr. Barnett has received raises serious questions about the integrity of the sample and the validity of the results themselves.

At this time Mr. Barnett would like to thank his fans and colleagues for their ongoing support and faith in him. He intends to vigorously defend himself against these allegations and hopes for a swift resolution to this matter so he can get back to what he does best, fighting!

Further, a source close to Josh has said:

“Josh is as disappointed as the fans are that he will not be able to fight Fedor. He empathizes with the other fighters who were scheduled to fight on the card and shares their frustration and disappointment that the entire even was canceled.”

The Randomness 7-22-09

“Raise your hand if you think Hendo/Franklin 2 is a bullshit main event for a PPV! UPDATE: Please also raise your hand if you think Josh Barnett just completely fucked Affliction!“

W. Piece

Random Thought A: Houston (Texas), we have a problem. The UFC doesn’t care about you. Why? Because 103 stars a crap rematch that nobody wants to see. I dare you to be excited for this! I double-dare you!

Random Thought B: The internet media (and, I suppose, the media generally) is a crazy thing. One site gets the scoop on a story and everyone else hurriedly puts their slight spin on it before regurgitating it all onto a post for their readers. I have no readers and, therefore, no need to join that club. So, its lose/lose for everyone.

Random Thought C: As a follow up to “Random Thought B”, being a member of “that club” can be tricky and leaves sites vulnerable to posting false info. Let me think of an example……ah yes…for example, everyone yesterday reported that Kimo Leopoldo was dead, which he is not (according to his lawyer or his accountant or someone like that, which sounds fishy…maybe he is dead.)

Random Thought D: If you have an iPhone, you should totally download free games “Paper Toss” and “Waterslide”.

Random Thought E: As a follow up to “Random Thought B” and “Random Thought C”, I’m thinking about starting a blog about bloggers.

Random Thought F: My new Facebook/Twitter profile pic (below) is a Francis Bacon painting. His shit is on display at The Met through August 16th. Check it out. Culture good.

Affliction 3 in Joyzee!?

Author: Warren “The Fresh Prince” Piece

Rumor has it that Affliction numero tres MAY go down in A.C. in July or August ’09. That would be pretty f’n sweet for us Tri-Staters.

If you’ve haven’t seen this already over at MMARatings.net, here are my predictions for the title and Main Card of Affliction 3:

Affliction “Validation”

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett
Renato “Babalu” Sobral vs. Tito Ortiz (or Nogueira if Tito’s not ready)
Andre Arlovski vs. Paul Buentello
Vitor Belfort vs. ? (Affliction needs to pickup another 185 lb. Fighter)
Dan Lauzon vs. Chris Horodecki

Note: These predictions are based on Affliction’s current stable of fighters.

Affliction 2 in a Nutsack: One of the Best PPVs of All Time

Author: Royale W. Cheese

Photo: Jon Kopaloff at Getty Images

Click on “The Last Emperor’s” latest victim below for the full story (do it, do it!).