ST. LOUIS (May 19, 2009) - SHOWTIME announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr., announced today that top-10 ranked heavyweight and former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski will face unbeaten heavyweight sensation Brett “The Grim” Rogers on Saturday, June 6 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis and LIVE on SHOWTIME.


The announcement was made at a kick-off press conference for STRIKEFORCE: Lawler vs. Shields at the Atrium at Scottrade Center. The heavyweight showdown, which will be sponsored by Affliction, will precede the main event fight between two of the most highly regarded fighters in the world, “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and Jake Shields.


The event will be televised live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).


Tickets for Strikeforce: “Lawler vs. Shields”, priced from $30, are on sale now at the Scottrade Center box office as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com), and Strikeforce’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).


Affliction’s Arlovski’s (15-6) fight resume includes a who’s-who of the heavyweight division with fights against Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia. Eleven of the 15 victories for the former UFC heavyweight champion have come by way of knockout. The undefeated Rogers is 9-0 with eight devastating knockouts and one submission. Only one of his fights has gone past the first round. The two stand-up specialists stand at 6-foot-4, so fans can expect an all-out slugfest.


Lawler, a world top-10 middleweight, is unbeaten in his last six (5-0 with 1 No Contest). Shields, a winner of 11 in a row, is ranked among the top five welterweights in the world. They will clash at a catch weight of 182 pounds.


The rest of the SHOWTIME portion of the June 6 event rounds out as follows:


Fresh off their respective thrilling wins in the premier of Strikeforce on SHOWTIME (April 11), the versatile Nick Diaz and knockout artist Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith will meet in a special 180-pound showdown.


Diaz, who shocked the MMA world with his complete dominance of four-time world champion Frank Shamrock, has shown tremendous versatility in recent fights, adding top-shelf striking ability to his well-known submission skills. Smith is coming off a stunning, come-from-behind KO of Benji “The Razor” Radach, in a fight that is sure to be a candidate for 2009 Fight of the Year.


“The New York Badass” Phil Baroni (13-10) will collide with Joe “Diesel” Riggs (29-10) in a 170-pound contest. Nine of Baroni’s 13 wins have come by knockout, so expect the brash, trash talking New Yorker to bang with Riggs. A former UFC contender, Riggs is a well-rounded fighter with 14 wins by knockout and 13 via submission. Their war of words in the press is ongoing. Expect an emotionally charged throw-down in this one.


Opening the SHOWTIME telecast, Kevin “The Monster” Randleman (17-12) will face Mike “Iron” Whitehead (23-6) in a 205-pound clash. Randleman, a former UFC standout who has been tested against some of MMA’s most recognizable names, will make his return to the cage and his Strikeforce debut. Whitehead is a knockout and submission specialists who has won 14 of his last 15 fights. Whitehead is in for his toughest fight to date.

It’s always nice when your friends have your back in a fight even when you lose and there was really nothing they could do to help you. Freddie Roach is that guy, a great trainer, and great support system for Andrei Arlovski, even when faced with defeat Roach manages to see and articulate the bright side of it all. Sure Andrei, might have made a  major mistake in a fight game ruled by the thinking fighter who refuses to give in to said mistake and forget one’s game plan but Freddie Roach saw it a little differently. Here’s what Roach saw in the fight between Andrei and Fedor:
“He made a young man’s mistake,” Roach told MMAInsider backstage. “It was too easy for him. He was winning the fight handily I thought, controlling the fight like we planned. He got a little cocky, and he tried the flying knee from too far away, no setup, and he paid for it. … But Fedor swings hard, that’s his thing. He probably had his eyes closed, but he just got lucky, I think. If we had followed a more disciplined fight, and kept to the game plan, I think it was going to be easy.“

Let’s agree to start off with the quote, “There’s no way in Hell Fedor only got paid $300,000 to show up, fight, and win against Andrei Arlovski who got paid $1.5 mil. to last 3 minutes and something like 37 seconds.” If the payout sheets are correct then we wouldn’t be far from the truth to believe The Last Emperor came up third on the Affliction pay scale. Is Affliction getting the number one pound for pound fighter in the world at what would be a bargain basement price? Is Fedor being paid in residuals and ice cream cones? How is this happening and why is he fighting better opponents for less money as his career continues? All is very intriguing. Here’s the full on payouts for Affliction: Day of Reckoning. Some will surprise you and others will leave your lower lip swinging like a seesaw in a sandpit.

1. Fedor Emelianenko $300,000 (no win bonus)
2. Andre Arlovski $1,500,000 (win bonus would have been $250,000)
3. Josh Barnett $500,000 (no win bonus)
4. Gilbert Yvel $30,000 (win bonus would have been $9,300)
5. Vitor Belfort $200,000 (includes $80,000 win bonus)
6. Matt Lindland $225,000 (win bonus would have been $75,000)
7. Renato “Babalu” Sobral $90,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus)
8. Thierry Sokoudjou $50,000 (win bonus would have been $50,000)
9. Paul Buentello $90,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
10. Kiril Sidelnikov $10,000 (win bonus would have been $25,000)
11. Dan Lauzon $12,000 (no win bonus)
12. Bobby Green $4,000 (win bonus would have been $4,000)
13. Jay Hieron $45,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus)
14. Jason High $10,000 (win bonus would have been $5,000)
15. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira $150,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus) def. Vladimir Matyushenko $50,000 (win bonus would have been $30,000)
16. L.C. Davis $14,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus)
17. Bao Quach $7,000 (win bonus would have been $6,000)
18. Albert Rios $6,000 (includes $3,000 win bonus)
19. Antonio Duarte $3,000 (win bonus would have been $2,000)
20. Brett Cooper $10,000 (includes $5,000 win bonus)
21. Patrick Speight $2,000 (win bonus would have been $3,000)

After seeing those numbers you’re not confuse about that seesaw reference are you?

Looks like each and every fighter participating on Saturday’s Affliction: Day of Reckoning fight card have made weight and are ready for intense mma combat. The fighters were primed to make weight and didn’t seem to be suffering any ill effects from last night’s pre-party that took place at the very chic Hollywood club, Ritual. The main event fighters Andrei Arlovski and Fedor Emelianenko both easily made the 265lb limit for a heavyweight bout each weighing in under 240lbs with Arlovski being the heavier fighter. Expect fireworks and the roar of cannons when Affliction: Day of Reckoning kicks open it’s live gate and the fights commence! Once again the fights are available on pay-per-view and tickets are still available at the Honda Center.
Affliction: Day of Reckoning Weigh-In Results
MAIN CARD (PPV)

• * 265: Fedor Emelianenko (230) vs. Andrei Arlovski (237)
  WAMMA Heavyweight Championship
  * 265: Josh Barnett (248) vs. Gilbert Yvel (240)
  * 185: Vitor Belfort (184) vs. Matt Lindland (186)
  * 205: Renato “Babalu” Sobral (204) vs. Rameau Sokoudjou (205.25)
  * 265: Paul Buentello (244) vs. Kiril Sidelnikov (225)
  * 155: Dan Lauzon (155.5) vs. Bobby Green (155.5)
• PRELIMINARY CARD (HDNet)
• * 205: Vladamir Matyushenko (204.5) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (204.75)
  * 170: Jay Hieron (169.25) vs. Jason High (170)
  * 145: L.C. Davis (143.75) vs. Bao Quach (145.5)
  * 145: Antonio Duarte (145) vs. Albert Rios (145)
  * 170: Patrick Speight (169) vs. Brett Cooper (169)

The war of words begins it seems even before the fighters take to the ring/cage/octagon. Tim Sylvia, who isn’t even fighting this week or next week or well….never mind, Sylvia is calling out Andrei Arlovski as “bad for the sport” and says that The Pitbull is really “a douchebag.” One of or favorite mma news websites cagepotato has been digging through the dirt and promises us more proof to the Arlovski/Sylvia bad blood situation. It may just be some major lip-smacking and gum bumping but we’re thinking that Tim Sylvia is hoping to aid in Fedor’s victory over Arlovski simply so someone else will be featured in the nonstop Affliction ads that show Sylvia being destroyed in 36 seconds. Maybe Sylvia believes that if Arlovski is beaten as handily as he was by Fedor then the ads will diminish and disappear. Wrong. Sylvia can never get back that beating or it’s millions of views and loops all over the television and internet. Even if Andrei Arlovski is beaten and broken and sent packing, Sylvia will still be the 36 second poster boy….Forever. At Stardum we enjoy all the fighters and don’t believe for an instance that a great athlete like Andrei Arlovski, who has shown class in victory and defeat, is in any way bad for the sport. Plus, we’ve met the guy on numerous occasions and besides wearing a fanny pack from time to time the guy appears far from a douchebag. Me thinks Tim Sylvia is still stinging a little from being the other guy on the end of the televised beat down. Affliction: Day of Reckoning will be here in less then two days and we can’t f**ing wait! Check back frequently to see how this drama plays out in the world of mma competition.

It was not a good day for road rage as some of the world’s premier mixed martial artists took to the freeways and interstates in a massive mma convergence on the House of Blues Sunset Strip. Affliction, Golden Boy Promotions, and M-1 Global all took up residence for about 3 hours this afternoon to announce and recognize this Saturday’s epic event- Affliction: Day of Reckoning. The press conference included nearly every fighter featured on the fight card. It was interesting to see the very recognizable faces of the under-card to the insane name dropping of the main event line-up all doing their part to promote the event. In attendance for today’s announcements were headlining fighters Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski. Both fighters have enormous followings here in the States as well as aboard. With the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) Heavyweight belt on the line the heavyweight match-up between Fedor and Arlovksi has continued to grow in significance and factor within the mma world. Affliction V.P. Tom Atencio and Mr. Golden Boy Promotions himself, Oscar De La Hoya both made certain that one thing we were taking away from today’s conference was the importance of this heavyweight fight. Words needed not be said from either man as the mere presence of both Arlovski and Fedor surrounded by other great mma fighters spoke very clearly to the audience that this was to be a fight card and event to remember. Some fighters expressed delight in their match-ups, a jovial Josh Barnett couldn’t help but joke about his desire to remain off of Gilbert Yvel’s list of KO’d opponents which is apparently tattooed down Yvel’s arm. Yvel, when given his chance to speak, expressed gratitude to the Athletic Commission for allowing him to fight and promised a good battle. Fedor, who probably garnered the most press coverage during the event, spoke humbly of his match-up against Arlovski and had few words outside of looking forward to fighting and continuing to train very hard. In one interview they asked Fedor, “What do you think about as you’re walking down into the ring? What goes through your mind?” After a few seconds with the interpreter Fedor responds, “I think about going home to my family and going to church.” That is why Fedor is known as the cyborg. He is incredibly cool under pressure. Think about it for a second, “The Pitbull versus The Last Emperor!” The esoteric, humble sports man versus the brash European model dating wild Belarusian! The event continued on with more introductions of fighters. Babalu, Vitor Belfort and Chris Horodecki were all showcased and introduced. The vibe throughout the House of Blues was one of laid back organization. The Affliction event ran smoothly with excellent production quality and timing. It was in a sense the perfect calm before the storm that will surely touch down this Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA, January 24th 2009! Affliction: Day of Reckoning is a stacked, stacked card. After observing today’s press conference Stardum can only speculate on the outcome of Saturday’s fights. All the fighters seem relaxed, at ease, prepared and hungry for victory. Check-out Photo’s from today’s Affliction: Day of Reckoning press conference here at strdum.com and on our myspace page.
Thanks again to: Affliction, Tom Atencio, Golden Boy Promotions, and M-1 Global.

HDNet is bringing a full day of fight action to those fortunate enough to have that channel available. Beginning the 23rd and stretching through Saturday the 24th HDNet is giving viewers Affliction: Banned at 7:30 PM ET,….“including the headlining fight between the legendary Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia. Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett are also featured during the televised segment.” The channel will be playing some very good fights through the 24 hour build up to Affliction: Day of Reckoning. Some of the programs, courtesy of HDNet, will include:

1. Sat. Jan. 24 12:00 AM ET Affliction - Banned
   The Honda Center in Anaheim, CA is the site for the hard-hitting action of Affliction’s “Banned”. Six of today’s top heavyweights can be seen in action, including the headlining fight between the legendary Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia. Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett are also featured on the card.
2. Sat. Jan. 24 4:00 PM ET Best of Vol. 1
   Ron Kruck serves as your host as HDNet Fights takes a look back at some of the finest MMA action from around the world. Champion Gilbert Melendez takes on challenger Josh Thomson in a battle for the Strikeforce Lightweight Title. A pair of Grand Prix champions are crowned in Dream as Shinya Aoki fights Joachim Hansen for the lightweight honors while Gegard Mousasi and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza battle it out for the middleweight crown. There is plenty of other action from Strikeforce, the IFL, and the MFC as well.
3. LIVE! Sat. Jan. 24 7:00 PM ET Affliction: Day of Reckoning - Opening Bouts
   Affliction and HDNet Fights team up to bring you what promises to be an exciting start to your Saturday night with several intriguing matchups. LC Davis, Jay Hieron, Vladimir Matyushenko, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira are among the featured fighters.

That looks like a pretty good line-up as the dollars get placed for Fedor vs. Arlovski.

Andrei Arlovski stands a great chance of upsetting the current heavyweight rankings! With his destruction of Ben Rothwell through vicious striking and his ability at being one of the fastest heavyweights in the mma game Andrei Arlovski is setting himself up for rise through the ranks. Most mma fans casually remember Arlovski as a former UFC Heavyweight Champ who ripped through the division before suffering a few losses and disappeared to the undercard before emerging as an Affliction star. What he will be remembered for on January 24th is what truly matters. Will Andrei be the guy who takes the thrown out from under Fedor Emelianenko or will Arlovski become another 30 second Affliction commercial? Only twelve days and a few hours and a first round will answer all of our questions. But personally, when Saturday arrives we hope to see an mma battle worthy of more then mere a 30 second t-shirt promo, we hope to see the future of the heavyweight division standing strong. Be it Fedor or be it Andrei Arlovski the horizon is looming near for this epic fight.