UFC has over 200 fighters under contract and among them are nearly all of the top-10 fighters in most divisions. If Affliction really wants to be the number 2 in Mixed Martial Arts they must continue to copromote and sign top free-agents. The issue is that there are multiple MMA leagues bidding for those few fighters: Affliction, Strikeforce, EliteXC, World Victory Road (Sengoku), and DREAM - they all happen to have scattered amongst them the few top fighters in the world outside of the UFC. With the UFC securing 200 plus fighters, the few top fighters scattered in the 5 organizations force the minor leagues out there to copromote - and it does seem that they are willing to do so. All 5 organizations have seen some of their fighters at some point in time fight for the other organization. Copromoting and WAMMA seem to be making a stronger presence in the MMA world - and if any of the minor leagues want to survive and not see the same fate as the IFL and BodogFight, then they must come to grips with this inevitable situation.Affliction Entertainment is the most dominant of any other organization out there having the Trump factor and the number 1 Heavyweight in the world in Fedor Emelianenko. In their efforts to grow they should be looking to either sign the following free agents or copromote effectively with other organizations to put the following fighters in bouts against their own signed fighters. This is a shout out to Tom Atencio and Michael D. Cohen.
30) Kalib Starnes (8-3)
Canadian Kalib Starnes claims to have injured his foot in his last UFC bout versus Nathan Quarry in what seemed to be an awful fight where Nathan was constantly on the pursuit of a running away Starnes. It is his decision victory over the seasoned Chris Leben in a short professional career that screams at an MMA promoter to give him a chance.
29) Phil Davis (0-0)
The 2008 NCAA Division I champion and 4 time All-American makes his MMA debut on Saturday the 11th of October. He is 3-0 as an amateur in MMA and could be big news as a pro MMA fighter.
28) Jerome Le Banner (3-1 MMA 74-15 Kickboxing)
Tom Atencio has negotiated with Le Banner to possibly face Tim Sylvia at some point however nothing has been signed. It would be interesting to see how Jerome Le Banner, a highlight reel KO artist of amazing calibre would fare amongst the MMA elite.
27) Benji Radach (19-4)
The IFL standout just came off of an impressive victory over Marilo 'ninja" Rua on EliteXC's CBS braodcast. Bas Rutten went as far as to say that he could beat Anderson Silva - yeah right! Anywho, using Radach in an Affliction-EliteXC copromotion down the line could be something that may interest a top fighter such as Matt Lindland or Vitor Belfort.
26) Jeff Monson (25-8)
Affliction has the top heavyweight in the world in Fedor Emelianenko. Arlovski, Sylvia, and Barnett make up 3 additional top-10, arguably, top 5 heavyweights in the world. Affliction is the place for a heavyweight fighter to be right now simply because the top dog Fedor Emelianenko is there. Additionally, one can't count out the likes of Aleksander Emelianenko, Paul Buentello, Ben Rothwell, Pedro Rizzo, and Roy Nelson, a mix of great heavyweights. It would make sense for a guy like Jeff Monson to step in and try to climb the ranks against any one of these guys.
25) Antonio Silva (10-1)
After he is cleared to fight by the CSAC the EliteXC Heavyweight Champion would be an interesting opponent for any one of Afflictions' heavyweights in a copromotion. Truth be told he doesn't have much competition in EliteXC at heavyweight.
24) Bobby Lashley (0-0)
AFL said they would debut Bobby Lashley and Tara LaRossa in October but they never got to announcing a card. We find out later that LaRossa has been lended out and in an interview with MMARATED, former WWE celebrity and amateur wrestling standout Bobby Lashley was very vocal about wanting to get in there and fight and that if AFL can't put anything together he would look elsewhere. Although at this point in time its a longshot given that AFL is still around, but if they fold, it would be a smart move to sign this guy who is looking like he is going to be one hell of a fighter out of American Top Team. On a related note, WWE wrestler and Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle claims to have signed with an unmentioned MMA promotion and therefore has been kept off of this list.
23) Mohammad Lawal (1-0)
There were many rumors about at least one Olympian from the class of 2008 making a transition to MMA and it ended up being Mohammad Lawal. King Mo gave a mean TKO to the veteran Travis Wiuff (52-12) at Sengoku 5. He is a fighter that all major promotions are looking at right now.
22) Kermit Cintron (0-0 MMA 31-2 Boxing)
Kermit Cintron has compiled a 31-2 record as a professional boxer and held the IBF Welterweight title for about a year and a half before losing it in April 2008. He lost it against the only opponent to defeat him, WBO Welterweight champion Antonio Margarito and soon after he parted ways with Main Event Promotions. He currently is a free-agent with no scheduled fights. In January 2008 when UFC president Dana White challenged Floyd Maywhether Jr. to put his money where is mouth is (Maywhether made a statement that any boxer could beat a UFC fighter), it was Cintron who stepped up and accepted White's challenge - but to no avail. Cintron, who was the IBF champ at the time was ignored and the rest is history. The thing is, Cintron was an amateur wrestler in high school and was offered full wrestling scholarships to Wisconsin and Ohio State. Affliction-Goldenboy may want to give Kermit a call and sign a potential money-maker.
21) Gesias Calvancante (14-2)
Calvancante is arguably one of the top lightweights in the world. Affliction needs more lightweights to fight for them as Chris Horodecki seems to be a loner right now.
20) Mirko Cro Cop Filipović (23-6)
Cro Cop's stock has dropped significantly. After losses to Cheick Kongo and Gabriel Gonzaga in the UFC and a near destruction by Alistair Overeem at DREAM 6, the question on whether Cro Cop can hang with the top heavyweights has been questioned. There has also been a rumor that UFC released him from his UFC contract with a stipulation that he can't compete in the United States for a certain amount of time. Nevertheless he remains to be ranked top-10 on some cards, and it remains to be proven that his career is over. If Affliction can pull it, Cro Cop is not a bad gate-keeper.
19) Jesse Taylor (6-3)
Jesse Taylor remained undefeated in the Ultimate Fighter Rampage vs. Griffin series only to be kicked off of the program immediatly before he was set to face Amir Sadollah in the finale (he went on a drunken rampage the night before). The UFC ended up giving him another chance only to see the wrestler get defeated by C. B. Dalloway at UFN 14. However Jesse Taylor's stock just got boosted when he defeated veteran Drew Fickett (35-7) at Total Combat 32. Fickett was originally scheduled to face Jay Hieron at Affliction 2 Day of Reckoning before that card was rescheduled. With a big win over Drew Fickett, Jesse Taylor may be a fighter that Affliction and EliteXC are looking at right now.
18) Frank Trigg (18-6)
Dana White has gone on record saying that his favorite UFC match of all-time was Matt Hughs vs. Frank Trigg, and for a good reason. Trigg who is on a 3 fight win streak is a competitive fighter. Trigg joined the likes of John McCarthy at Affliction BANNED as a commentator, but he has not been offered to fight for the promotion. He could be a viable opponent for any up and coming Middleweight and perhaps even a contender to any top Middleweight if he continues his win streak.
17) Siyar Bahadurzada (14-3)
I considered putting Denis Kang (30-10) and Evangelista Santos (16-12) as fighters of interest for a promotion like Affliction, however both of those names can be replaced by a fighter on the rise like the Afghan Killer Siyar Bahadurzada. Bahadurzada who fights out of Japan for WVR Sengoku defeated Santos by TKO while Kang has lost 3 of his last 5 bouts to top competitors. Siyar on the other hand has an excellent MMA standing and is a world Shooto champion.
16) Yoshihiro Akiyama (11-1-2 NC)
Akiyama was undefeated in 2008 winning both of his fights at DREAM 5 and 6. Akiyama has notable victories over Denis Kang and Melvin Manhoef and two No Contests versus top contenders Kazushi Sakuraba and Kazuo Misaki. Akiyama could very well be a top Middleweight but he needs to be tested. Mousasi, Lindland, Belfort, are all excellent trials.
15) Gegard Mousasi (27-2)
Mousasi started a rumor that he is negotiating a fight with Affliction but Tom Atencio has since denied any negotiations. The DREAM Middleweight champion fought twice at DREAM 6, both times victorious over Melvin Manhoef and Ronaldo Souza. He has shot himself up the ranks and would be a massive asset to Affliction were they to sign him to a fight.
14) Kazuo Misaki (21-8)
Misaki is on a 3 fight win streak with major victories over Joe Riggs and Siyar Bahadurzada. Misaki is a Pancrase and PrideFC vet with notable victories over Dan Henderson, Denis Kang, Phil Baroni, and a DRAW versus Jake Shields. He is currently ranked as a top-10 Middleweight.
13) Alistair Overeem (39-11)
Alistair Overeem is the current Strikeforce Heavyweight champion and force to be reckoned with. He nearly destryed Mirko Cro Cop at DREAM 6 and has notable victories over Vitor Belfort, Paul Buentello, Mark Hunt, and Sergei Kharitinov. He would easily be a top contender in the UFC or Affliction.
12) KJ Noons (7-2 MMA 7-1 Boxing)
KJ Noons is on a 3 fight win steak with wins over Nick Diaz and veteran Yves Edwards. He has a contract with EliteXC but was stripped of the Lightweight title for refusing to face Nick Diaz in a re-match. The future remains uncertain with Noons but EliteXC can opt to sell his contract out to Affliction or copromote him if they choose. The move would be beneficial for all parties involved. Noons is 7-1 as a boxer and could pursue boxing and MMA under an Affliction-Goldenboy banner if it were feasible.
11) Nick Diaz (18-7)
Nick Diaz is also on a 3 fight win streak with his most recent victory over Thomas Denny. He has notable wins over Robbie Lawler, Chris Lytle, Drew Fickett, Josh Neer, and Takanori Gomi. His fight versus Gomi was ruled a No Contest due to THC from Marijuana found in his system in the post-fight drug test. Despite the ruling, Diaz defeated Gomi in a bout with nothing in his system that would give him a fight advantage. Nick Diaz would be a perfect name to copromote with.
10) Frank Shamrock (23-9)
Frank Shamrock is a name in this business, and one reason his name is out there is because of his victory over Tito Ortiz in 1999. Shamrock would put on an entertaining fight and could easily be featured in any Afflicion copromotion bout.
9) Josh Thomson (16-2)
The Strikeforce Lightweight champion is on an 8 fight win streak and is a top-10 ranked Lightweight. Strikeforce is in good relations with Affliction and is on board with WAMMA. Renato Sobral is one example of a fighter that has been shared by the two promotions. Strikeforce has also allowed Overeem to fight in Japan, and copromoted Cung Le vs. Frank Shamrock with EliteXC in March.
8) Robbie Lawler (18-4)
Lawler is on a 5 fight win streak and is the current EliteXC Middleweight champion. He is a top 10 and arguably top 5 ranked Middleweight. He could easily be in line for a WAMMA bout and is an excellent fighter worth copromoting with.
7) Sergei Kharitonov (16-3)
After being absent for a year from the MMA scene Kharitonov finally made his return defeating Jimmy Ambriz at DREAM 6. His last fight before that was a victory over Alistair Overeem in September 2007. The Heavyweight could potentially face the likes of Josh Barnett, Andrei Arlovski or Tim Sylvia if Affliction is able to negotiate something.
6) Tito Ortiz (15-6)
Tito Ortiz is one of the faces of MMA. His name alone will put butts in the seats of arenas and sell pay per views. While he is on the verge of signing with EliteXC according to all indications the former UFC champion has given to the media, the potential to copromote with him pinning him against any top Affliction LHW would be worth the transaction.
5) Jake Shields (21-4)
Shields is on an 11 fight win streak with notable victories over Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, and Nick Thompson. Shields, the current EliteXC Welterweight champion is ranked number 2 in the world. A copromotion between EliteXC and Affliction featuring Jake Shields would be very interesting as could a potential WAMMA title fight. Shields attempted to get EliteXC to copomote a fight against Middleweight Matt Lindland but negotiations fell through and it never happened.
4) Shinya Aoki (18-3)
The nubmer 3 ranked Lightweight in the world recently defeated Todd Moore at DREAM 6. He has notable victories over George Sotiropoulos and Gesias Cavalcante.
3) Cung Le (6-0)
The current Strikeforce Middleweight champion is undefeated in Kickboxing (3-0), undefeated in MMA (6-0), and undefeated in San Shou (17-0). His last fight was against Frank Shamrock who he not only defeated but broke his arm doing it.
2) Takanori Gomi (29-3)
Ranked the number 2 Lightweight in the world, the PrideFC veteran was undefeated 2-0 in 2008.
1) Ricardo Arona (13-5)
Arona is most remembered for being the fighter that pushed Fedor Emelianenko to the limit. He has notable victories over Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson, Alistair Overeem, Kazushi Sakuraba, Murilo Rua, Jeremy Horn, and Guy Mezger. He has been away from the game for nearly a year and in an interview with Sherdog has indicated that he is training and is looking to return better then ever. Arona at the point of his return may be a most coveted free agent.
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