Affliction: Trilogy canceled as Affliction shuts down MMA promotion to return as UFC sponsor

Whew, it’s stunning how plans can suddenly change!

Left scrambling for an opponent for World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko after Josh Barnett failed a drug test, Affliction has announced that it is canceling its Aug. 1 Affliction: Trilogy pay-per-view.

Worse, Affliction, which while losing money has put two great pay-per-view cards built around Fedor, who is widely recognized as the world’s best MMA fighter, has decided to shut down its MMA promotion business. Instead, the company’s clothing division will once again become a sponsor of Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Talk about coming full circle.

Here’s an excerpt from Kevin Iole’s Yahoo! Sports article that broke the story.

The company and the Ultimate Fighting Championship are expected to release a statement sometime on Friday in which it is announced that Affliction will cease operations as a promoter and that its clothing division will become a UFC sponsor.

Affliction had a card slated for Aug. 1 with a main event of Fedor Emelianenko, the No. 2 fighter in the Yahoo! Sports mixed martial arts rankings, against former UFC champion Josh Barnett at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

With the demise of Affliction as a promotion, will we finally see Fedor in the UFC?

Let’s hope so. You know you want to see Fedor Emelianenko vs Brock Lesnar.