Is the end near for EliteXC and Affliction?
With the loaning of Andrei Arlovski and Roy Nelson to EliteXC for the Oct.4 show I think both promotions are showing their desperation. By having to borrow Affliction's fighters, EliteXC is telling everyone that they finally realize that you need talented fighters more than you need an Internet sensation if you want to be successful for the long haul. Affliction is telling us that they need help paying for their fighters. Tom Atencio should have listened when Dana White was saying that Affliction was over paying its fighters.
EliteXC realized that they were in trouble when their second show did so poorly without Kimbo Slice and Gina Carrano on the fight card. Now they have to go out and borrow Affliciton's fighters to help out a fight card that was a little lacking in talent. It was not too long ago when EliteXC banned its fighters from wearing Affliction T-Shirts, and now the two fight promotions are bed partners.
Affliction learned that same lesson. They ran into trouble when they tried to have their second show in Las Vegas, which is the UFC's backyard. Unlike EliteXC who went ahead with their second show, Affliction just cancelled theirs and re-scheduled it for a later date that is yet to be announced. They are stuck waiting for the next time they can get Fedor Emeilianko to fight for them, which could be later than most people think. Fedor likes to fight on Japanese New Years Eve fight cards, and if he does this year, Affliction could be waiting for their star for quite a while.
If you put this loaning of fighters together with the deal with Golden Boy Promotions, maybe Dana will end up being right about a bunch of T-shirt guys trying to run a MMA promotion. I am open to however this comes out. I will watch the EliteXC shows, because they are free, so in the long run I hope they make it. Affliction on the other hand is just more money for a PPV. I can barely afford to watch all the UFC's right now, so when the dust settles, maybe the T-shirt guys will go back to their original business and re-man their t-shirt stands.
