A look back at the rise and fall of the short lived fight promotion Affliction MMA.

Not long after the cancellation of Affliction “Trilogy”, Affliction has decided to get out of the fight game and once again partner with UFC as an official sponsor.

Later on Friday, Affliction opted to get out of the promoting business and, in a joint statement with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, announced it would become a sponsor of the UFC. The fate of the fighters under contract with Affliction is not known yet.

With UFC 100 reportedly pulling in over 1.5 million PPV buys, it’s not hard to see why Affliction decided to rip and run. Hopefully the fighters training for Affliction “Trilogy” had something in their contracts, guaranteeing some kind of payday. Also, what is next for Fedor? The only promotion that can afford him is the UFC.

The highly anticipated fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett at the Affliction Trilogy MMA show has been cancelled. The mega fight was scheduled to take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim on August 1st. The unforeseen license denial of Josh Barnett gave Affliction limited time to find a replacement and adequately promote the new main event.

“Finding an opponent for the number one ranked MMA heavy weight champion in such a short period of time was a huge endeavor and I’m thrilled at the amount of fighters willing to take on this challenge,” said Tom Atencio, vice president of Affliction Entertainment. “But in the end, we just didn’t have enough time to promote a new fight to our standards.”

Affliction is deeply disappointed that the under card is also cancelled through no fault of its own. Affliction stands behind the company’s brands and delivers premium products to the most passionate and loyal customers. Affliction’s first priority is to ensure that all future events live up to the company’s high standards.

Ticket holders for the canceled event should contact Ticketmaster or ticketmaster.com for a refund.

Josh Barnett releases statement via his MySpace:

Many of you are wondering what’s happening. What I can say is that when applying for my license, the CSAC asked for me to submit a urine sample for testing prior to granting my license as they do with everyone, I believe. It was not a random test. I had no reason to believe there would be any issues and went in to submit my sample at the earliest possible opportunity on June 25th. I never once thought there would be a problem.

My representatives and I are working to gather as much info as possible and handle this situation as best as we can. I am embarrassed and want for nothing more than to resolve this issue and receive a license from the State of California as I have done many times already and for other states as well.
I am very thankful for all the great family, friends and fans that still support me.

Barnett will have a hard time convincing the CSAC of his innocence. This is the second time Barnett tested positive for steroids. After winning the UFC heavyweight title from Randy Couture at UFC 36, Barnett was stripped of the belt after testing positive for three banned substances.

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has denied a license to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Josh Barnett after Barnett tested positive for a banned substance.

Barnett’s June 25 drug test came back positive for 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one, an anabolic steroid. CSAC learned of the results July 21 and immediately denied a license for Barnett. CSAC also informed the promoter of Barnett’s August 1 bout against Fedor Emelianenko that the bout would not be approved.

“The license of Josh Barnett was denied pursuant to rule 303 of Title IV of the California Code of Regulations,” said CSAC Interim Executive Officer Dave Thornton. “That rule prohibits the use of certain substances, including anabolic agents, by any boxer or MMA fighter.”

Barnett’s test was observed in the presence of a CSAC representative and the sample was sent to the World Anti-doping Agency test facility at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on June 25 for processing. CSAC was notified of the results yesterday.

Barnett has the right to appeal the denial of his license.

“Our primary concern is for the health and safety of fighters,” said Thornton. “Anabolic agents and other banned substances put the users of those agents at risk, as well as their opponents. The commission simply will not tolerate their use.”

CSAC has among the toughest drug testing standards of any Athletic Commission in the country.

Xtreme Couture fighters Vitor Belfort, Chris Horodecki and Jay Hieron talk about getting ready for Affliction 3 “Trilogy” on Aug. 1

Vitor Belfort (18-8) takes on Jorge Santiago (21-7) at Affliction 3 “Trilogy” on August 1st.

Renato “Babalu” Sobral (32-8) will have his work cut out for him when he takes on Gegard Mousasi (25-2-1) at Affliction 3 “Trilogy”

Oh snap, this better not be a false report like yesterday’s “Kimo Death” debacle. Sherdog is reporting that Josh Barnett will not be licensed to fight Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction 3 “Trilogy” on Aug. 1, due to an undisclosed “positive test”.

Multiple sources have told Sherdog.com that the California State Athletic Commission will not license Josh Barnett after a positive test result. Calls to Affliction Entertainment were not immediately returned. The CSAC said a comprehensive statement would be issued Wednesday.

If this report comes proves true, Affliction just lost its main event 11 days before fight night. It is currently unclear if the positive test is drug or medical related. Josh Barnett has yet to be notified by the CSAC.

“I took my test three weeks ago. I would have thought I would have heard something by now …. No matter what happens with this, I can assure you I will clear my name. This will not be something that I am defined by.”

According to the report Vitor Belfort has agreed “In Principal” to face Fedor in the main event. Belfort is currently scheduled to take on Jorge Santiago on the main card of Affliction 3.

UPDATE
Fanhouse confirms the news with afflictions Tom Atencio.

“He tested positive for a banned substance,” Atencio said of Barnett. “The athletic commission will not reinstate his license.”

“Just look for updates. … I’m working on getting the best replacement possible.”