Written by Scott Swerbinsky

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Last night there were two fights cards put on by two organizations. One by the best and largest in the world and the other a rookie in the fight world. Two of the best fighters in the world were on display, one on each card. In the debut of the new Affliction mma series, they had heavily hyped Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianeko headlining their first ever event and he made quick work of former UFC heavyweight title holder Tim Sylvia. And Anderson Silva. My god. Mu cuz recaps the Saturday night cards. Last night there were two fights cards put on by two organizations. One by the best and largest in the world and the other a rookie in the fight world.

Two of the best fighters in the world were on display, one on each card.

Affliction: Banned took place in California and had Fedor Emelianeko headlining their first ever event. He did nothing to disappoint the fans that came to see him take on former UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia.

Fedor made very easy work of Sylvia, earning his win in just 36 seconds. He came out and landed a few big shots that rocked Sylvia and put him on his back. Fedor smelled the blood and pounced on his opponent, ended up taking his back and secured the choke. Tap tap and the fight was over.

The main event in the UFC featured Anderson "The Spider" Silva moving up in weight and taking on James "The Sandman" Irvin. The welterweight king went up to light heavyweight and didn't disappoint.

Silva's victory only took a minute. This guy is simply the best at making people pay for mistakes. James Irvin landed a leg kick but it was caught by Silva. While holding the foot of Irvin, Silva blasted him and put him to sleep. Irvin was out before he even hit the ground. Silva is so accurate with his striking it downright scary. He looks unbeatable right now.

The fight of the night took place on the Affliction card. Andre Arlovski and Ben Rothwell went toe to toe and had the fans on their feet the entire match. The fight ended in the third and final round as Arlovski knocked Rothwell out. The former UFC champ looked pretty good in the win.

There was a highlight reel knockout that we will be seeing for a long time from the UFC. Rory Markham landed one of the cleanest kicks I have ever seen to the head of Brodie Farber. Markham seemed to be hurt early in the first round and was backing up, Farber let his hands down a bit and then it was lights out. Markham blasted him with a perfect head kick. Farber went completely limp and was out cold.

Early indications are that the Affliction event was a big success for them. I wasn't too impressed if you take away the Fedor/Sylvia fight and the Arlovski knockout.

They stacked one card with a lot of talent but they won't be able to compete on a regular basis with the UFC. They might be able to have a few shows every five to six months but if they really think that they are on the same level as the UFC, they are mistaken. Having Fedor is great but he'll only fight two times a year. It was a good start for them but I just don't think they be able to hang with the big boy.

The UFC is the king of the mixed martial arts world, no doubt about it. They decided to throw together a fight card to take away from their competition. Ultimate Fight Night was just okay last night if you take out the Anderson Silva massacre.

Brandon Vera was supposed to be impressive in his light heavyweight debut. His fight with Reese Andy might have been the worst of the night. There was very little action in a slow paced match. Vera ended up getting his hand raised via a unanimous decision.

Cain Velasquez showed he might be a force in the heavyweight division. He pounded Jake O'Brien out in just over two minutes in the first round. Look for him to make some noise in the UFC.

UFC Full Results:

Anderson Silva def. James Irvin (R1, 1:01 - TKO)

Brandon Vera def. Reese Andy (unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

Frankie Edgar def. Hermes Franca (unanimous decision, 30-27)

Cain Velasquez def. Jake O'Brien (R1 2:02 - TKO)

Kevin Burns def. Anthony Johnson (R3, 3:35 - TKO)

C.B. Dollaway def. Jesse Taylor (R1 3:58 - tapout, Peruvian Necktie)

Tim Credeur def. Cale Yarbrough (R1 1:54 - TKO)

Rory Markham def. Brodie Farber (R1 1:37 - KO, head kick)

Nate Loughran def. Johnny Rees (R1 4:21 - tapout, triangle choke)

Brad Blackburn def. James Giboo (R2 2:29 - TKO)

Shannon Gugerty def. Dale Hartt (R1 3:33 - tapout, rear naked choke)

 

Affliction Full Results:

Fedor Emelianenko def. Tim Sylvia (1st round submission via rear naked choke, 0:36)

Andrei Arlovski def. Ben Rothwell (3rd round KO, 1:13)

Josh Barnett def. Pedro Rizzo (2nd round KO, 1:44)

Mark Hominick def. Savant Young (2nd round submission via armbar, 4:25)

Renato Sobral def. Mike Whitehead (unanimous decision, 30-27 all)

Matt Lindland def. Fabio Nascimento (unanimous decision, 30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Edwin Dewees (1st round TKO, 4:06)

Mike Pyle def. J.J. Ambrose (1st round submission via rear naked choke, 2:51)

Vitor Belfort def. Terry Martin (2nd round KO, 3:12)

Paul Buentello def. Gary Goodridge (unanimous decision, 30-27 all)

In what could have been a huge night in the world of mixed martial arts, I came away disappointed. There were only a handful of exciting fights.

There were a few things that I did realize however. Both Anderson Silva and Fedor look unbeatable. It is really fun to watch both of these guys in action. They are the best in the business and it amazes me that they actually get better every single time they fight.

Competition makes everything better and gives us more to talk about. I know the UFC will be around for a long long time, let's wait and see what happens to the Affliction fight shows.