Well, it turns out that the rumors were true. Barnett tested positive for steroids and was not certified to fight next weekend. There is a fair amount of buzz about who his replacement opponent will be. I've heard anyone from Bobby Lashley and Tito Ortiz to Jeff Monson.
They say there is no such thing as bad publicity, but that's probably not true in this case. I think that Affliction has to be hanging on by a thread, in this economy, as a fight league/promoter. UFC fighters can't wear Affliction, so that takes away their signature line of merchandise as a clothing company. This is the last fight that Fedor has under his current contract with Affliction. Barnett has thrown a big wet blanket over the whole event; it has also shown that there aren't a whole lot of legit heavyweight fighters left for Fedor.
Vitor Belfort remains a strong possibility. I've already said he's undersized. So is Tito. Lashley is too green. Brett Rogers might be a good fight, but he probably has a exclusive contract with Strikeforce.
Ultimately, it's pretty bad for Affliction. Fedor is really the only draw for the promotion. Dana White is probably enjoying this (a little too much), he's already had an issue with Barnett and steroids. If this gets Fedor in the UFC, cool. I'd love to see him dismantle Lesnar.
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