Affliction Banned Mixed Martial Arts

AFFLICTION BANNED
and MICHAEL COHEN

Part 2

Pulling No Punches

Michael Cohen - Executive Vice President and Special Counsel
to Donald Trump

©Marc Wickert
www.knucklepit.com
www.knucklepit.com
July 4, 2008

In response to the ongoing debate between UFC and Affliction, and to UFC President Dana White’s recent comments on www.matratz.com about Affliction, www.knucklepit.com contacted the Chief Operating Officer for Affliction Entertainment, Michael Cohen, for his view of Dana’s opinions.

Michael, do you know who the interviewer was questioning Dana White?

“No. Based on his poor performance as an interviewer, I am certain he has no credibility in the world of radio or for that matter, even in his own local market.”

Are you saying that UFC should be afraid of Affliction, or are you saying that everybody can work together?

“First, I believe that the UFC is afraid of Affliction. And that’s been proven by the actions taken by Dana White by hosting a free event on the same night that Affliction is putting on Affliction Banned.”

Who was Dana referring to when he said ‘the idiot who sells T-shirts’?

“He’s referring to the Affliction clothing line.”

But which person?

“There are many people at Affliction Clothing, so to whom he is referring, not only do we not know, but in reality we don’t even care.

“Dana White is truly an embarrassment to executives in any type of business, irrespective of whether it’s high finance, real-estate development, or mixed martial arts. His continuous use of profanities to get his point across, to me indicates that either he’s a wannabe tough guy, or he’s just plain and simply ignorant.

“Executives of billion-dollar companies do not speak the way Dana White speaks. I’m willing to bet that you will never hear Lorenzo Fertitta speak in such a manner. Dana White is an embarrassment to this sport, to the UFC, and to corporate executives.”

Fedor Emelianenko - #1 rated heavyweight in the world

Do you think the real competition is not between the UFC and Affliction, but between MMA and other sports – such as boxing and baseball, or with other activities, such as people goofing off on drugs or whatever… that a number of successful organizations in the sport would be good for the sport, and that the attention should be directed towards other activities that are a distraction from the MMA market?

“I don’t want to get into social ills… What I will tell you is: Donald Trump made a significant announcement, approximately three weeks ago, whereby he notified the world of his involvement in mixed martial arts as an equity partner in Affliction Entertainment. Whenever Donald Trump enters into a business enterprise, those who are already in that enterprise tend to be nervous. As it relates to MMA, I believe that as a result of Mr. Trump’s involvement, Affliction will not only continue to host the best fights, but will sign the best fighters – and ultimately be the preeminent, dominant league in mixed martial arts.”

The ‘interview’ appeared to be more of a staged commercial rather than an actual interview. What are your thoughts?

“It sounds like Dana White has planned this interview and that they are very chummy. No one is here to attack Dana White. Donald Trump and Affliction are here to promote the best fights with the best fighters, and to compensate the fighters appropriately.

“It is without question that Dana White and the UFC have created a fantastic forum for these mixed martial artists to showcase their talents. No one can take that away from them; however I suspect that soon there will be a changing of the guard and you will see a new preeminent force. And that name will be Donald Trump’s Affliction Entertainment Company.”

When we were talking before, I asked you if you expected Affliction to be in complete competition with UFC, or down the track, do you think there will be a more cooperative relationship? You said: “I suspect that in a short period of time, Mr. Trump’s Affliction will surpass the UFC. We are not opposed to co-promoting with the UFC.”

“That’s correct. The goal is to ultimately crown the true champion – not the champion for a specific league.”

It would seem that having another major MMA organization would be healthy for the sport and great for the fans, that both should exist, rather than just Affliction or just UFC, as opposed to a big battle between the organizations… and that the titles should be unified.

“In capital letters: ABSOLUTELY! The goal is to give the fans the best fight that they can see, and to create competition among all fighters – not just fighters in a designated league.”

Affliction Banned - July 19, 2008

For more on Dana White:

http://www.knucklepit.com/mixed-martial-arts-dana_white.htm

For more on Michael Cohen:

http://www.knucklepit.com/mixed-martial-arts-affliction_banned_and_michael_cohen.htm

AFFLICTION BANNED
and MICHAEL COHEN

Pulling No Punches

Michael Cohen

©Marc Wickert,
www.knucklepit.com

June 18, 2008

On July 19, 2008, Affliction Clothing and the Trump Organization, in association with Roy Englebrecht Events, will be presenting what is expected to be ‘A Bigger Bang’ in the world of mixed martial arts with Affliction Banned. And they are leaving no stone unturned to deliver what they are calling “The Greatest MMA Event in the History of the Sport”.

To be held at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, the main event will feature Pride’s undisputed heavyweight champion and M-1 legend Fedor ‘The Last Emperor’ Emelianenko (27-1) against former two-time UFC heavyweight champion and Team Miletich legend Tim ‘The Maine-iac’ Sylvia (24-4).

Also on this star-studded bill will be IFL’s undefeated heavyweight champion, Ben ‘War’ Rothwell (29-5), who is on a winning streak of 13 fights, versus another former UFC heavyweight champion, Andrei ‘The Pitbull’ Arlovski (12-5).

Making his US debut on the night will be Fedor’s brother, Alexsander Emelianenko (13-3), who will be facing Paul ‘The Headhunter’ Buentello (23-10).

Donald Trump confirmed his interest in MMA when he recently stated at a press conference: “I have been a fan of professional sports since childhood, and I am particularly impressed by the athleticism, courage, and strength of these disciplined athletes… This particular sport resembles my business style of being fast paced, strategic, and aggressive…remembering to never give up. I am particularly excited to partner with Affliction and become a major player in promotion of MMA, the youngest and fastest growing sport to emerge in the last century.”

Knucklepit.com caught up with New York-based Michael Cohen (Executive Vice President and Special Counsel to Donald Trump, and more recently, elected Chief Operating Officer for Affliction Entertainment), to give readers a bit of an insight into Affliction Banned, and Affliction Entertainment’s plans for global dominance.

Mr. Cohen says he has a specific passion for this venture in MMA because he enjoys the sport from both the perspective of a spectator and as a participant in the art of Muay Thai. “I love the sport. I believe that with the involvement of Donald Trump, Affliction Entertainment will become the dominant mixed martial arts company,” says Cohen.

Michael, you said, “I’m nearly speechless knowing Mr. Trump and Affliction have the trust in me for an event that features the greatest assembly of MMA fighters for one show in MMA history. This is like having Ali, Frazier, Tyson, Holyfield and other top heavyweights all on the same boxing card.” Will Affliction be focusing primarily on the heavyweight division or is that just the class mainly featured for Affliction Banned?

“No. Future events will include all weight classes. As more and more fighters defect from other organizations, Affliction will continue to sign the best fighters and pit them against one another. This will present the best possible card to MMA fans, nationally and internationally.”

Donald Trump

Obviously Affliction is the clothing company involved, but why ‘Affliction Banned’ for the title of the upcoming event?

“The term ‘Banned’ came from the historical relationship with the UFC. Dana White banned Affliction Clothing from being worn by UFC fighters. For several years, Affliction had been sponsoring many of these fighters’, whose income was significantly derived by the Affliction sponsorship.”

“When Dana White banned Affliction Clothing from the UFC, it dug into the pockets of the fighters. Affliction decided it was time to create their own league for the benefit of the company as well as the fighters.”

How often will your events be held?

“We are planning a number of events throughout the year. As the Affliction family of fighters grows, there will be more and more events scheduled.”

So are you looking at the prospect of one a month?

“Ultimately: It could potentially be even more. If there is a fighter out there today coming up in the world of MMA, I would recommend that he/she not look towards the UFC; but rather, towards other organizations, (such as Affliction), whose contracts are less stringent and provide opportunities for the fighters to be compensated for the services they provide.”

You don’t pull any punches, Michael.

“Why should I?”

Was Donald Trump’s attendance at UFC 85 mainly a PR exercise for Affliction MMA?

“No. It was based upon the relationship he has with Tito Ortiz. As you may be aware, Tito was on The Celebrity Apprentice this past season and Mr. Trump and Tito Ortiz had become quite friendly. Tito requested Mr. Trump to attend the event as his guest. There was no PR stunt involved; simply, it was a request by Tito based upon their friendship.”

It’s a huge card being billed as “The Greatest MMA Event in the History of the Sport”. With such a huge card, is that a sign of the organization’s commitment to the sport?

“The answer would be ‘yes’. Everything that Mr. Trump does, he does over the top, whether it’s erecting a 90-story building, the amenities he provides… Everything he does is the biggest, and this (as well) will be the biggest MMA event ever put on, to date.”

I believe you said of Affliction Banned, “It’s unprecedented and will revolutionize the way MMA fans view this sport.” How do you follow it up?

“You continue by featuring other great fighters. The match-ups are really what make the fights. There are certain fighters who match up well against one another. Our goal is to match the best fighter to the best competitor and put on the best show for the fans.”

Tim Sylvia and Fedor Emelianenko

Do you expect Affliction to be in complete competition with the UFC, or down the track, do you think there will be a more cooperative relationship, like the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, where they made sure they didn’t conflict with the release dates of their albums?

“Currently, the UFC is the preeminent organization in martial arts. I suspect that in a short period of time, Mr. Trump’s Affliction will surpass the UFC. We are not opposed to co-promoting with the UFC, to put their best fighters against Affliction’s best fighters to determine once and for all: Who is the true mixed martial arts champion for that specific weight class?

“We would not be opposed to a ‘co-promote’ down the road with the UFC. We would also prefer the fighters to be allies as opposed to being in an adversarial position with one another: It’s not good for the organization, it’s not good for the sport, and it’s definitely not good for the fans.”

Now that there are so many MMA organizations, will it become like boxing where there is a ‘world’ champion for every organization, rather than a unified world champion?

“That is something we would like to avoid. As we just discussed, we would not be opposed to co-promoting with the other organizations. The goal is create the best fights for the fans. It is important for the long term success of the sport to look beyond the leagues for certain events. It could make for some great championship fights.”

Do you see the MMA athletes and fans being the real winners here?

“Absolutely; without a doubt.”

Is it fair to guess that you guys have been talking with Randy Couture?

“And others, of course.”

Any comment on the outcome, or you can’t at this stage?

“I couldn’t at this time.”

Will we be seeing Affliction on p-p-v in Australia?

“We certainly hope so.”

No news at this stage?

“No news at this specific moment, but we certainly hope so, and it would be on p-p-v direct.”

Michael, what’s next after ‘Affliction Banned’?

“Tom Atencio, the Vice President over at Affliction, is in the process of completing the anticipated fight card for the second event. It is our belief, and I believe it will be the belief of the fans, that the second event card will be equally as impressive as the first.”