Today, Tom Atencio, VP of Affliction Entertainment, along with Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Chris Horodecki, and Vladimir Matyushenko, answered questions from the press in a Q & A conference call.
PRO MMA – http://promma.info was on hand and got to ask a few questions early in the session. When asked, Tom Attencio confirmed that the winner of Josh Barnett vs. Gilbert Yvel will get a shot at the winner of the WAMMA Heavyweight Title match between Andrei Arlovski and Fedor Emelianenko.
He also wanted to reiterate that Josh Barnett has never turned down a fight with Fedor in the past, contrary to popular belief.
When asked about Gilbert Yvel obtaining a license to fight from the CSAC, Tom told us that he has been assured everything is in order and the fight will go off as planned. He believes that Yvel will be a good test for Barnett and that he (Yvel) deserves to face the top opposition.
Babalu was asked mainly about the disparity of experience between himself and his opponent, Sokodjou. He admitted that “The African Assassin” was a lot less experienced then he is, but that on fight night it doesnt matter and that anything can happen in MMA.
All in all, the fighters and Tom Attencio answered all of the questions professionally and admirably, and we the press are thankful for the opportunity they allowed us.
You can listen to the conference call here:
AFFLICTION CONFERENCE CALL
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