PRO MMA was in attendance for Affliction: Day of Reckoning’s final press conference at the House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard, Wednesday afternoon. After the official statements had been made by Affliction V.P. Tom Atencio and Golden Boy promoter, Oscar De La Hoya and the stare downs were over, PRO MMA went to work.
While a bulging disc has forced Chris Horodecki out of his bout with UFC veteran, Dan Lauzon, PRO MMA spoke with Horodecki moments after the press conference ended. Horodecki was upbeat and very confident heading into the bout.
“The night is coming and I can’t wait. It’s been a long time coming for me and I am so glad to be a part of this show. I really want to showcase what I am all about and make it exciting. I’m predicting to win and I am going to give the fans their money’s worth, that’s for sure.”
While Josh Barnett may not be looking past his heavyweight fight with Gilbert Yvel, he shared his thoughts on how he sees the WAMMA heavyweight title bout between Fedor Emelianeko and Andrei Arlovski going down.
“I think the difference is going to be that Fedor’s striking in MMA is suited for MMA. It’s not a boxing match. The rythms are different, the footwork is different…everything is different. He is going to parlay his striking into his takedowns and that is going to keep Andrei off balance. So if Andrei is able to get his feet settled and work some shots and good combos and try to turn it into a boxing match, Fedor is going to nullify that. Just watch a boxing match…any boxing match, they clinch constantly! Except now they don’t have to break ’em…that is going to be the difference.”
Affliction V.P. Tom Atencio commented on the ongoing rumors of the lack of ticket sales for Day of Reckoning.
“It’s just rumors…it’s someone trying to bring us down.”
Sherdog.com’s Loretta Hunt also spoke to PRO MMA about the ticket rumors and Affliction’s potential future.
“There’s rumors that this card isn’t selling well and I couldn’t tell you if it is selling well or not. I can tell you that their presentation is very organized and they have as good a shot as anyone at breaking into the market. Maybe a better chance than anyone in the past because I start to see a certain sense of style with them that will make them different than other promotions.”
The most tense moment of the press conference was not a stare down between two of the fighters but between De La Hoya and Andrei Arlovski’s boxing trainer, Freddie Roach. De La Hoya appeared a bit uneasy when introducing Roach to the crowd.
From this reporter’s view point, Roach’s facial expression appeared to change while De La Hoya mentioned the two’s pairing for the Floyd Mayweather match. However, the two men, being true professionals, were cordial throughout the entire press conference.
Be sure to check out PRO MMA’s exclusive Affliction press conference photo gallery. PRO MMA will also be in attendance for Friday’s weigh ins, as well as providing you with live play-by-play coverage of the entire Day of Reckoning card.