MMAOUTSIDER.COM

Speaking to MMAWeekly.com Radio, Tom Attencio, Affliction vice president, talked about the final days leading up to the fall of Affliction as an MMA promoter.

After one of their main headline fighters, Josh Barnett, tested positive for an anabolic steroid, the organization had to scramble to find a marketable opponent for Fedor Emelianenko in a short time.

“We were scrambling looking for a fighter, quite a few guys stepped up to the plate who were wanting the fight. Guys were doing it for a reasonable amount of money, too, which was cool, but just after talking to Showtime, after talking to everybody involved, it just, we couldn’t have done it,” Atencio commented. “It was a bummer, probably one of the worst things that’s ever happened to me.”

“I’ve spoken with (Josh) since and he apologized and, like I said, I even told him it would have been nice to have known ahead of time so I could have at least prepared. So I could have at least said when I found out I have no one to blame but myself now, but the bottom line was I had no clue,” Atencio stated. “I had no idea.”

“I’ve always said I wouldn’t be where I was as far as promoting if it weren’t for (the UFC). They built this industry,” he said. “I’m not a person that likes to burn bridges, you never know what’s going to happen.”

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