A once-rumored match between Aleksander Emelianenko (13-3) and Paul Buentello (25-10) is now official for the July 19 "Affliction: Banned" show.
The organization, which will air its main card on pay per view, made the announcement during today's media and fan events in Los Angeles and New York City.
The latest booking further bolsters a fight card that's full of familiar names, including main-event participants Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia.
Aleksander Emelianenko, the younger brother of Fedor, has bounced around the MMA circuit ever since the demise of PRIDE Fighting Championships, his former home. He's 4-0 in his past four fights, which included stops with BodogFIGHT, M-1 and Hardcore Championship Fighting. He most recently defeated Silvao Santos via first-round TKO at an April 3 M-1 event in Russia.
Buentello, a former UFC heavyweight contender, hasn't fought since a November 2007 loss to Alistair Overeem for the first-ever Strikeforce world heavyweight title. The second-round submission loss was his first defeat in five fights -- and just his second loss in his past 12 fights.
Expect fireworks with the the Emelianenko-Buentello clash. Of the two fighters' combined 38 victories, 24 have come via knockout or TKO.
Affliction also announced the signing of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The brother of UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Rogerio is 13-3 in MMA. He fought most recently in February, stopping Todd Gouwenberg in the second round of a Hardcore Championship Fighting bout in Canada.
It was also announced that the first hour of the event will be aired live on FSN. The pay-per-view will start at 9:00 p.m. ET.
