From mmajunkie:
Aleksander Emelianenko out, Chris Horodecki in for Oct. 11 Affliction
by Dann Stupp and George Garcia on Aug 06, 2008 at 6:19 pm ET
Chris HorodeckiLAS VEGAS - Former IFL fighter and MMA prodigy Chris Horodecki (12-1) has signed a three-fight deal with Affliction and will debut with the organization at its Oct. 11 event at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
However, Aleksander Emelianenko (13-3) -- a heavyweight fighter who was pulled from Affliction's debut event just seconds before he was set to weigh in for his fight with Paul Buentello -- will not be part of the October event.
Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) of the fight-card updates during today's "Day of Reckoning" press conference in Las Vegas.
Horodecki, a Canadian who turned pro just days after his 18th birthday, fought for the TKO organization before heading to the IFL. There, the now-20-year-old lightweight went 8-1 to become one of the organization's biggest stars. However, in a first-ever IFL lightweight title fight, he suffered a first-round TKO to Ryan Schultz.
Affliction executives have not yet determined an opponent for Horodecki's promotional debut.
Meanwhile, Atencio confirmed that Emelianenko -- a former PRIDE fighter and the younger brother of Affliction fighter Fedor Emelianenko -- will not be part of the Oct. 11 show, as was first planned.
Just as he was about to hit the scale for Affliction's event last month, Emelianenko was unexpectedly pulled from the fight card. (Gary Goodridge was quickly announced as a replacement.) The California State Athletic Commission stated that the 27-year-old fighter failed to meet licensing requirements, though officials could not divulge the reason why due to privacy regulations. Although it was widely reported that Emelianenko had tested positive for Hepatitis B, his camp has repeatedly denied the claims.
Emelianenko was visibly distraught after the decision and said the situation came as a complete surprise. And although he was optimistic the fighter could be cleared for the second event, Atencio said Emelianenko still faces licensing problems and that the organization had to move on without him being a part of the Oct. 11 event.
For the latest on "Affliction: Day of Reckoning," including more from today's press conference and the latest rumored fight card, check out the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
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