Fedor Emelianenko told Sherdog.com today that he will be facing off against former UFC star Tim Sylvia on July 19:

“[Sylvia] is a good fighter, a strong fighter, the former UFC heavyweight champion, which is important,” Emelianenko said via telephone from Stary Oskol, Russia. “I am looking forward to fighting him and training hard for this fight.”

In more good news for those of us in Dallas, Sherdog is reporting that the bout will headline a card at the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas. This has lead to speculation about HDNet’s involvement in the fight, with rumors having the bout televised on HDNet and promoted by Affliction.

Those rumors also will most likely add speculation about Golden Boy’s involvement. Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De Loya’s company, was rumored to be starting an MMA promotion with Affliction back in February. Last month, rumors surfaced that the Golden Boy/Affliction partnership had fallen apart.

I’m sure more rumors will surface since Tim Sylvia has signed with the new Adrenaline promotion. They’ll obviously have some part in promoting this fight card. That leads to another question: is Affliction now partnering with Adrenaline? I’d say that’s the likely scenario.

Another thing here: Mark Cuban is smart. It’s possible that he’ll latch on to Adrenaline and Affliction, and try to build a partnership with them to televise all of their cards, whether it’s on HDNet or on PPV. If he combines forces with both of those outfits, his goal of successfully promoting big-time MMA might not be too far off, especially with a Randy Couture-Fedor fight waiting in the wings.

One thing is certain. Despite all the rumors, good things are hapenning for MMA fans here in Dallas.

It’s possible that the new MMA promotion that was to be a joint effort between Golden Boy and Affliction is history. According to Fightline.com, Adam Swift is reporting that Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy are torpedoing the deal due to “control issues.” Swift also says the situation is still “fluid,” and that his source is “unconfirmed.”

The company had already signed Matt Lindland and was rumored to be pursing Fedor Emilananeko, according to last week’s edition of Inside MMA.

This would be another shocking turn of events in the MMA promotion world. It brings up a lot of questions.

Why would Golden Boy pull out after already signing Lindland? Why would Golden Boy pull out if a Fedor deal was possible? And why would Affliction be causing problems in terms of “control?” After all, they are the CLOTHING company, and Golden Boy are the promoters.

Personally, I wouldn’t mind if this deal bit the dust. As I recently wrote, MMA is risking a serious case of over exposure right now, and another major promotion might be too much.

Stay tuned on this one.

Wow. The news just gets bigger on the MMA TV front this week. Everyone’s heard the rumors that EliteXC would be broadcast on CBS, and now it’s official. According to a news release on Pro Elite’s web site, the deal is done:

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28 — The CBS Television Network and ProElite, Inc., a Los Angeles-based leading entertainment and media company that produces world class mixed martial arts (MMA) events, today jointly announced a multi-year agreement that will bring one of the fastest growing spectator sports to a major broadcast television network for the first time.

CBS will broadcast four MMA events per year, produced by ProElite’s EliteXC fight division, as two-hour live primetime specials targeted for Saturday nights.

That is STAGGERING news. With all the rumors of UFC getting a network TV gig, EliteXC has beaten them to the punch. Rumors had UFC trying to a deal with CBS. According to MMAPayout.com, that deal stalled, and CBS went a different direction. UFC officially has some serious competition.

MMAPayout is also reporting that FOX is now interested in the UFC, going so far as to bid to purchase UFC. I highly doubt Zuffa would sell, but it sounds like FOX may become the network home of the UFC. If that happens, I’d bet my bottom dollar that Ultimate Fight Night cards will end up on FOX.

Combine this news with the new promotion from Golden Boy and Affliction potentially airing on HBO, and you’ve got one crowded MMA marketplace.

In a sign that the MMA landscape could get more crowded, MMA Weekly (via MMAFightline) is reporting that Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and clothing brand Affliction could are teaming up to start a new MMA promotion. Apparently the first event take place this June in Las Vegas. MMA Weekly says that the promotion has already signed Matt “The Law” Lindland to a deal.

What makes this more interesting is Golden Boy’s close relationship with HBO. Many of their boxing cards are telecast on World Championship Boxing and Boxing After Dark, so it’s only natural that HBO would be interested in televising the new MMA promotion.

This begs a simple question: when will the MMA landscape reach critical mass, and how many promotions is too many? I’ve got to say, I don’t see how another top flight promotion could survive.