Gabe Posted May 6, 2008 Report Posted May 6, 2008 EliteXC recently decided that Affliction will no longer be an approved sponsor for its fighters, and a company executive said its simply a matter of the clothing company getting involved in the fight-promotion business. EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the Affliction ban went into effect as soon as Affliction began organizing its first MMA show, but he says the company otherwise doesn’t really interfere with fighter sponsorships. “We don’t really bar anyone,†Shaw said. “We don’t want to interfere with the fighters… but this isn’t a clothing company anymore. They’re competition, and it just doesn’t make much sense to help promote the competition.†EliteXC’s Affliction ban was first reported by fiveouncesofpain.com over the weekend. Affliction’s first show is expected to take place May 19 with a main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia. The high-end MMA clothing company has sponsored numerous fighters over the past year, specifically in the UFC. However, the UFC also barred Affliction as a sponsor beginning in late 2007 when it was learned the company would begin promoting fights. Shaw said the only other stipulations that EliteXC fighters may encounter are from CBS, which will broadcast the organization’s network-television debut on July 31. “As with any major network event, all sponsors will have to be pre-approved to assure they don’t conflict with presenting sponsors for the event,†Shaw said. Shaw said that CBS and EliteXC have landed some “major sponsors.†They’re expected to be revealed within the next week or two. The only other time EliteXC’s fighter sponsorships came under scrutiny was when heavyweight Kevin “Kimbo Slice†Ferguson, a former bouncer for a pornography company, was sponsored by one such business. “It’s adult entertainment,†Shaw said. “We had a lot of discussions about it, and in the end, we decided it was OK. We have no problem with Reality Kings.â€
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