Affliction Partners with Trump / Signs Andrei Arlovski

As the sport of MMA grows and becomes more profitable, more and more business magnates vie for a piece of the action.

Mark Cuban, billionaire and owner of HDNet, was one of the first business moguls to take advantage of the burgeoning sport. His MMA promotion, HDNet FIGHTS currently has exclusive broadcast deals with some of the sports top organizations. His company also began the first sports program dedicated to Mixed Martial Arts called "Inside MMA".

So who is next in line for a piece of MMA’s corporate pie? Real Estate tycoon and reality TV star, Donald J. Trump.

One of MMA’s most popular clothing line’s and newly crowned MMA promotion, Affliction, announced a new partnership today with billionaire, Donald Trump.

The partnership was revealed in a press release that was distributed to the media.

Details of Trump’s involvement with Affliction and it’s debut event "Banned" which takes place on July 19th at the Honda Center, will be revealed tomorrow at a press conference in New York which takes place at none other than Trump Tower.

In addition to announcing that he is a new equity partner in the fight promotion, RedSweat has just learned of another big announcement that the Trumpster himself will make at tomorrow’s press conference. Donald J. Trump will announce that former UFC heavyweight champion, Andrei Arlovski, has signed a deal with Affliction.

This brings the total number of top ten ranked heavyweights on the "Banned" fight card to a staggering five. Arlovski, once expected to dominate the UFC’s heavyweight division, will take on former IFL heavyweight star, Ben Rothwell on the event’s main card. The five fight main card will be available on PPV for a price of $39.95. It was also recently announced that the undercard will be available in FSN (Fox Sports Net).

As July 19th slowly approaches, the buzz surrounding Affliction’s debut event continues to grow. The fight card features a star studded lineup of some of MMA’s top heavyweights including the number one ranked heavyweight in the world, Fedor Emelianenko. Other elite heavyweight fighters on the card include Josh Barnett, Tim Sylvia and Ben Rothwell.

The clothing company took a unique approach when deciding what to name their inaugural show. After the UFC and EliteXC banned their fighters from wearing Affliction, it seemed only appropriate they they call it "Banned".

Stay tuned for details regarding the partnership after tomorrow’s press conference.