“[Actually], I’m going to ride the large rollercoasters [at Valencia’s Magic Mountain] tomorrow [July 20],” he said.

Emelianenko, who is known as “The Last Emperor,” won the title Saturday night at the Honda Center here before 13,988 fans, including some very big names in the world of show business and sports. The list included the NFL’s Michael Strahan; baseball’s Manny Ramirez, who, because he is from the rival Boston Red Sox, got quite a few boos from the Angel fans in attendance; boxing’s James Toney, the band Korn, actor Don Johnson of “Miami Vice” and “Nash Bridges,” actor Rob Schneider, Tito Ortiz and Jenna Jameson, who got a loud response; Donald Trump and UFC heavyweight champ Randy Couture, whose ovation easily was the loudest and longest.

Other than the outburst for Couture, the crowd was fairly subdued until Emelianenko strolled to the ring about 9 p.m. That is when he sent them to the top of an emotional rollercoaster as he convincingly defeated Sylvia, the former UFC heavyweight champ, in 36 seconds.

At the 10-second mark, the Russian dropped Sylvia. Emelianenko then dropped on top of his 263-pound opponent and blasted away. Sylvia, out of Bettendorf, Iowa, turned, giving his 230-pound opponent his back.

At the 36-second mark, Emelianenko secured the choke and, in many eyes, his position as the world’s greatest fighter. One of those opinions belongs to Sylvia.

“All I can say is I know that he is one of the best in the world, and I am amazed at how good he was,” said Sylvia. “He got off first, and hurt me right away. I do not think he is human. He is a stud.”

While Sylvia was noticeably frustrated by the loss, including yelling an expletive in the ring following the defeat, he made sure it was clear where he stood at the post-fight press conference.

“I will be back,” he said.

Sylvia, accompanied by three members of his corner, then put on his jacket and slowly exited the post-fight press conference.

WAMMA OFFICIALS

WAMMA CEO Dave Szady said Emelianenko is most deserving of his new title.

“As perhaps the greatest heavyweight fighter in the history of MMA, Fedor is not only a deserving WAMMA heavyweight champion, but also the perfect fighter to be the first unified and undisputed world champion in the heavyweight division,” said  Szady. “WAMMA is an organization dedicated to making sure the best fighters in the world – regardless of promotion – get to square off against one another. Tonight’s Affliction Banned matchup lived up to that billing, and we’re excited to help present more fights that do the same in the near future.”

WAMMA expects Emelianenko (28-1) to fight again later this year.
 
“We’re looking towards Fedor’s first defense of the WAMMA heavyweight title later this year and an expansion into other WAMMA weight divisions,” said WAMMA COO Michael Lynch. “As always, our goal will be to facilitate matchups of the best fighters in the world. MMA fans deserve to see these fights, and we’re excited to help make them a reality.”

 
MEGADEATH, FIGHTS
Between fights, the band MegaDeath played several sets of songs, which seemed to energize the crowd between the bouts.

Following is a brief account of some of the action.

Paul Buentello scored a decision over Gary Goodrich, who took the fight on one-day notice.
 
Vitor Belfort (17-8) vs. Terry Martin (16-5)
Division: Light Heavyweight
Miscellaneous: Belfort, who was making his debut at 185, got a huge ovation.  
Winner: Belfort
How/When: KO in Round 2


Mike Pyle (16-5) vs. JJ Ambrose (9-2)
Division: Welterweight
Winner: Pyle
How/When: Choke at 2:51 of Round 1
Words In the Ring: “Anyone can get lucky and knock some one out, but you can’t get lucky with a submission.” — Pyle

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3) vs. Edwin DeWees (35-13)
Division: Heavyweights
Miscellaneous: DeWees fights out of the Lion’s Den.
Winner: Nogueira by TKO
How/When: 4:06 of Round 1
The Fight: Nog connected with about four knees in a row and then some big punches. DeWees covered up, but Nog blasted away, dropped him and then pounded him. The ref, Herb Dean, stopped the fight.

Fabio “Negao” Nascimento (8-4) vs. Matt Lindland (21-5)
Division: Middleweight
Winner: Lindland
How/When: Unanimous Decision
Words in the Ring: “It was a tougher fight than I expected.” — Lindland

Mike Whitehead (20-6) vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral (30-7)
Light Heavyweights
Winner: Babalu
How/When: Unanimous Decision

Mark Hominick (16-8) vs. Savant Young (9-8)
Lightweights
Winner: Hominick
How/When: Armbar at 4:25 of Round 2
The Fight: After Hominick scored his armbar, he immediately did about five push-ups and then bowed to each section of the crowd.

Pedro Rizzo (16-8) vs. Josh Barnett (23-5)
Heavyweights
Winner: Barnett
How/When: 1:44 by KO
Fight: Almost two minutes into the fight, a fan, frustrated by the lack of action, yelled, “Let’s go.” Moments later, boos rained down on the fighters. When Barnett scored the KO, however, the crowd erupted in a huge cheer, as the local fighter jumped up on the ropes to celebrate.
Words in the Ring: “That guy is as bad as they come.” — Barnett, talking about Rizzo

Ben Rothwell (29-6) vs. Andrei Arlovski (13-5)
Heavyweights
Miscellaneous: Arlovski is a former UFC heavyweight champion, and he’s clearly the crowd favorite.
Winner: Arlovski
How/When: KO at 1:15 of Round 3
Fight Reflections: Arlovski looked like the old Pit Bull in this bout. He came out with a vengeance and stayed strong the entire bout.

Tim Sylvia (24-5) vs. Fedor Emelianenko (28-1)
Heavyweights
Winner: Fedor
How/When: Choke at 36 seconds of Round 1



BACKSTAGE PASS
UFC heavyweight champ Antonio Nogueira walked through the press area and said hello to the media.

20 minutes later Heath Herring, who was in Mike Whitehead’s corner, also walked through.

At about 5 p.m., Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was getting his hands wrapped in a silent locker room.


THE POST-FIGHT PRESS CONFERENCE
“I really truly enjoy beating people up and will do so as long as I can.” — Lindland

“It’s time to take a deep breath. All I can say is, ‘Wow’ and “Amazing.’” — Tom Atencio, vice president of Affliction

“I dedicated this fight to my grandma, who recently died.” — Arlovski

“To be honest, I was surprised by that [the crowd support I got]. I have no words to explain why, but I was surprised.” — Emelianenko

NOTES
• To read more about this event, check out Ultimate Grappling magazine.

• To find out who WAMMA is and why its their title and not Affliction’s, see the October issue of Ultimate Grappling. It will be on the newsstands soon. Look for Roger Huerta on the cover.

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