After getting banned as a sponsor from the UFC, the apparel company known as Affliction decided to put on their own MMA promotion, hosting their first event, Affliction: Banned, on July 19, 2008. The debut event was headlined by the G.O.A.T. Fedor Emelianenko club and subbing former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in a sporty 36 seconds. The co-main event involved Andrei Arlovski locking horns with Ben Rothwell, becoming the first man to stop Rothwell with strikes.
Also on the card, Josh Barnett made his long awaited return to U.