Affliction, the premier fashion label for men who love hard rock and fast living, pulled out its Trump card today when the company officially announced its partnership with Donald J. Trump at a press conference held in Trump Tower. Trump addressed the press and outlined his involvement with Affliction and their entry into the world of professional mixed-martial-arts (MMA) with its first event named, “Affliction Banned,” scheduled for July 19, 2008 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California in association with Roy Englebrecht Events.

“We are very excited to be partnering with the most recognized and accomplished business mogul in the world,” Affliction vice president Tom Atencio said. “Trump is a true visionary who shares our belief in the future of MMA.”

“I have been a fan of professional sports since childhood, and I am particularly impressed by the athleticism, courage, and strength of these disciplined athletes,” Donald J. Trump remarked. “This particular sport resembles my business style of being fast paced, strategic, and aggressive…remembering to never give up. I am particularly excited to partner with Affliction and become a major player in promotion of MMA; the youngest and fastest growing sport to emerge in the last century.”

“I’ve been a big fan of fighting for years, going back to when Mike Tyson was in his heyday, and ‘The Battle of the Billionaires’ was the biggest wrestling event of all-time,” Trump continued. “July 19th will be an amazing event. MMA is exploding.”

It was also announced today that former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski has officially signed to fight former IFL heavyweight title-holder “Big” Ben Rothwell. The match has been added to the already star studded July 19th MMA show on pay-per-view.

“I’m excited about participating in this new promotion with all of these great fighters,” Arlovski called in to say. “I’m looking forward to fighting Ben Rothwell.”

“Affliction Banned” will be headlined by the much-anticipated return of Russian heavyweight superstar and former undisputed PRIDE champion Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko (27-1) in association with M-1, against former 2-time UFC heavyweight title-holder Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia (24-4), fighting out of Iowa by way of his native Maine.

“Affliction Banned” will be distributed on Pay-Per-View and air live (9 PM/ET, 6 PM/PT) on cable and satellite viewing in the USA and Canada via iN DEMAND, TVN, Shaw Communications, Viewer’s Choice Canada, DirecTV, DISH Network, Bell ExpressVue and Star Choice for a suggested retail price of $39.95. The telecast will be available in both standard and high definition television.

In 2005, Arlovski beat Sylvia (SUB1) for the Interim heavyweight title (champion Frank Mir was injured in a motorcycle accident) and Andrei followed with successful Interim title defenses against Justin Eilers (TKO1) and Paul Buentello (KO1). Arlovski was promoted from interim to undisputed heavyweight champion on December 8, 2005 when Mir wasn’t fully recovered from a motorcycle injury. The Belarus-native Arlovski now lives in and fights out of Chicago.

The exciting All-World undercard is stacked with Josh “The Baby Faced Assassin” Barnett (22-5), of Seattle, facing-off stateside for the first time in two years in a grudge match against the only opponent to ever knock him out, Brazilian strongman Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo (16-7); three-time

All-America wrestler Mike Whitehead (20-5), of Salt Lake City, takes on Brazilian sensation Renato “Babalu” Sobral (29-7), of Costa Mesa, California; 2000 Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt “The Law” Lindland (20-5), of Oregon City, battles Brazilian favorite Fabio “Negao” Nascimento (8-3).

Tickets for “Affliction Banned,” ranging between $50.00 and $1,000.00, are on sale at the Honda Center box office and also online at Ticketmaster.com.

Tags: Andrei Arlovski, Ben Rothwell