8CN Interview: Affliction VP Tom Atencio

From up-start t-shirt company to global clothing giant and MMA fight promotion...Affliction appears to be a brand that may stay around a while. Much of the reason for Afflictions success is due to deep seated roots in the Mixed Martial Arts and boxing world. "Walk-in" shirts have become a staple of nearly every boxing and mma venue across the globe. Affliction was one, if not the first in the line of many duplicators, of this trend that began four years ago with the launch of their company in Southern California. Affliction VP, Tom Atencio, is a large part of this success and the driving force behind the company's marriage to the fight game. Atencio is head of Afflictions MMA promotion which is gearing up to host it's fourth pay-per-view event in August. A long storied relationship with the UFC and it's own front man, Dana White, Tom has never backed down from a challenge and has his sights on a long term battle to be one of the premiere fight promotions in the world. Atencio also has the deep rooted belief that he cannot truly build a company around mixed martial artists without understanding them at their core. Knowing this, the 42-year old Atencio will venture into the cage himself this weekend in Biloxi, MS at the Ultimate Chaos event hosted by Mississippi based Fight Force International. The card will also feature other Affliction figthers Pedro Rizzo, Gilbert Yvel, Chris Horodecki and a massive bout between former NFL'er Bob Sapp and former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley. Tom stopped to give us his thoughts on his upcoming fight and the current state of Affliction recently...

Tom: Hi Matt, what's up?

8CN: Tom, thanks for your time. I know you're a busy man running Affliction, promoting a fight and preparing for one as well.

Tom: No, problem, always glad to talk.

8CN: The Strikeforce fight several weeks ago went really well and you guys were major sponsors. You also had several Affliction fighters there. What are you thoughts on how the whole production went?

Tom: I thought it was a fantastic show. Good promotion. Perfect fight to have some of our fighters fight at. It just worked out perfect for us.

8CN: Personally, I'm an Andrei Arlovski fan...I'm concerned about his fighting future after being knocked out by Brett Rogers...what happened? What are you thoughts on Andrei?

Tom: Unfortunately, people have figured him out. I think that people found out his weakness and they are capitalizing on it. He doesn't have a chin anymore and now people know it. He's been knocked out four different times I think. This isn't necessarily a new thing.

8CN: I'm not sure what Andrei's contract status with you is...but, where does he go from here with Affliction?

Tom: That was his last fight under contract with us. We'll have to sit down and figure out whether we go forward in the future or not.

8CN: We do know that Fedor's last fight under contract with you will be at the upcoming Affliction 3...certainly you don't want to lose him, what will you do to keep him around in the future? He speaks highly of you and with your partnership with M-1...surely you have a good shot at keeping him around.

Tom: We have a great relationship with Fedor. It's a really good partnership. We haven't signed on the dotted line. It's just a matter of finalizing the details. Fedor is very loyal and we want to be the same to him. I don't see the UFC coming to terms with Fedor...he's not going to agree to what they want. I'm really not worried about it.

8CN: Tom, shoot straight with me...does it not feel great to know that you have, despite what Dana says, the number one pound for pound fighter in the world fighting for you? Surely, you take pride in that?

Tom: Oh absolutely. 100%. There's no denying he is the number one fighter in the world. People have said and Dana White has said that he hasn't fought anybody. That's completely untrue. Fedor has fought everybody under the sun, the best people out there. His record speaks for it's self. 30 and 1! Come on. The one loss being from a cut. He's proven time and time again that he is the best. Of course it feels great to have him as our fighter. Imagine managing Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant...it doesn't get any better.

8CN: You've been criticized for preparing for your own fight when you should be promoting Affliction 3. I'm calling your bluff. Isn't it possible that you are getting far more press and promotion for Affliction by having your own fight? You know what you're doing don't you?

Tom: (Laughs) Yeah, that's totally true. But, honestly, I'm really not doing it to promote Affliction. It is very personal for me. People always want to read into everything you do. If I weren't in the public eye, it would be no big deal at all that I'm fighting. You do what you have to do to survive. I'm doing for it me and for no one else. Win, lose or draw. I can say that I fought twice in two different organizations.

8CN: Tom, why is Affliction 3 going to be better than the first two?

Tom: Look at the card. It's incredible. It features the number one fighter in the world against the number 2. Josh has a great chance of beating Fedor. He is extremely well rounded. Look at the rest of the fights. Vitor Belfort vs. Jorge Santiago. Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Gegard Mousasi. Amazing fighters. The card is stacked from top to bottom.

8CN: Are there any fights that may be changing or that you have not finalized yet on the card?

Tom: Yeah, there are three fights I am still trying to finalize. They are in the final stages, we just haven't finished paper work on them yet.

8CN: Tom, give me something about the fight we haven't heard about yet.

Tom: Unfortunately I think I've laid it all out there already. I am working on a big fight that would be between two different weight classes. Big names.

8CN: What about all the naysayers claiming you spent too much money on fighters and it will by your demise?

Tom: Well, you know we did. But we have corrected that. But, if we hadn't I don't know that we would have made the splash that we did in the industry. We did something that no one else has really been able to do. We did well on pay per views. You are always going to have critics.

8CN: A question I've had since the first fight that I haven't seen you address yet...Why the ring instead of a cage? And will that ever change?

Tom: You know that's a decision I made personally early on. I was a huge fan of Pride and so I wanted that feel. The ring is a little bit faster. The ring doesn't benefit a grappler as well. I just think it keeps everything a little more exciting. Look how many knockouts we've had on the first two events. I'm not opposed to the cage, but no plans to change right now.

8CN: Final thoughts on your fight this weekend in Biloxi, Mississippi at Ultimate Chaos. You are fighting Randy Hedderick, another amateur. What are your strengths and how will you approach the fight?

Tom: You know I'm going to try to listen to my corner men as much as possible. I've learned everything I know from these guys and I'm going to trust them. I am really going to try and do what they say. I'm going to be prepared as much as possible and be confident looking for the win.

8CN: Well, the card for Fight Force International and Ultimate Chaos features some huge fights for a relatively small promotion. Any final thoughts?

Tom: I'm looking forward to the whole event and watching as much of it as I can. It should be fantastic.

8CN: Tom, thanks so much for your time and we will see you in Biloxi this weekend.

Tom: Alright, bud, we'll see you there. Should be a good time.