July 19th is a go for Operation: End Affliction. Anderson Silva versus James Irvin is set to headline the event. Irvin is a light heavyweight while Silva is a middleweight so it should be interesting to see what weight class they will fight at, I am sure the UFC will figure this out probably to the benefit of Silva. Also there is a rumor that Silva is still slated to fight in September in Atlanta. Seems he as well as the UFC doesn’t expect much out of Irvin. While not as epic as Affliction’s Fedor vs. Sylvia main event, the simple fact that the UFC is putting out their best pound-for-pound fighter the same night as Affliction puts theirs on a display is a massive blow to the fledgling organization. We still need to see the rest of the fight card to really understand what the UFC is putting on.

Call me crazy but the expectation for Silva to fight in July then September just gives me a bad feeling, like Sargeant O’Neil in Platoon. Not that I think Irvin can beat him or that Silva wouldn’t be ready in September. It is just as Larry Kersten said "Before you attempt to beat the odds, be sure you could survive the odds beating you."