by Ariel Shnerer, The Fight Network

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Due to a 180-day medical suspension, Fedor Emelianenko, at least for the time being, has been pulled off the card. In his replacement, Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski will take on "The Babyface Assassin" Josh Barnett in a battle of two-top heavyweight fighters.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com was the first to break the story on Friday, revealing Fedor Emelianenko would not be competing and Josh Barnett would be a likely replacement for the bout against Andrei Arlovski.

This card will follow a highly successful debut for the clothing manufacturer turned mixed martial arts promotion, Affliction: Banned, in which the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., drew roughly 14,000 fans. Pay-per-view buys are estimated to be between 70,000 and 110,000, with VP Tom Atencio hinting at the higher end of figures.

Since training under boxing instructor Freddie Roach, Arlovski has improved his all-around game. He was victorious at Affliction: Banned and showcased superior boxing skills against opponent Ben Rothwell.

Josh Barnett was also active on the July 19 Affliction card, exacting revenge on Pedro Rizzo with a second-round knockout win.

A fight between Arlovski and Barnett will automatically place one of the heavyweight contenders in line to challenge Fedor Emelianenko for the WAMMA heavyweight championship at the third Affliction show.

A signing of Tito Ortiz is highly rumored to be announced soon, and a fight against Renato "Babalu" Sobral has been in the works for some time.

Also on the card, Matt Lindland is expected to take on Vitor Belfort in a 185-pound tilt, which would showcase two of the premier middleweights Affliction presently has to offer.