Kirill Sidelnikov tests positive for steroids

The California State Athletic Commission announced on Tuesday that Kirill "Baby Fedor" Sidelnikov has been suspended for one year for testing positive for the steroid Stanozolol. Sidelnikov (5-3), a Red Devil teammate to the world's top heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, lost his U.S. debut against Paul Buentello at Affliction Day of Reckoning on January 24 in Anaheim, California.

Also used in horse racing, Stanozolol promotes muscle growth and strength increases, usually without excessive weight gain.

If the suspension remains uncontested, Sidelnikov will be eligible to re-apply for licensure in California after Jan. 18, 2010 and will pay a $2,500 fine.

This is most disappointing since Kirill Sidelnikov has been touted as Fedor's protege, and it makes you wonder just how much Fedor knew what was going on. I'm not making any accusations, but you have to wonder if Fedor was aware of Kirill's steroid use or, worse yet, even encouraged it. The two come from the same training camp and work very closely with each other, so you can't help but feel that Kirill is tainting Fedor's name as well. And what's worse is that Kirill still lost despite the steroids. If you're going to cheat, at least make sure you win. It'd be like rigging an election to ensure you come in second place.

Tom Atencio denies Affliction rumors

There were rumors going around that Affliction would call it quits after their upcoming third event, but Affliction VP Tom Atencio appeared on Hardcore Sports Radio saying it simply wasn't true.

"The rumors are just that, rumors, they're not true, there's no truth to it.... I have Donald Trump behind me, I have Golden Boy Promotions behind me, I have M-1, where are we going? People love to build you up, but they love to watch you fall even more and hopefully I'm not that guy. I've always maintained that I've taken the high road, I don't talk shit about people. I have a lot going on right now with Trump, Golden Boy and M-1 and things are moving forward.... Right now, I'm learning a lot about this business. I've been honest from day one and right now, I'm going to sit down with Golden Boy, M-1 and Mr. Trump and we're going to figure out how we're going forward. We're going to do events every three or four months. The bottom line is, this is only our second event, let me learn, let me do what I'm doing, but I must be doing something right because someone is starting these rumors."

Speculation has swirled that Affliction is hemorraghing money after overpaying their fighters, poor pay-per-view numbers, and high-priced shows such as Banned and Day of Reckoning. Let's just hope they can sell enough t-shirts to keep Fedor Emelianenko employed. Pretty soon he'll just be on the side of the road beating up bears and armbarring trucks. Which actually sounds pretty cool, so here's to hoping Affliction goes under.

UPDATE: Tom Atencio is completely denouncing the rumor, telling MMAJunkie, "It's a complete lie. I don't know where it came from."