Trump VP named COO of Affliction Entertainment

Last week at a press conference in New York City, Affliction announced its partnership with Donald J. Trump. On Tuesday, Michael D. Cohen, Executive Vice President & Special Counsel to Mr. Trump, was named Chief Operating Officer for Affliction Entertainment.

Affliction and The Trump Organization, in association with Roy Englebrecht Events, will present their entry into the world of professional mixed-martial-arts (MMA) with its first event, "Affliction Banned," scheduled for July 19, 2008 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

"I'm extremely honored to serve as COO for Affliction Entertainment," Mr. Cohen said. "MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world and I've been a tremendous fan for years. I can assure everyone -- fans watching on pay-per-view and those in attendance from all over the world -- that our upcoming pay-per-view show will be the greatest MMA night ever. I'm nearly speechless knowing Mr. Trump and Affliction have the trust in me for an event that features the greatest assembly of MMA fighters for one show in MMA history. This is like having [Muhammad] Ali, [Joe] Frazier, [Mike] Tyson, [Evander] Holyfield and other top heavyweights all on the same boxing card. It's unprecedented and will revolutionize the way MMA fans view this sport."

"Affliction Banned" will be headlined by the much-anticipated return of Russian heavyweight superstar and former undisputed Pride champion Fedor Emelianenko in association with M-1, against former 2-time Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder Tim Sylvia.