Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel (35-12-1) is the latest opponent set to challenge former UFC heavyweight champion Josh “The Babyface Assassin” Barnett (23-5) at Affliction: “Day of Reckoning” at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on January 24.

Brett “The Grim” Rogers and Aleksander Emelianenko have been mentioned as possible adversaries heretofore; however, this latest announcement has been confirmed by the good folks over at M-1 Global.

That’s far from official, but we’ll entertain the possibility until official word comes down from Affliction even though M-1 is a strategic partner of the promotion.

Perhaps the only problem with this potential match up is the fact that the Dutch mixed martial arts veteran could have a difficult time getting a license to fight in the United States. In fact, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) rejected his application to compete against Sergei Kharitonov at PRIDE 33 in Las Vegas as recently as February 2007.

That’s because Yvel has a history of “dirty” behavior inside the ring — everything from assaulting referees to eye gouging to biting opponents. Therefore, it should be interesting to see if the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) for some reason has a change of heart if indeed the bout is booked.

The Pride FC veteran is currently enjoying a seven-fight win streak, dating back to mid 2006. He most recently stopped Alexander Timonov via technical knockout (punches) in just 22 seconds at M-1 Challenge 9 a few weeks ago.

Yvel has been up against some of the best in the business during his 11-year career, including Semmy Schilt (win), Dan Henderson (loss), Vitor Belfort (loss), Wanderlei Silva (N/C), Igor Vovchanchyn (loss) and Cheick Kongo (win), among others.

His opponent, “The Baby Face Assassin,” is no slouch himself.

Barnett is coming off a one punch, highlight reel-type knockout over Pedro Rizzo at the first Affliction event back in July. Before that he competed twice in Japan on Sengoku cards against Hidehiko Yoshida and Jeff Monson, winning both bouts with a third round submission (heel hook) and a unanimous decision, respectively.

The former Pride FC star and top-ranked heavyweight competitor will look to make it four in a row against a very tough but beatable opponent — Yvel has a suspect ground game, which Barnett could possibly exploit in short order if given the opportunity.

That is, of course, if the fight happens in the first place.

“Day of Reckoning,” which was originally slated to go down on October 11, 2008, before being postponed, will feature one of the most anticipated fights in the history of the sport between WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko and former UFC title holder Andrei Arlovski. Ten total bouts are expected to eventually round out the card, including a middleweight showdown between Matt Lindland and Vitor Belfort.

Prior to the PPV broadcast, which will be produced and distributed by Showtime Networks Inc. in conjunction with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, several fights will be televised on the HDNet channel.

In fact, a light heavyweight tilt between Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Vladimir Matyushenko will headline the televised HDNet preliminary card that will serve as a lead in to the PPV event, which is slated to begin at 9 p.m. ET on fight night.

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