...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief Controversial heavyweight Gilbert Yvel is currently set to face Josh Barnett at Affliction's Day of Reckoning pay-per-view on the 24th of this month, but before that can happen he's still got some hurdles in front of him left to jump. Yvel was denied a license in Nevada in 2007 for PRIDE 33 due to past actions, including a 2004 incident where he knocked down a referee and proceeded to kick him while he was down, and it was not a given going into this month that the California State Athletic Commission would clear him for the Affliction event.
And despite Tom Atencio's claim last month that Yvel would be fine for the event, Yvel has only now received word on the first step of that happening. According to a report from Sam Caplan at FiveOuncesOfPain.com, Yvel has been granted approval to apply for a license in the state of California. Sam Caplan received an email response for comment on the story from the Vice President of Legal Affairs for M-1 Global, Steve Bash, "Gilbert Yvel has been approved to ’submit’ his application for license to the State of California...However, he must fully meet all licensing requirements, as would any applicant, before ‘approval’ is granted. Once ‘approval’ is granted, the rest is up to Gilbert to prove that he is a professional in every sense of the word...We felt the [CSAC] was fair, unbiased, and democratic in hearing Gilbert’s case...We are confident that once Gilbert completes the licensing process that he will compete with honor against Josh Barnett during Affliction’s ‘Day of Reckoning’ on January 24."
Yvel's still got multiple medical tests that he needs to pass as well as any other requirements the CSAC may have for him before he's permitted to compete on the January 24th card.
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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