ANAHEIM, Calif. – The landscape of the mixed martial arts business may have changed Saturday night as the debuting Affliction promotion came out of its debut show with the potential for several of the biggest heavyweight marquee matches in the sport.

The myth of the quiet but unbeatable Russian, Fedor Emelianenko, turned into an undisputed reality as he destroyed former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in a scant 36 seconds in the main event at the Honda Center. Emelianenko, 28-1, who was the PRIDE heavyweight champion from 2003 until the company closed in 2007, became the first World Alliance of Mixed Martial arts heavyweight champion with the win.

Although Floyd Mayweather Jr. has retired at least twice before, boxing’s pound-for-pound king says he’s really taking off his crown this time.

Mayweather abruptly retired Friday at the peak of his athletic skill and earning power, releasing a six-paragraph letter in which the unbeaten five-division champion said he no longer feels the passion that propelled him to the top of the family business.

Ultimate fighter Kendall Grove earned the nickname “Da Spyder,” mainly because of his long, lanky 6-foot-6-inch frame and his nimbleness in the ring. But the 24-year-old Maui native’s nickname could have just as easily been derived from his rough-and-tumble career, which, until recently, resembled a tangled web of frustration and disappointment.

Grove, a onetime Baldwin High School wrestler, moved to Las Vegas in 2000 hoping to develop his jiu-jitsu skills and eventually make it big as a mixed martial arts fighter. To pay for his gym fees, the young fighter cleaned the workout mats every night after class.