StrikeForce ready to shine on CBS
One man is looking to validate his status as the world’s best heavyweight fighter, while the other is looking secure his place as a newly minted Top 10 mixed martial artist.
Brett Rogers (10-0) will take on Fedor Emelianenko tonight in Chicago, which will be broadcast live on CBS at 9 p.m. (EST/PST).
The city and venue couldn’t be more perfect for the fight as Rogers was born in the city, and it boasts a heavy Russian population.
“I understand that a lot of people will come to support Brett Rogers,” Fedor said through a translator. “I do have experience where the audience supports my opponents.”
Added Rogers: “I’m hoping for the fans to cheer me on, since I’m actually from there.”
Rogers, who is coming off of a 22-second destruction of former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, has adopted studying video of Fedor (30-1) along with his usual training methods, hoping to gain some insight on the former PRIDE heavyweight kingpin.
For three months, Rogers has trained non-stop for the moment to take to prepare for this bout. When the cage door closes tonight, Rogers said he feels like he already knows what to expect of Fedor.
“I feel like I know him,” Rogers said. “I haven’t fought him and I feel like I know him. The way I see it, he likes to come out and throw his hands and then take you down. He’s not going to handle me standing up.”
If the fight does go on the ground, Rogers said he is ready for a battle. He even went out to California to sharpen up his ground work.
“I’m not fresh to the game,” Rogers said. “I’ve been studying MMA for six years. … I’m coming in there as the bigger stronger guy and I’m not going to let him control me.”
The win over Arlovski opened up new doors for the man who used to change tires and act as a bouncer for a living.
Things like, movie roles, TV shows and, most importantly, the ability to train full time.
And while he doesn’t present, on paper, the well-known abilities of an Andrei Arlovski or a Josh Barnett, Rogers remains confident that he can shock the world by defeating the man considered by some as the world’s best fighter.
His reason? The desire to keep his star rising rather than having it fall.
“I’m coming from nothing and wanting to be something, that’s where I get my confidence from,” Rogers said. “This is my life.”
As for Fedor, the fight is more of a case of proving to the fans that he still the world’s best heavyweight fighter.
By not signing with the UFC, Fedor might have forfeited a shot at fighting a great group of heavyweights, but a convincing win over Rogers would get people talking about him as the best fighter again.
He expects some backlash from fans who wanted him in the UFC, but he wants fans to understand that he did it because he wanted a better deal from the world’s biggest promotion.
“I think it would be good that I could not such a one-sided contract with the UFC,” Fedor said. “We (Me and my management) deserved a little bit more.”
The fight on CBS is another opportunity for Fedor to be exposed to the mainstream audience. The past events with Fedor haven’t necessarily drawn well, but Strikeforce president Scott Coker is expecting a sellout.
Fedor admits he doesn’t think about being a marketable fighter in the United States. He has one focus.
“I want to show interesting and beautiful fights, so the audience learns more about us,” Fedor said.
