Harbinger Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 (edited) http://www.theprovin...3636/story.html Facing MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko the opportunity of a lifetime for Brett Rogers When Brett Rogers steps into the cage and under the bright lights on Saturday night against mixed-martial-arts superstar Fedor Emelianenko, he will be face-to-face with arguably the most feared fighter on the planet. Emelianenko is Mike Tyson, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods rolled into one. The Last Emperor is 30-1 with one no contest, his lone defeat coming nearly nine years ago when an illegal elbow cut him and resulted in a TKO loss. Most recently, he's needed a combined 230 seconds to destroy former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title holders Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski. Other notches on his belt: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (twice), UFC Hall-of-Famer Mark Coleman (twice) and Mirko Cro Cop. A victory by Rogers (10-0) in front of a national television audience on CBS (9 p.m. EST) would be akin to Buster Douglas's stunning knockout of Tyson in 1990. Rogers, who hails from one of the toughest housing projects in the country, knows he's viewed as that type of underdog. But fighting on national TV against one of MMA's legends sure beats changing tires for a living. As late as April, Rogers worked at a Sam's Club in the St. Paul suburb of Woodbury, changing tires to put food on the table for his wife and three young children. He also happened to be one of the fastest-rising challengers in MMA, going 10-0 with nine knockouts to earn a shot against the man simply known as Fedor in his highly anticipated debut for Strikeforce. "There's very, very few fighters who have the choice between Harvard and the cage," said Rogers' trainer, Mike Reilly. "You don't run into a lot of blue bloods who are willing to throw down. Most fighters come from very humble backgrounds, but rarely do you see a fighter like Brett who remains humble." Emelianenko — the Russian star considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in MMA — takes on Rogers at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers, from the Sears Centre just outside of Chicago. The event is the first MMA card on network television since an Elite XC event headlined by the now-famous Seth Petruzelli win over Kimbo Slice in 2008. Rogers spent much of his young life on Chicago's South Side, including some time in the notorious Cabrini Green projects. He fled to Minnesota with his grandmother around the age of 12, settling in St. Paul. "We came from nothing," said Rogers. "We had nothing." He played basketball in high school and junior college, then started in amateur boxing before finding his way into the no-nonsense world of MMA about six years ago. He thought his big break came in 2007 when he signed with EliteXC, a rival startup to UFC, the No. 1 company in mixed martial arts. Rogers, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs in right at the 265-pound heavyweight limit, knocked out Jon Murphy in May 2008 on the undercard of Elite XC: Primetime, the first MMA event broadcast on network TV in North America. He was thinking that his days changing tires were over. Instead, EliteXC folded and the up-and-coming fighter with concrete fists found himself asking for extra shifts at Sam's Club again. "I didn't quit work, but I had dropped myself down to part-time, weekends," Rogers said. "It got to the point to where I couldn't get to full-time again. I had to basically hustle and do whatever it took to get some money in my pocket. It was stressed." Then Strikeforce called, giving him a new lease on his MMA life. Rogers knocked out Abongo Humphrey in April, and truly made a name for himself in June by knocking out ex-UFC champ Arlovski in just 22 seconds. "Knocking out Andrei Arlovski was a life-changing event," Reilly said. "From that point on, it meant this is your career. This is what you'll be doing for the next 10 years of your life." The victory shot Rogers to the top of the contender list, making him an ideal opponent for Emelianenko's debut. The 33-year-old Russian star, who became a free agent when the Affliction promotion folded, turned down a contract offer from UFC in August for Strikeforce, the San Jose-based promotion. Emelianenko trains in seclusion, speaks very little English and has won 26 straight fights, all of which adds to an aura of invincibility similar to what Tyson had in the 1980s. He has had an up-close look at Rogers, sitting at ringside for the KO of Arlovski. He knows the strength of his opponent and is ready for it. "Brett Rogers is a hard puncher," said Emelianenko. "He's a very good puncher. You always have to respect someone who punches like he does. You can not overlook any fighter if you want to be successful, but especially you can't look past someone who can punch like that." In recent months, Rogers' life has gained more structure. He was able to quit Sam's Club for good to focus on fighting full-time, and even bought a house in the suburbs for his family. But he knows the window for earning is small, and a Buster-sized upset of Fedor would surely help. "My mission is to get the titles, gain respect and, obviously, the money, man," Rogers said. "I'm young and I'm a father of three. So the way I see it, I'm not going to be fighting forever. "I've got to squeeze as much money as possible until A, I get hurt and can't fight no more, or B, I'm too old and can't fight no more." Analytical and introspective, Rogers has studied Emelianenko's fights and knows his best chance will come if he can stay off the mat. Grappling isn't his strong suit, and he hopes to use his five-inch height advantage and height and (at least) 30 extra pounds on Saturday. "The opportunity is to be the No. 1 guy in the world," Reilly said. "Nobody can question it. Somebody else might be wearing a title or whatever, but there's no question he'll be No. 1 in the world." Also scheduled for Saturday night's event: - Jake Shields (28-4) takes on Jason Miller (29-6) to determine the Strikeforce middleweight champion; - Gegard Mousasi (29-2) meets Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-4) in a light heavyweight bout; - Fabricio Werdum (12-4-1) fights Antonio Silva (13-1) in a heavyweight match. Edited November 6, 2009 by Harbinger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MauricioShogunRua Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 I'm so sick of watching the end of every episode and having the show hype a potential return for Kimbo. Kimbo has really grown on me this season, but I'm tired of seeing TUF faux-foreshadow Kimbo's return with an injury that turns out to be minor. It would be hilarious if someone did get injured and they had Wessel come back for team Rashad. Remember, Mitrione isn't from team Rampage. Yah I feel the same. Like when Linderman had a little cut and they were hyping Kimbo's return. I wasn't so sure bout Kimbo at the start but he's turned out be pretty cool, and it looks Dana agrees cause supposedly Kimbo already signed a six figure contract Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stemm Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Strike Force is on at 9pm tonight on CBS (channel 15) It's gonna be dope But Spike is counter programming with a bunch of main events (UFC 101, 102, 103) I'm still gonna watch Strike Force but damn. I might have to flip back and forth between channels a couple of times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusclePrime Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 I hope Rogers wins. MMA needs a Buster Douglas-Tyson type of upset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 I hope Rogers wins. MMA needs a Buster Douglas-Tyson type of upset. I'm a big Fedor fan as everyone knows. But I'm not adverse to seeing him lose if it's by an amazing knockout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusclePrime Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 <br />I'm a big Fedor fan as everyone knows. But I'm not adverse to seeing him lose if it's by an amazing knockout. <img src='http://forum.canucks.com/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /><br /> Yea, that's what I want to see. Fedor getting knocked out would be the biggest thing to happen in MMA. Rogers is a really good puncher. Hes got crazy knockout power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Unreal. Fedor Fedor Fedor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
250Integra Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Ted Rogers just got KTFO by Fedor. WOW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusclePrime Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 WOW! Rogers was winning the fight up until he got KNOCKED THE EFF OUT!! Damn though. Wanted to see Rogers win. But damn man did you guys hear that punch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jovocop55 Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 cant wait to see Lesnar and Fedor in the cage.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Ted Rogers just got KTFO by Fedor. WOW :blink: Then he acted like a child when he got interviewed. He should just face facts. He got beaten by the baddest man on the planet and was in completely over his head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
250Integra Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Then he acted like a child when he got interviewed. He should just face facts. He got beaten by the baddest man on the planet and was in completely over his head. What did he say? I missed the interview Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug_86 Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 I wanna see Screech vs Urkel @UFC 150. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle0811 Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Overall, I thought that Strikeforce event was pretty good from start to finish. Mind you The Mayhem Miller fight was a little lame, good scrambling though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 What did he say? I missed the interview He thought he could have won the fight and he was scared is why he lost. LOL I think he may have forgotten about the part where he gots his head knocked off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang Bang Boogie Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 What a punch by Fedor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Exact same punch he has used on a lot of guys. Last of which was Arlovski. Head down overhand right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homo Sapiens' Sapience Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Pow, right in the kisser. Fedor is unbelievable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trade Deadline Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Good fights. Total crap hole interviews/announcing. (the announcer had a boner for every fighter) Oh and Rogers is a little female dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stemm Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 I couldn't tell if any of the fighters touched gloves Camera man in the octagon at the start of the round is an idiot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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