Fedor Emelianenko prepares in his home country of Russia for his bout against Brett Rogers, which is slated as the main event for Strikeforce’s primtime debut on CBS on Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. (central time).
Strikeforce makes its CBS debut on Saturday, Nov. 7 with a very good main card which includes the greatest fighter in the history of the sport, Fedor Emelianenko. Although Strikeforce has had portions of their events on NBC in replay fashion and live events on Showtime, this is a big step up for the promotion as it has secured its place as the second largest MMA promotion in North America.
Main Event - Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers:
Strikeforce pulled off the biggest coup of the year, and possibly in the history of the sport, by acquiring the services of Fedor. UFC President Dana White was unwilling to co-promote events with M-1 Global, which gave Strikeforce the clear path. Now, CBS and Strikeforce will look to reap the benefits.
Fedor is 30-1 in his career with the only blemish a controversial loss via TKO due to a cut which came illegally to Tsuyoshi Kosaka. Since then, Fedor's resume would service as a who's who of the sport. He has rare talent and can dominate fights on the ground or in the stand up.
Fedor will face the 10-0 Brett Rogers. Rogers is a massive human being who has surprising athleticism. I spent some time watching Rogers train in person and walked away very impressed with his immense size and nimbleness. In Rogers last bout, he defeated former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski with a devastating blow just 22 seconds into the first round. Rogers has one punch power and is a very dangerous opponent for Fedor.
Prediction: Fedor via submission due to a RNC in the second round.
Middleweight Title Bout (Belt surrendered by Cung Le) - Jason Miller vs. Jake Shields:
Jason Miller's antics, including his stint on Bully Beatdown, have brought him a significant level of popularity. Lost in his notoriety is Miller's 22-6 record, which includes victories over Tim Kennedy, Robbie Lawler and Dennis Kang. Miller is a well versed fighter who will be a tough match-up for the ultra talented Jake Shields.
Shields, 23-4-1, is a dynamic grappler with an astute submission game. Shields has won 12 fights in a row, including an impressive victory at a catch weight over Robbie Lawler.
Prediction: Jake Shields via submission fourth round.
Gegard Mousasi vs. Sokoudjou (Non Title Bout): Mousasi is 26-2-1 and hasn't lost in over three years. Gegard recently defeated Babalu Sobral with a devastating series of blows a minute into the first round. He faces the very athletic Sokoudjou, who most recently defeated Bob Sapp in the Dream Super Hulk tournament.
Prediction: Mousasi via RNC second round.
Antonio Silva vs. Fabricio Werdum: The 13-4 Silva is coming off a dominating performance against Jim York at Sengoku. Silva, who was suspended for failing a drug test in 2008, is a legitimate contender for the Strikeforce title. Fabricio Werdum, an expert jiu-jitsu practitioner, looked in much better condition in his victory over Mike Kyle on Aug. 15. This is an intriguing match-up between two fighters looking to make their name in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Division.
Prediction: Werdum via submission second round
Undercard:
Women's Bout - Marloes Coenen vs. Roxanne Modafferi: A rematch from May of 2007, Madafferi will again get the victory, this time via unanimous decision.
Flyweight - Jeff Curran vs. Dustin Neace: Jeff Curran gets back in the win column via a split decision.
Middleweight - Shamar Bailey vs. John Kolosci: Shamar Bailey will make his Strikeforce debut in impressive fashion with a victory via TKO due to strikes over the UFC vet Kolosci.
Lightweight - Deray Davis vs. Mark Miller: Davis gets the victory via TKO due to strikes.
Light Heavyweight - Nate Moore vs. Louis Taylor: Louis Taylor via TKO due to strikes.
Lightweight - Jonatas Novaes vs. Christian Uflacker: A good match-up between two submission artists. Uflacker's outstanding jiu-jitsu skills will be the difference. Uflacker wins via submission in the second round.
Scott Dryden is the Editor-in-Chief of www.profighting-fans.com and a sports columnist for The People's Defender.
