by Loretta Hunt
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- Fedor Emelianenko left the Sears Centre Arena on Saturday with his reputation as the world’s No. 1 heavyweight still intact, but it did not come without a struggle against Brett Rogers. » Recap | Play-by-Play
by Jake Rossen
You know how it is when you invite friends over that are only "casual" about MMA: They eat all of your food, they ask dumb questions and they fidget when the fight goes to the ground. By the time the "fat foreign guy" comes out, you will pray for a blackout.
These people are not your friends. Disown them immediately, then watch this space for live coverage of "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers" beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Interact with peers, ask questions -- and best of all, no clean-up. ... Read More
Sherdog.com reported from Sears Centre Arena near Chicago with live play-by-play and results of Strikeforce and M-1 Global’s “Fedor vs. Rogers.” ... Read More
by Loretta Hunt
Jake Shields has his eyes on two prizes.
Strikeforce's newly minted middleweight champion would like to add the welterweight title to his trophy case as well ... Read More
by Jake Rossen
The Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club monolith is known for stocking virtually everything anyone could possibly want: paper towels, dress socks, and even coffins. And if you need someone to try and beat Fedor Emelianenko, by God, they’ve got one of those, too.
Up until this past spring, Brett Rogers was working in an Illinois Sam’s Club tire department, changing radials and likely getting a slight buzz from the stacks of rubber piled around him. Beating Andrei Arlovski in June has kept him from any job but training: 10-0, he’ll attempt to spin a heavy set of hands in his favor. ... Read More
Most of Saturday’s attention will be focused on Fedor Emelianenko, but the product of that hype may last less than a round: a middleweight contest between Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Jake Shields could be the dominant “did you see?” Sunday talk of the event.
Shields, who has had virtually no problems at 170 pounds, moved up a class in June to submit the dangerous Robbie Lawler; Miller, while never dominant at either class, has a workman’s ring ethic and typically forces fighters to put in their time. Taking two athletes who rarely bend and don’t fall asleep in the guard tends to be worth the watch.
Wild Card: Miller’s guard: Shields will probably get him down, which means Miller’s ability to contain or shut him down from his back will determine how his face looks after the fight.
Might Look Like: Shields vs. Renato Verissimo, with Shields dropping air strikes down to an outmuscled jiu-jitsu player.
Who Wins: Shields is going to have issues with some of the larger middleweights out there, but Miller isn’t one of them. He can negate Miller’s grappling for a decision. ... Read More