Fedor-Rogers Crowd Could Exceed 10,000

A crowd of more than 10,000 spectators could greet two of the world’s top 10 heavyweights when Fedor Emelianenko meets Brett Rogers in the Strikeforce/M-1 Global “Fedor vs. Rogers” main event this Saturday at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill.

According to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, who received the figures from Ticketmaster, 9,815 tickets have been sold for the promotion’s debut on CBS, which will also feature a five-round middleweight title fight between Jake Shields and Jason "Mayhem" Miller. That leaves only 871 tickets unsold for the show. By comparison, UFC 90, which featured a middleweight title bout between Anderson Silva and Patrick Cote, drew 15,359 at the Allstate Arena in nearby Rosemont, Ill., in October 2008.

A Chicago Sun-Times feature story on the stoic Emelianenko, whose stateside marketability has long been questioned, resulted in a surge of interest, according to organizers. The 33-year-old Russian has not tasted defeat in nearly nine years.

Unbeaten in his last 27 fights, Emelianenko leveled former UFC champions Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia in his two most recent outings. He knocked out Arlovski with one punch 3:14 into their match at Affliction “Day of Reckoning” in January but has not competed since. Emelianenko agreed to a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce in August, spurning an offer from the rival UFC.

Difficult to stomach on his feet and on the ground, Emelianenko has finished his last five opponents inside one round and holds notable victories against Brazilian legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, 2006 Pride open weight grand prix winner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and former UFC heavyweight champions Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman. He has secured 23 of his 30 career wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

Rogers meanwhile, launched himself into the national spotlight when he dismantled Arlovski in 22 seconds at a Strikeforce show in June. The 28-year-old Minnesotan has finished all 10 of his opponents and represents a formidable physical challenge for Emelianenko, who has been often criticized for his choice of opposition. Rogers, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound EliteXC veteran, will own a significant height and weight advantage when the two meet inside the cage.

In addition, Strikeforce received 150 media requests for the event, more than double the volume the promotion typically experiences, according to CBS representatives.