Nearly a quarter ton of trained flesh and bone will climb into the cage when the world’s top heavyweight,
Fedor Emelianenko, meets unbeaten challenger
Brett Rogers.
Emelianenko checked in at 232 pounds for his main event against Rogers (264) at
Strikeforce/M-1 Global “Fedor vs. Rogers” on Saturday at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill. The event will air at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.
Seventeen of the 18 other competitors booked to compete also made weight without incident at Friday’s official weigh-in, including
Jake Shields and
Jason “Mayhem” Miller, the two men who will lock horns in a five-round battle for the vacant middleweight championship. Featherweight
Dustin Neace, who tipped the scales at 150.5 pounds, failed to meet the 146-pound threshold for his undercard matchup with World Extreme Cagefighting veteran
Jeff Curran. Neace was afforded an additional hour to drop the weight.
The 33-year-old Emelianenko, who earned his tag as the sport’s greatest heavyweight rose through his dominance inside Pride Fighting Championships, has not fought since January, when he knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion
Andrei Arlovski with one thudding right hand at Affliction “Day of Reckoning.” The punch sent the Belarusian to the canvas face-first. Emelianenko has won 10 straight bouts, finishing his last five opponents inside one round.
The 6-foot-5 Rogers, 28, will enter as a prohibitive underdog but wields the kind devastating punching power that springs historic upsets. The undefeated Minnesotan has never gone the distance as a professional and owns eight first-round finishes -- including an eye-opening 22-second dismantling of Arlovski -- among his 10 wins.
Shields (184.5), the former EliteXC welterweight king, will carry a 12-fight winning streak into his showdown with Miller. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under
Cesar Gracie, the 30-year-old Californian rocked the middleweight division when he submitted the world-ranked
Robbie Lawler with a guillotine choke in June.
Host of the MTV reality series “Bully Beatdown,” Miller (184) has not fought since his rematch with
Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza ended in a no contest at Dream 9 six months ago. Wins over Lawler,
Tim Kennedy and
Denis Kang anchor the charismatic 29-year-old’s resume.
Jake Shields (184.5) vs.
Jason “Mayhem” Miller (184)
Fedor Emelianenko (232) vs.
Brett Rogers (264)
Gegard Mousasi (205) vs.
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (204)
Antonio Silva (263) vs.
Fabricio Werdum (242)
Roxanne Modafferi (140) vs.
Marloes Coenen (145)
Mark Miller (171) vs.
Deray Davis (170.5)
Jeff Curran (145) vs.
Dustin Neace (*149.6)
Shamar Bailey (170) vs.
John Kolosci (171)
Louis Taylor (185.5) vs.
Nate Moore (184)
Christian Uflacker (156) vs.
Jonatas Novaes (155.5)
* The Curran-Neace fight will be held at a catch-weight of 149.6 pounds. Curran will be awarded 20 percent of Neace's purse.
Loretta Hunt contributed to this report.
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