Fedor Emelianenko and
Brett Rogers will face off in a heavyweight main event for Strikeforce on Nov. 7 on CBS. A venue for the event is still to be announced, however ESPN.com and Sherdog.com
have both learned from multiple sources that the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago has emerged as the frontrunner for the event. The Sears Centre Arena holds 11,800 seats and has hosted IFL events in the past.
Strikeforce announced the event on Thursday. The CBS Corporation owns premium pay channel Showtime, which has a multi-year broadcast deal with Strikeforce.
The bout will be the first of three for Emelianenko, the world’s top-ranked heavyweight, with the promotion and will mark his first bout in a cage.
The event also marks the return of mixed martial arts to the major television network. CBS broadcasted EliteXC “Heat” in October 2008 and garnered nearly 5 million viewers.
"There's no question this is a sport that is fast becoming a force in popularity and as a business," said Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, Prime Time, CBS Television. "We're excited to be the platform that will enable millions more to see the athlete regarded as the very best in his sport. The Number One heavyweight on the most-watched network has a very nice ring to it."
Emelianenko, 33, headlined two U.S. events for Affliction Entertainment in July 2008 and January 2009 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif, where he bested former UFC champions
Tim Sylvia and
Andrei Arlovski.
Rogers, 29, knocked out then top-three heavyweight Arlovski in a shocking 22 seconds at a Strikeforce event last June.
Strikeforce will also continue with plans to promote a Challengers event on Nov. 6 at the SaveMart Center in Fresno, Calif., Strikefroce CEO Scott Coker confirmed to Sherdog.com Thursday. It will be the first time the promotion has held back-to-back events.
This item was updated at 6:10 p.m. ET to add information on the event's venue.
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