- Aleksander Emelianenko Not Fighting in Korea
- Paul Buentello Reportedly Leaves Strikeforce, Heading To The UFC
- Evangelista vs Gurgel To Main Event Nov. 6 Strikeforce Challengers Event
- Full UFC 103: Franklin vs Belfort Bouts Confirmed
- 2-Time Olympian Daniel Cormier To Make MMA Debut At Strikeforce Sept 25
- Matt Hamill vs. Jon Jones In The Works For "TUF 10 Finale"
- Rick Story Reportedly In For Daley Against Brian Foster
- Gesias "JZ" Calvacante VS Daisuke Nakamura At DREAM 11
- Fight Card Set For "MFC 22: Payoff"
- Clementi vs. Duncan To Headline Cage Wars Championship
- On The Spot ~ Raffaello 'Tractor' Oliveira
- On The Spot ~ Carlos "The Natural Born Killer" Condit
- On The Spot ~ James Brasco
- Video: On The Spot ~ Roan Carneiro
- Jimi Manuwa ~ Becoming The Poster Boy
- Royce Gracie: I Give Them The Tools, The Rest Is Up To Them
- On The Spot ~ Gilbert Melendez
- Renato Sobral ~ It Speaks For Itself
- On The Spot ~ Denis Kang
- Introducing Mayhem Promotions
Could Strikeforce Be Scheduling Fedor vs Rogers For Oct. 10 In N.J.?
posted by J. Andrew Yount
According to reports, Russian Sambo fighter Fedor Emelianenko's much anticipated debut for Strikeforce may come on Oct. 10 on Showtime from Newark, NJ. With no announcement or fanfare, Showtime added an event opening to their schedule for the October date. It could put the former Pride champion's debut against highly touted prospect Brett Rogers a little more than a month away. Previous speculation suggested a much later November date for this fight.
Emelianenko was last scheduled to face consensus number two heavyweight Josh Barnett at "Affliction: Trilogy," but the Barnett’s removal and the organization's subsequent collapse left Emelianenko a free agent. Many thought a marriage between Fedor and the UFC was a near certainty. However, after the UFC declined co-promotion stipulations attached to the proposed deal, Fedor and his management walked away and shockingly signed a contract with Strikeforce just days later.
Emelianenko remains the most dominant force at heavyweight. He has not tasted defeat in nearly a decade, and maintains an overall MMA record of 30-1.
His opponent, Brett Rogers, made his mark on the MMA world by knocking out former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski in June, taking less time to dispatch the former champ than did Emelianenko in Arlovski’s previous bout. Undefeated after ten pro fights, nine of them knockouts and none of them going the distance, Rogers has requested this fight and has predicted a win by knockout. Already with top ten status, Rogers is looking to lay claim to the top heavyweight spot with an upset over Emelianenko.
Many have already begun to speculate about the secrecy or lack of information coming from Strikefoce, Showtime, or the fighters themselves about the potential October date and event. Some of the theories include Showtime’s reluctance to release details due to UFC’s ability to effectively counter-program previous events from competing organizations. It is important to note, that ZUFFA owned World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) already has an event that has been rescheduled for October 10, and any counter-programming could also hurt that their own brand as well; which may be the reasoning for placing a potential Strikeforce event on this date. Others have the event being headlined by a potential interim title match up involving highly regarded Jake Shields.
MMA Spot will be updating any details about this story or potential new stories related to it as they become clearer or are confirmed.
Posted at 09-08-2009
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