Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers main card predictions

November 7, 11:52 AMPortland MMA ExaminerJeff Howard

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                       Picture courtesy of Strikeforce

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers will air tonight, live on CBS, from the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, IL. As is the norm, I have made my fight picks and predictions for the main card of the event.

Fabricio Werdum vs. Antonio Silva- This fight is Silva's first in the states since his suspension for steroids. Silva is a dangerous striker, but slower than the normal heavyweight. Werdum should try to get this one to the ground as soon as humanly possible and look for the submission. I am going with Werdum on this one, via submission in the 1st round. I think his ground game will be too much for Bigfoot.

Gegard Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry Sokodjou- As many have seen, Sokodjou hasn't done well in the states. His cardio has come into question with him gassing out in the majority of his losses. Mousasi is so dangerous from any angle and I have him winning this one, pretty easily, via submission in the 2nd round.

Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Jake Shields- Just about everyone, including the odds makers, have Shields as a lock in this one. Alas, I am going to go the other way and predict an upset here. Shields relies on his submission game in most of his fights, but Miller is no slouch on the ground and has a lot more experience. I am picking Mayhem to pull off the victory via decision in this 5 round fight, winning the Strikeforce middleweight belt.

Brett Rogers vs. Fedor Emelianenko- Fedor is fighting in a cage for the first time in his career, and against a much larger opponent in Rogers. Rogers has ended all of his fights with strikes, all but one in the first round. With that said, I have to say that I do not see Rogers as a number one contender at all. He is a one dimensional fighter, relying solely on punches to win his fights. Fedor is, well, Fedor! His calm demeanor and business-like approach to the fight game has been well documented. I see this fight ending in a submission victory for Fedor, most likely with an armbar in the first round. It could be a choke, but I am picking Fedor by armbar, late in the 1st. I do not believe that Fedor is unbeatable, I just don't see the inexperienced Rogers being the one to beat him.