Fedor's Fallout - Are His Days on Top Numbered?

November 8, 11:40 PMSan Jose MMA ExaminerPhil Lanides

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Flying Fedor

Sherdog

Fedor Emelianenko vanquished Brett “The Grim” Rogers at Saturday’s StrikeForce event, and may have also vanquished the talks that he’s not marketable in the United States. Early ratings (http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/preliminary-numbers-in-for-cbs-saturday-night-fights-20805) indicate that the numbers for the event were good, though how the time overrun that included the Fedor-Rogers bout affected viewership has not been revealed yet. In addition, the crowd was clearly amped for the bout, and the reaction to the quiet Russian was quite strong. In all the business aspects of the fight, it appears to be both a victory for Fedor and StrikeForce. But what about the fight itself?

Obviously, Fedor won the bout. But is it possible that his reputation took a right hand to the face in much the same way Rogers did? “The Last Emperor’s” nose was lacerated badly on Rogers’ first punch, and it initially appeared as if it might be broken. Rogers also briefly landed some top shelf ground and pound, and Fedor was unable to have his way on the ground with the bigger fighter, as he has done in the past (Hong Man Choi, Zuluzinho, Tim Sylvia, etc.) In short, this was certainly no easy match for Fedor, and Rogers came out on the other side of the bout as a legitimized threat in the heavyweight division. In addition, Fedor is 33 years old, and though he’s been criticized in recent years for his lack of ring activity, he has over thirty fights on his resume. Is his time at the top on the decline?

In a word…no. Fedor overwhelmed the size and strength or Rogers, getting the better of the bigger man on the feet. He threw Rogers down like a ragdoll at one point, and weathered considerable storms from Rogers being on top, as well as spouting nasal appendage. On top of all that, there are reports (http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/fedor-breaks-nose-injures-hand-20799) that Fedor injured his hand during the fight, and had to go to the hospital after the post-fight press conference. In spite of all this adversity, Fedor emerged the victor, his place at the top of the heap still secure. StrikeForce’s opening video montage showed a throne, upon which sat Fedor and Rogers at separate points. After the dust had settled, it was clear who it belonged to.

There were several other interesting tidbits to come out in regards to future StrikeForce bouts during the various press conferences that took place at the event:

- Cung Le is returning: Cung Le has been confirmed and officially announced to headline the December 19th StrikeForce show, entitled “Evolution.” He will battle KO artist Scott “Hands of Stone” Smith, and the bout is largely expected to be a stand-up affair - http://mmajunkie.com/news/16779/le-vs-smith-official-for-strikeforce-evolution-on-dec-19-tickets-on-sale-next-week.mma
- So is Robbie Lawler: Also returning to the StrikeForce cage will be “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler, who is coming off a loss to newly-minted StrikeForce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields. No opponent has been named - http://mmajunkie.com/news/16771/middleweight-robbie-lawler-set-for-dec-19-return-at-strikeforce-evolution.mma
- Introducing…Shinya Aoki: Dream Lightweight Champion Shinya Aoki, this generation’s Kazushi Sakuraba, was present at this weekend’s event, and was shown on-camera during the broadcast. He is expected to fight for the promotion, possibly in the spring, as part of the StrikeForce-Dream talent exchange agreement. Aoki is not well-known in the States, but he is a top star in his native Japan, known for his exciting fights, flashy full-length grappling tights, and considerable submission game - http://mmajunkie.com/news/16773/shinya-aoki-introduced-by-strikeforce-likely-to-fight-for-organization.mma