Emelianenko Plays Nice; Summer Return For A Strikeforce/M-1 Show On CBS Is Likely

Last week, the world's undisputed best MMA heavyweight Fedor Emelianeko (31-1) made news when he chose not to appear on Strikeforce's upcoming CBS event this April. Immediately following this announcement rumours began circulating that Fedor would either choose to return to fighting in Japan, or possibly even sign with the UFC.

As it turned out, Fedor, along with his manager Vadim Finkelstein and their company M-1 Global, simply felt that the terms of their agreement with Strikeforce needed some minor tweaking. Specifically, they felt that, even though Strikeforce had agreed to their demands of 50-50 co-promotion, the existence of that partnership was not publicized well enough in the North American market. In hindsight, they have a very solid point in that regard as most people referred to the November event on CBS only as Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers, thus including M-1's strongest bargaining chip, Fedor, without giving them their fair credit.

In any case, it now appears as though those concerns have been addressed fairly by all parties concerned and that, as a result, we can expect Emelianenko to return as early as this June on a M-1/Strikeforce card on CBS. His most likely opponent at this time would appear to be world #10 heavyweight Fabricio Werdum (13-4-1).

The following quote appears in an article on Sherdog.com and is attributed to M-1 Global's Director of Operations, Evgeni Kogan:

"I think June, July is realistic (for Emelianenko's return). It's not 100 percent. Don't take this as a fight announcement, but I think during the summer. After the CBS show, we thought that the (Strikeforce) terms needed a little bit tweaking -- nothing major, just a little bit of tweaking. So, we had a round of negotiations with Strikeforce. Everything went positively. We're pretty much at the end. For us, it's really important that the M-1 Global brand is acknowledged on these co-promotion events. As much as the partners made a lot of effort to acknowledge the co-branding, the media basically picked up on the fact that it was Strikeforce and kind of forgot about everything else, which wasn't the most ideal for us."

B.C. MMA Fan will, of course, keep you updated as the story develops.

Strikeforce's Next CBS Show Set For April 17; Fedor Set To Be A No-Show

The worlds most accomplished MMA heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko (31-1), and his cadre of managers/spiritual advisers, etc have proven once again that UFC President Dana White may be on to something when he calls them "crazy Russians."

How else can you explain that Fedor, who stands to benefit immensely from exposure on U.S. soil and who needs to keep busy to avoid be criticized, yet again, for his plodding approach to fight scheduling, has apparently removed himself from Strikeforce's upcoming second CBS card set for April 17th. Fedor was tentatively scheduled to fight world #10 heavyweight Fabricio Werdum (13-4-1), but has apparently decided that the very best opponent that Strikeforce can currently offer just isn't good enough. Or maybe it was the money, or some sort of co-promotional misunderstanding; in any case, Emelianenko's primary manager Vadim Finkelstein seems dead set on turning Fedor into something of a bad joke among less-seasoned MMA fans.

Suddenly, Strikeforce's surprise acquisition of Dan "Hollywood" Henderson (25-7) is looking like the best free-agent signing in MMA history, as he will now step up to the main event to battle Jake Shields (24-4-1) for the latter's middleweight title, thus saving the card from being considered a complete disaster. Dan, of course, is coming off "The KO of 2009," maybe of that entire decade, when he completely starched Michael Bisping (18-3) at UFC 100. Shields, who some fans dislike for his wrestling-first style, is coming off a widely panned victory over Jason "Mayhem" Miller at Strikeforce/M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Rogers last November. Fan support for Henderson is at an all-time high, but he has never been an incredibly strong draw and the potential exists here for a fairly ho-hum decision in either direction.

Also believed to be on the card is a fight from the "too soon" file between Dutch DREAM and Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1) and the still painfully green American power-wrestler Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (6-0). If Henderson and Mousasi both win in April, it is likely that Henderson will move up to face Mousasi shortly thereafter in an attempt to hold the 185lbs. and 205lbs. Strikeforce titles simultaneously just like Dan did in PRIDE. That feat, holding any two belts simultaneously in a respectable promotion, has never been accomplished by anyone else in the sport's history.

Strikeforce may have dodged a bullet here thanks to their serendipitous signing of Henderson, but unless Emelianenko and company begin playing nice soon, Strikeforce President Scott Coker could have a hard time putting together enough main event quality fights going forward to justify their network TV presence.

Great Primer for Saturday's Main Event

In this episode of the highly-polished "Fight Camp 360" series from SHOWTIME Sports, we go inside the respective camps of Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers. The two will meet in the main event of a Strikeforce card this Saturday at 7:00pm PST on CBS.

Some of the footage of Fedor is pretty wild because he trains in a small Russian town and employs some pretty old-school techniques. Meanwhile, Rogers' rise from relative poverty to wealth and fame is inspiring and well-handled. Seriously, this couldn't be any more of a replay of Rocky IV, with Fedor as Ivan Drago. Rogers even has an "Adrian," his notably awesome wife. The only thing missing is Fedor calmly explaining to Brett Rogers:

Breaking Down the Strikeforce Fedor vs Rogers Card

MMA returns to network television this Saturday (Nov. 7th) for the first time in over a year. The last live MMA fight to grace the mainstream airwaves ended early when Seth Petruzelli finished “Kimbo Slice” in just fourteen seconds. Since that time, EliteXC has gone belly up, but CBS remains fully committed to broadcasting MMA. So much so, in fact, that they’ve reloaded with North America’s second-deepest fight promotion, Strikeforce, along with the undisputed number-one heavyweight in the world, Fedor Emelianenko.

Impressively, the main card includes two world-ranked fighters in every single fight. Ranked fighters include:

Fedor Emelianenko (HW #1), Jake Shields (WW #7), Brett Rogers (HW #8),Gegard Mousasi (LHW #8), Fabricio Werdum (HW #13), Antonio Silva (HW #22), Sokoudjou (LHW #22), and Jason Miller (MW #24).

Rankings According to the USA Today/SBN Poll

Look for this post on Top MMA News, it's the first of what I hope will be many contributions to that site from BC MMA Fan.

Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko (-625) vs. Brett “The Grim” Rogers (+425)
Depending on your allegiances, Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) might be a nearly-infallible demi-god or an over-rated can-kicker. My own opinion lies somewhere in between, but I get the cause for debate. Some say Fedor’s unparalleled dominance should speak for itself. Others argue that he has not fought a truly top-ranked HW since a decision win over Mirko “Cro-Cop” in 2005. His fight with Brett Rogers (10-0), which, incidentally, will be both Fedor’s first on a Strikeforce card and his debut appearance in a cage, is unlikely to sway many on either side of the argument. Well, not unless Fedor gets knocked out. That’s not quite as crazy as it sounds, either. Given his massive size and strength advantages, not to mention a career (T)KO rate of ninety-percent, “The Grim” has the quintessential puncher’s chance. What Rogers lacks, however, is a ground game that stacks up against a Sambo-based submissions ace like Fedor. Nor does Rogers possess the necessary experience to match strategies with “The Last Emperor.” I predict that, like a Russian chess master, Fedor will know exactly where to press his advantages.

Prediction: Emelianenko by Submission (Armbar), Rd. 1

Jason “Mayhem” Miller (+260) vs. Jake Shields (-340)
An elite and natural welterweight, Jake Shields (23-4-1) fights these days as an undersized, middleweight, fringe contender, but, since the UFC’s roster includes almost every decent 170lb fighter that Shields has not yet beaten, along with many of those he has, poor Jake does not have much choice. His opponent is Jason “Mayhem” Miller (22-6), the hilarious host of MTV’s “Bully Beatdown,” who is out to remind MMA fans that he is more than just a pretty face. Jake Shields has superior jiu-jitsu and probably slightly better grappling overall, even if his striking from top-position is none-too-special. “Mayhem” has already stated he’s not interested in a “hugging contest” and will look to keep the fight standing, but Shields has already demolished, accomplished MW brawler, Robbie Lawler. So I do not see “Mayhem” with a clear advantage anywhere. While I do believe the line should be a bit closer, I’ll take Shields to squeak by in a close one.

Prediction: Jake Shields by Unanimous Decision

Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi (-650) vs. “The African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (+450)
These odds are identical to the betting advantage that Emelianko has over “The Grim,” but, the way I see it, Rogers has a legit puncher’s chance, while Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-4) has almost no chance at all. Why is that? It could be because I can not shake the image of Gegard Mousasi (26-2-1) steamrolling “Babalu” Sobral in August. On the other hand, maybe its because Sokoudjou’s only significant wins were a pair of flash knock-outs that happened almost three years ago. Either way, I just do not see how this fight stays competitive for long. Ultimately, Mousasi is far too well-rounded to fall into any traps set by “The African Assassin.” Of course, I also think “The Dreamcatcher,” questionable cage-name notwithstanding, could be the future of the LHW division.

Prediction: Mousasi by TKO, Rd. 1

Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum (-150) vs. Antonio “Junior” Silva (+120)
Fabricio Werdum (12-4-1) is fairly massive with decent stand-up and world-class jiu-jitsu. In fact, he won the heavyweight tournament this year, for the second time since 2007, at The ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in Madrid. Unfortunately for him, fellow-Brazilian Antonio Silva (13-1) is, frankly, gargantuan with devastating strikes and a very solid ground game. Silva has never been submitted and nearly seventy percent of his wins have come by (T)KO. One of the last giant-sized 6-oz glove that came Werdum’s way was attached to a Junior Dos Santos uppercut and resulted in “Vao Cavalo” taking an unintentional nap. So you’ll forgive me if I take this opportunity to squeeze in an underdog pick. Consider it a “Junior” curse for Wedum, if you like.

Prediction: Silva by TKO, Rd. 2

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Strikeforce: Fedor vs Rogers Lineup

Strikeforce: Emelianenko vs. Rogers Pre-fight Press Conference

Check out this pre-fight presser footage from CBS's upcoming Strikeforce show. My full preview of this event is coming soon.