Emelianenko Breaks Nose, Flattens Rogers by TKO

A mystique hovers over this man, simply known as Fedor by mixed martial arts fans.  Having fought almost exclusively in Japan, Fedor was an unknown entity to most MMA fans here in the USA, leaving them blood thirsty for a chance to learn more about him.  Last night, the Russian phenom was given his grand stage, a national primetime broadcast audience on CBS, and he didn’t leave the fans disappointed as he pushed his record to 31-1 with a TKO victory over previously unbeaten Brett Rogers (10-1) at the Strikeforce / M-1 Global event.

A matchup between a standup brawler in Rogers and the sambo expert Emelianenko was sure to be electric with action and it started right at the bell.  Rogers was the first to draw blood, literally, with a snapping jab that broke Emelianenko’s nose just seconds into the fight, sending a flow of blood streaming onto the fighters’ bodies and the mat.

Rogers was able dictate the pace early in the first round and place Emelianenko on the defensive.  Rogers even impressed on the ground, Emelianenko’s domain, fending off a quick submission attempt with relative ease.  The nine-year veteran Emelianenko maintained his calm demeanor in the cage and waited for his opening as Rogers continued his aggressive approach.  As the first round wore on, Emelianenko shifted the momentum of the fight, scoring both on his feet and on the ground as the round came to a close.

As the second round began, Emelianenko had the air of confidence as he came to center while Rogers appeared somewhat winded.   Rogers showed hesitancy to keep the fight in a boxing / striking mode given the shots delivered by Emelianenko and changed his strategy to clinchig along the cage wall.  After some inaction, referee “Big” John McCarthy moved the fight back to center and that is where it ended.  With a cat-like pouncing attack, Emelianenko landed a right hook that crumpled Rogers to the canvas and brought the TKO stoppage at 1:48 of the second round.

The six-plus minutes that Emelianenko waged in the cage displayed to Americans that the title of best pound-for-pound MMA fighters is certainly deserved.  Emelianenko brings forward a combination of power, agility, precision, determination and technique that is not present in other fighters within the sport.  He displayed capabilities that showed exactly how far behind his opponents are in the heavyweight division.  It is a rarity to see a man of this size put on an exhibition of skills normally seen in fighters half his size.

So what does Emelianenko’s victory and Strikeforce’s CBS event mean to the sport of MMA?  First, it displayed that the UFC has not cornered the market on talent.  Placing the current UFC champ Brock Lesnar into the cage with Emelianenko would be criminal given Lesnar’s complete lack of martial arts experience.  Strikeforce, along with other burgeoning MMA promotions like DREAM and Bellator, are showing MMA fans that they can look beyond the recent slate of disappointing UFC events.

Second, it has brought a spotlight to the mainstream sports viewing audience that MMA is more sport than carnival atmosphere that has been radiating from UFC’s entanglement with Spike’s pro wrestling audience and the TUF reality show which is more like the TV show Big Brother than a training ground to find the next contender.

For Emelianenko and Strikeforce, the question is what’s next?  With reports circulating at Sherdog that Emelianenko broke his nose and injured his hand, there may be a delay until the next fight as he recuperates from the injury.  Rumors are swirling that his next fight under the Strikeforce banner will come against Fabricio Werdum, a unanimous decision winner on last night’s undercard.  After that, it appears a matchup against Alistair Overeem should he re-dedicate himself to MMA rather than dallying in kickboxing.  But are these the fights we want to see?

Inevitably it comes down to Emelianenko finding a way to come to terms with Dana White and the UFC to end the debate, as it will not cease until Emelianenko figuratively puts a sock in White’s mouth once and for all and dismantles his overhyped champion Brock Lesnar.  Here’s hoping that White will see the light and realize the sport of MMA needs fights across promotions for its long-term success and that Emelianenko can take MMA to the next level of respectability in sports fan eyes.