Strikeforce Preview: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers

Saturday's main event heavyweight showdown between Fedor Emelianenko (30-1, 1 NC) and Brett Rogers (10-0) could go down as another easy victory for the indestructible force that is "The Last Emperor", or it could go down as a shocking upset victory and the end of an era of dominance. As with nearly every single fight in which Fedor Emelianenko is involved in these days, the storyline is the same and the tension and pressure falls onto the MMA fanbase. While most of us are eagerly awaiting the battle as anxious onlookers, it's surprising how easily we are now succumbing to the influence of the media into the possibility that this match-up could turn out to be a true upset of a great fighter.

Should we be this anxious? It's an interesting piece of the puzzle to analyze. Years ago during Fedor's PRIDE reign, I felt much more at ease watching Fedor completely crush his competition by way of quick transitioning submission holds, explosive lunging hooks, and pure dominance in the ground and pound game, but those easy feelings that Fedor will simply cruise through his competition have passed despite Fedor's two most recent victories over Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski.

Most fans considered the Sylvia win as a superior fighter feeding on a very one-dimensional giant who had become relatively ineffective. It didn't help Fedor any in that Sylvia went on to lose to professional boxer Ray Mercer, but his bout with Andrei Arlovski only drew more criticism that Fedor's weaknesses were becoming more and more apparent with age.

What many fans seem to forget is just how amazing Fedor Emelianenko is as a fighter. He's one of the first fighters in history to be equally great at nearly all aspects of mixed martial arts. He can grapple both offensively and defensively with some of the best jiu-jitsu fighters in the world while also putting those same world-renowned fighters into serious danger. When he exploded onto the scene in PRIDE, his ground and pound tactics were some of the most brutalizing pieces of footage you could ever show anybody new to MMA, and those fans would sit in amazement and be drawn in.

For a heavyweight, his hand speed and transitioning ability is blazing fast. He's arguably one of the fastest transition fighters on the ground, and while his striking isn't the most technical -- It's quick, accurate, and one of the best masking techniques to work for takedowns. He could also be considered one of the most intelligent fighters in the game today, and he's highly underrated for the determination and conditioning he's shown in past fights.

How could this fight even be considered legitimately close by any fan, you might ask? It truly stems from the power that Brett Rogers has displayed in his short ten-fight career. He's ended all but two fights in the first round via knockout, and he polished off former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski in only 0:22 seconds. That's really where all of the hype ends, but it's an impressive list of wins with a lot of questions that have yet to be answered.

Can Rogers can somehow exploit the weaknesses of Fedor with his hands? Fedor is known to have problems dealing speedy hands as evident in the Arlovski fight, but Rogers doesn't present that kind of speed or technical boxing ability. Fedor could be damaged by the power of Rogers, but that would require some surgical striking with power that will likely end with Fedor gaining a takedown and submitting Rogers.

It's pretty obvious among fans that Rogers' chances in this fight are pretty slim. We haven't seen anything resembling a ground game from him, and he's been matched up against mostly strikers in his short career. Fedor can compete at a high level in both the stand-up and ground game, but his strategy will most likely revolve around a quick initial flurry followed by a takedown. Rogers' best opportunity will be during that initial flurry, but does he have the speed to connect before Fedor's strength put Rogers to the floor?

Of course, that strategy has been something we've talked about in a plethora of match-ups that Fedor has been involved in, and it never works out. Why exactly? Most opponents that Fedor has faced have been humbled by his deceptive strength, speed, and tenacity once the fight begins. Sylvia said that Fedor's punches were the hardest he had ever been hit, and that nobody in the UFC could rival the kind of power he was outputting. The same could be heard from the muscle-ridden wrestlers, proficient strikers, and ground wizards of PRIDE, and I think we'll hear the same from Brett Rogers come Saturday night.

While I think Rogers has a puncher's chance to beat Fedor in the opening moments of this fight, it's a far reach for me to believe he'll be fast enough to catch "The Last Emperor" with a phantom punch that will down the former PRIDE heavyweight champion. Fedor's speed and ground work will ultimately win him this bout inside the first round.