Keep Punching

Rogers doesn't care about Fedor's mythical status

November 4th, 2009, 5:39 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

Fedor Emelianenko has taken on mythical status in the mixed martial arts world like he is some kind of indestructable cyborg.

He is considered an overwhelming favorite every time he steps into the ring.

He has beaten nearly all of the top heavyweights of his era.

Many MMA experts consider him the greatest fighter pound-for-pound the sport has ever produced.

Brett Rogers is the man tasked with taking on the Russian sensation at "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers" on Saturday at 9 p.m. on CBS at the Sears Centre in Chicago, Ill.

"People got to understand, I'm not going in there with that mentality, 'Oh, I'm about to fight Fedor,'" Rogers said. "I'm going in there with that mentality to beat or kill whoever is on the opposite side of that cage. He's just another man to me. I'm definitely not paying attention to who he is or what his background as far as MMA goes. He's just another man to me. I'm just going in there and smash him."

Rogers, a 6-5, 265-pounder, owns the size and strength advantages over Emelianenko. He has ended all 10 of his fights inside the distance. Only one of his opponents has made it out of the first round. But Emelianenko has faced larger opponents on many occasions and he has three times the experience as Rogers.

Affliction vice president Tom Atencio is one of the people out there who believes Rogers has a puncher's chance.

"I think Brett has a legitimate chance," Atencio said. "If he loses, it is what it is. It's almost like a lot of people expect him to. If he comes out and puts on a great show, a great fight, his stock goes up out the window. If he beats him, come on, it's huge. He'll be a superstar overnight. It's definitely a fight I want to see as a fan."

Rogers said he can't think about how his life will change if he beats Fedor. His single focus is the fight.

"I push that to the side because if I really think about that, my mind is just going to be racing about just dumb stuff," Rogers said. "I don't want to think about that. All I want to think about is the fight and what I'm going to do. What I need to do is get that win. I don't care about Fedor to the point that I need to worry about his name and what he's going to do. All I need to know is that he is another man. He's coming in my cage, because it's my cage. Any time I step in the cage it's my cage. He's coming into my cage and I'm going to show him I'm nothing to be played with. I'm going to hurt him."

"Fedor, he says, 'I have nothing to prove.' No, he needs to prove something one more time otherwise he's going to get knocked out. I'm telling you I'm hunting that chin and if he can't take my best, it's a wrap. It's over."

NOTES

In the other televised fights on the "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers" card, Jake Shields takes on "Bully Beatdown" star Jason "Mayhem" Miller for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight title, Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi faces Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in a nontitle bout and Fabricio Werdum takes on Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva. ...

Glen Johnson finally gets another crack at Chad Dawson when they hook up for the interim WBC light-heavyweight title on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., on HBO. Johnson lost a controversial decision to Dawson in 2008. ...

Billy Evangelista takes on UFC veteran Jorge Gurgel in the main event of Strikeforce Challengers Series on Friday at 11 p.m. on Showtime from SaveMart Center in Fresno. ...

Follow me at twitter.com/punchymcgee.

Share this post:

Posted in: MMA • Strikeforce | Post a Comment »

The Keep Punching Show

November 4th, 2009, 4:32 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

OCRegister.com's Carlos Arias and Damian Calhoun break down the Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers fight on Saturday at 9 p.m. on CBS and preview the Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto showdown on Nov. 14 on HBO PPV in the latest episode of "The Keep Punching Show."

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Brightcove video.

Share this post:

Posted in: Boxing • MMA • Videos | Post a Comment »

Fight Camp 360: Fedor vs. Rogers trailer

November 3rd, 2009, 5:42 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Brightcove video.

Share this post:

Posted in: MMA • Strikeforce • Videos | Post a Comment »

Arum weighs in on Pacquiao-Cotto

November 3rd, 2009, 5:28 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

lb4lb_gym_sml LOS ANGELES --- Manny Pacquiao challenges WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in one of the most highly-anticipated fights of the year on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on HBO PPV.

Cotto held an open workout on Tuesday afternoon at LB4LB Boxing Gym. Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who is promoting the fight, was at the workout and took some time out to talk about the fight. As usual Arum had plenty of opinions and took some verbal shots at Oscar De La Hoya and MMA while pumping up Pacquiao-Cotto.

Here's what Arum had to say:

On how Pacquiao-Cotto is generating the same kind of heat as some of De La Hoya's biggest fights.

"Forget De La Hoya. This is the biggest fight since the great days of Las Vegas, of Hagler, Hearns, Leonard and Duran. This is truly a mega-fight because it's so competitive and people really don't know who is going to win this fight."

On this fight being a tossup:

"I have no idea (who is going to win) and I'm close to both of these guys and I really truly have no idea about who is going to win the fight."

On the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Juan Manuel Marquez fight doing one million PPV buys and whether Pacquiao-Cotto can duplicate that success:

"I would hope it generates more heat because Mayweather-Marquez did tremendous numbers and it wasn't considered to be a competitive fight. This fight, everybody knows, is a competitive fight."

On where the direction of boxing is going these days:

"Boxing is on a roll. Boxing is really coming into its own again. We know from the sponsor excitement. We know that boxing is coming back and it will regain its presence as one of the top sports in the United States."

On how MMA has pushed boxing to put on better shows:

"MMA has taught us how better to promote our product. No. 2, it has taught us how better to present our product. But I think everybody realizes that MMA is garbage, not everybody but a lot of people. And in my opinion MMA has peaked and is now going down, because for me it is a sport that doesn't have real talent and it's something that I can't really abide watching. That's my opinion."

On what's going to make the difference in the Pacquiao-Cotto fight:

"I mean, Miguel is going to attack, Manny is going to attack Miguel and one of them is going to decide that's not the right strategy. If it's Miguel, he's going to become a counterpuncher because Manny has difficulty with counterpunchers. If it's Manny, then Manny is going to show how well he can box. But right now I don't know how this fight is going to develop.

"I think both of them, in their minds, have Plan A, Plan B and Plan C.

"I think that his (Cotto's) strength, that he is the bigger, stronger guy, and he has that tremendous left hook. Manny hasn't been hit by a punch like that ever."

Follow me at twitter.com/punchymcgee.

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Brightcove video.

Share this post:

Posted in: Boxing • HBO PPV • Top Rank | Post a Comment »

Varner-Henderson, Faber-Assuncao at WEC 46 on Jan. 10

November 2nd, 2009, 3:37 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

varner_henderson WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner and interim WEC 155-pound champion Ben Henderson will meet in a unification bout in the main event of WEC 46 on Jan. 10 at Arco Arena in Sacramento on Versus, the WEC announced on Monday.

In addition to the championship fight, former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber makes his return to the cage against Raphael Assuncao.

“Arco Arena is one of our favorite venues to bring fights, the fans in Sacramento are some of the best,” WEC GM Reed Harris said. “The world title bout between Varner and Henderson is a perfect way to start off the New Year. The title fight, plus the return of Urijah, makes this an instant winter classic.”

Varner (16-2-2) is back in action for the first time since his clash with Donald Cerrone in January. Varner is healthy and ready to prove he is the WEC's top 155-pounder.

“He’s a tough dude,” Varner said of Henderson. “But I’m the champion for a reason. I have nothing but confidence going into this fight. I don’t think Ben poses any challenges or threats that I haven’t seen before. I’m ready to show the world that I’m still the true champion in this division.”

Henderson (10-1) won the interim title with a unanimous decision over Cerrone in a classic slugfest that is sure to be a top candidate for 2009 "Fight of the Year" candidate.

“I think Jamie and I match up pretty well,” Henderson, a two-time NAIA collegiate wrestling All-American, said. “He’s a good boxer and a tough fighter, so I’m ready to wage war with him. I’m ready to leave it all in the cage and win the undisputed championship.”

Faber (22-3) is back in action for the first time since his gutsy effort in the rematch against WEC 145-pound champion Mike Brown. "The California Kid" was unable to get the decision, but he showed his heart and determination by fighting most of the fight with two broken hands. Faber is fully healed and looking to work his way back into the title picture starting with a bout against Assuncao (14-1).

“He definitely has some dangerous tools in his arsenal,” Faber said of Assuncao. “But I think I will have slight advantages in every category of the fight. I’m really excited to fight Raphael in my hometown. Sacramento is my place. This is my spot and I represent the people of this town. I want to win here and climb one step closer to the belt.”

Tickets, priced $40-$200, go on sale on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 10 a.m. A pecial Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to WEC newsletter subscribers on Thursday, Nov. 5 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the WEC newsletter through wec.tv. Tickets may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 or by visiting the ARCO Arena Box Office. Tickets also are available online through wec.tv or ticketmaster.com.

Follow me at twitter.com/punchymcgee.

Share this post:

Posted in: MMA • WEC | Post a Comment »

Brett 'The Grim' Rogers highlights

November 2nd, 2009, 1:10 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

Share this post:

Posted in: MMA • Strikeforce • Videos | Post a Comment »

Fedor Emelianenko highlights

November 2nd, 2009, 1:06 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

Share this post:

Posted in: MMA • Strikeforce • Videos | Post a Comment »

Five reasons to watch 'Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers'

November 2nd, 2009, 12:37 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

Brett Rogers, left, and Fedor Emelianenko pose at Sunday's Chicago Bears game. PHOTO COURTESY OF CBS.

Russian sensation Fedor Emelianenko makes his U.S. network TV debut against Brett Rogers at "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers" on Saturday at 9 p.m. on CBS at Sears Centre in Chicago, Ill.

Here are five reasons to watch the show:

1. Fedor Emelianenko: It's must-see TV whenever the No. 1 heavyweight in the world fights, and Fedor is just that. Not only is Fedor widely considered the top heavyweight in the world, but many even consider Fedor the best fighter pound-for-pound in the history of mixed martial arts.

Also, Fedor is known for delivering the goods whenever he steps in the ring. In his past two fights for Affliction, the former Pride heavyweight champion completely annihilated former UFC heavyweight champions Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski.

2. Can Fedor become a star in the U.S.: The UFC pushed hard to sign Fedor as a free agent when Affliction went under. UFC president Dana White recognized Fedor's potential for stardom in the U.S. The deal with the UFC fell through when the UFC was unwilling to co-promote with Fedor's company, M-1 Global. With co-promotion off the table, Fedor and M-1 Global went with Strikeforce.

Fedor's talent and results in the ring are unquestioned, but can Strikeforce succeed where Affliction failed? Fedor will have the full weight of the Showtime and CBS publicity machine behind him. All he has to do is produce in the ring. It's going to be interesting to see if he can pull it off.

3. Brett Rogers could pull off an upset: Rogers is a considerable underdog, but he is a live underdog. The 6-5, 265-pounder has ended all 10 of his fights inside the distance. Only one fighter has gotten out of the first round with him.

This is a devastating puncher. When someone possesses the kind of destructive punching power in his fists that Rogers does, he always has a shot.

The problem is he's not nearly as effective on the ground as Fedor, who is a submission master. Can Rogers keep the fight standing and force him to slug it out?

4. Jake Shields vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller: Cung Le vacated the Strikeforce middleweight title to pursue a career in acting and now Shields will move up from 170 pounds to challenge the always entertaining Miller, the star of MTV's "Bully Beatdown."

Miller's elaborate ring entrances are more than worth the price of admission, but the well-rounded Team Quest fighter can also fight. Shields, a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Cesar Gracie, is a submission wizard. This should be a very exciting fight.

5. Gegard Mousasi is in action: The 24-year-old sensation brings a 13-fight winning streak into his bout against Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.

Mousasi became a star overseas when he beat Denis Kang, Donk Sik Yoon, Melvin Manhoef and Ronaldo Souza to win the 2008 Dream Middleweight Grand Prix.

Mousasi continued his impressive run when he needed 60 seconds to dispatch Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral in his Strikeforce debut on Aug. 15.

RELATED LINKS: