Strikeforce hopes they can cash in on the lottery ticket that is Fedor Emelianenko after out negotiating the UFC on his services. To do that, they plan on using Fedor's fame to boost that of the rest of their franchise. This means Fedor will not get an immediate title shot against current Strkeforce Heavyweight Champion, Alistair Overeem. Instead, Fedor will be utilized on the same card as other less known fighters including Brett Rogers, Fabricio Werdum, and Overeem. Over a couple events, Strikeforce hopes that the added viewership Fedor will undoubtedly bring, will also mean a greater notoriety for their other fighters. Only after there has been some momentum on a heavyweight fight, Fedor will get his title shot.
So who then will Fedor face in the meanwhile? Strikeforce doesn't exactly have the deep roster of heavyweight fighters that the UFC does. They do however have a few guys that are just as legitimate as the other UFC contenders. Two of the leading guys Fedor may face in November are Brett Rogers and Fabricio Werdum.
Fabricio Werdum is a former UFC fighter who has faced top level talent. He has twice bested former UFC top contender Gabriel Gonzaga. He has beaten Brandon Vera, and has taken Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera and Andrei Arlovski each to a decision. Werdum has also beaten other contenders including Alistair Overeem (current Strikeforce Champ) and Fedor's brother, Aleksander Emelianenko. Werdum may be the better known fighter to UFC fans because of his short stint there.
Brett Rogers is still rather unknown. He punched his way on to the scene by stunning fight fans with a quick 22 second knockout of Andrei Arlovski in June. Beyond Arlovski however, his opponents are all relative unknowns, (with the exception of James Thompson, who is somewhat of a YouTube sensation for getting destroyed by Aleksander Emelianenko), but Rogers is the more imposing of the two fighters, and holds an undefeated record that intrigues some. Was his knockout of Andrei Arlovski (who does have a suspect chin) legit? Or a fluke? Sure Arlovski has certainly been knocked out before, but he is still a legitimate Heavyweight contender, and has the rare combination of supreme punching power, and master grappling skills.
I would prefer to see a match against Werdum, I think he is a better, more complete fighter than Rogers is at this point, but truthfully both fights intrigue me. They aren't the sexy names like Couture, Mir, Noguiera or Lesnar that the UFC has to offer, but they are worthy of similar stature as guys like Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin, or Cheik Kongo at this point in their respective careers.
The only question would be, is Strikeforce willing to let Fedor fight two matches prior to a title match to build up the promotions overall legitimacy, and then, in his last contracted match (Fedor only signed a 3 fight deal with Strikeforce), give him a title shot, and the opportunity for Fedor to be a free agent while holding their Heavyweight Title?
