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Why Brett Rogers Should Get The Nod To Fight Fedor Emelianenko At Affliction 3

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By Kelvin Hunt
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Of course all of this would hinge on Strikeforce allowing Rogers to take this fight.  Check it:

  • Throw PPV out of the window because there is nobody left that Affliction can use to boost PPV numbers.  Even if Bobby Lashley was chosen to fight Fedor, it wouldn't add a significant amount of PPV buys to the show IMO.
  • Vitor Belfort shouldn't be called on to fight Fedor.  He's a middleweight first of all, and already scheduled to fight on the card.  Why eliminate one problem by creating another in finding an opponent for Jorge Santiago?  Not to mention that's one of the best middleweight fights outside of the UFC that can happen.
  • I wouldn't be too mad with Fabricio Werdum getting the fight, but he is coming off a KO loss to Junior Dos Santos at UFC 90.  Plus, he's not going to submit Fedor and that's pretty much his only way of winning the fight IMO.
  • Tito Ortiz just said that he couldn't take the fight due the reasons I mentioned earlier today.

Now let's take a look at why Rogers should get the nod to fight Fedor Emelianenko:

  • Rogers is coming off a devastating KO win against former top 5 HW Andrei Arlovski.
  • Rogers has never gone the distance in a fight, so you know it has the potential to be an exciting fight.
  • It would be a legitimate HW as Fedor's opponent, and arguably a top ten HW(MMA4Real has Roger's at #9).
  • It's a win-win fight for Rogers.  If he wins, then it further solidifies him as a top HW.  If he loses, then he took the fight on short notice(and depending on how he lost) could earn even more credibility if he gives Fedor a run for his money.
  • Affliction should be able to obtain his services for a reasonable amount of money.

In all likelyhood this is going to be Affliction's last show unless those guys just want to continue burning money.  The knock on Fedor since his PRIDE days has that he doesn't fight top competition.  The whole ordeal with Josh Barnett was out of his hands.  However, when you survey the landscape of top opponents available I don't think you can look any further than Brett Rogers.  What say you?

Update[Note by Kelvin Hunt, 07/22/09 9:07 PM EDT ]According to MMAJunkie:

Well, my cries for a legitimate fight for Fedor have fallen on deaf ears.  To wit:

Strikeforce Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) his organization's heavyweight fighters Fabricio Werdum and Brett Rogers will not be facing Fedor Emelianenko in the main event of "Affliction: Trilogy" on Aug. 1.

I understand Strikeforce's POV, but they are missing a grand opportunity IMO.  It's a win/win situation.

Affliction: Trilogy coverage

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