Fedor stops Rogers in second
Associated Press
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Fedor Emelianenko stopped Brett Rogers in the second round in a Strikeforce M-1 Global heavyweight bout last night.
Emelianenko (31-1) landed a right hook that sent Rogers (10-1) down to the mat and Emelianenko followed with punches to the face of Rogers. Referee John McCarthy ended the fight at 1:48 in the second round.
"If Brett would like to have a rematch, why not?" Emelianenko said through a translator after the fight.
Emelianenko, of Russia, landed a left hook that knocked Rogers off balance in the first, but Rogers landed a combination of punches that left blood smeared across Emelianenko's face.
"The main thing is not to get nervous and take time in the first round to learn a little bit," Emelianenko said.
The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Rogers had the size advantage over Emelianenko and wanted to keep the fight on his feet, but Emelianenko at 6-feet 235 beat Rogers at his own game by landing a series of uppercuts and not relying on his ground game.
In an earlier heavyweight fight, Fabricio Werdum (13-4-1) defeated Antonio Silva in a 29-28 unanimous decision. The win may put Werdum in line to fight Emelianenko next.
Jake Shields won a five-round unanimous decision over Jason "Mayhem" Miller for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight title. Shields was saved by the bell in the third round when Miller had Shields in a rear-naked chokehold.