Fedor vs Brett Rogers announced

[Liquidrob]

Whether Fedor is his own man is debatable. Still too shady for my tastes.

But who cares what Dana thinks...if he feels like throwing free stuff on TV, great. If not, oh well, we'll still get some great shows from UFC.

Let's hope Strikeforce hasn't blown their bit and go the way of everyone else after investing w/ M1.

I believe M-1 only is involved when Fedor is fighting, the last show they put on Showtime had nothing to do with M-1, the next Strikeforce Challenger show has nothing to do with M-1

Dana would leave you to believe had they signed Fedor that they would have had control of 51% of the company

[CrimsonGhost56]

I want Fedor vs. Overeem after this.

overeem doesnt seem to want it

The list questioning M-1 Global's tactics and goals seems to be growing. UFC president Dana White blew his top when he couldn't secure a deal with M-1 and its biggest bargaining chip, Fedor Emelianenko. Now Strikeforce heavyweight Alistair Overeem, via his management, is calling M-1 a sham:

"It hasn’t escaped my notice that we are dealing with a bunch of crooks who wish to brand their name onto someone who has managed to build up a successful organization on his own with a good network deal," said Overeem's manager Bas Boon.

Overeem, who has avoided defending his Strikeforce title at every turn, sounds like he's lining up a way out of facing Fedor in the U.S.:

"Our deal with Strikeforce was made before this bunch of robbers came along, but now we were planning on asking our money in advance. In fact, I see this as the ideal opportunity to say no to the contract that was signed earlier; we don’t want to fight on any M-mini Cons & co promotions."

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/M-1-called-crooks-by-Overeem-s-management?urn=mma,189374

[EmpireWF]

I believe M-1 only is involved when Fedor is fighting, the last show they put on Showtime had nothing to do with M-1, the next Strikeforce Challenger show has nothing to do with M-1

Dana would leave you to believe had they signed Fedor that they would have had control of 51% of the company

I know CBS/Showtime threw money their way to sign Fedor, but if he loses, is it going to be worth it financially to book him in 2 more fights?

[Liquidrob]

I know CBS/Showtime threw money their way to sign Fedor, but if he loses, is it going to be worth it financially to book him in 2 more fights?

they signed him to fight 3 fights

I dont why it matters if we are talking about him losing, he is not Kimbo, Gina lost and she is still worth it

if he losses to rogers, rogers is a new star, the rematch would be watched, if he beats rogers than you are right back where you started

[EmpireWF]

I'm thinking based on Fedor being an unknown factor in the U.S.

Gina/Kimbo are superstars compared to him

[Warner2BruceTD]

they signed him to fight 3 fights

I dont why it matters if we are talking about him losing, he is not Kimbo, Gina lost and she is still worth it

if he losses to rogers, rogers is a new star, the rematch would be watched, if he beats rogers than you are right back where you started

rob, it's hard for guys like us to grasp this, but Fedor is an unknown quantity not only to the masses, but also to the "UFC guys" who will watch this. All of the hype will surround Fedor, while Rogers will come off as the sacrificial lamb they are feeding the monster.

If Fedor goes down, the casuals & the UFC guys will laugh him off as the guy who was afraid to come to UFC, and got KTFO by the tire salesman.

He'd be dead, finished, done in the U.S. I'm not even sure it helps Rogers all that much, because to the masses, beating Fedor means nothing until they actually see Fedor dominate.

[Liquidrob]

http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/09/18/kelly-kahl-cbs-executive-discusses-mmas-return-to-network-tel/#cont

Kelly Kahl, CBS Executive, Discusses MMA's Return to Network Television
Posted Sep 18, 2009 7:31AM By Ariel Helwani (RSS feed)

Thursday's announcement that the Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers Strikeforce card will air live on CBS caught many people by surprise, as most expected the event would be shown on Showtime.

FanHouse spoke to Kelly Kahl, senior executive vice president of primetime programming for CBS, about how this decision came about and whether he thinks the UFC will counter-program the telecast. The full interview is below.

Ariel Helwani: How did this decision come about?
Kelly Kahl: Well, we had a deal with Strikeforce for some time. When they did a deal with Showtime, CBS had a deal in place, as well, and we always kept the door open. We were just kind of waiting for the right place, right time and right talent. And once Fedor was signed, that certainly looked to us as a great way to jump back into MMA on network TV. And talking to our partners at Strikeforce and Showtime, we were able to put a fight together and we're very excited to get back on the air.

How do you juggle satisfying CBS and Showtime's needs in a situation like this because Showtime clearly has a lot invested in Fedor?
Well, I think the word you used, 'juggle,' is correct. You know, luckily Strikeforce has a lot of quality fighters and there's plenty to put together solid cards for each of us. And having good fights on CBS is also in Showtime and Strikeforce's interests because it really brings their fighters to a bigger audience. You know, a lot of the idea here is to help create new stars and expose these fighters to a wider audience and that's the real value of CBS to these other two entities.

Will you be heavily promoting Fedor on CBS like you did when Kimbo Slice fought on the network?
Certainly that is part of the plan and that's what we're going to work on almost immediately start doing. While Fedor is certainly the No. 1 heavyweight in the world, you know, we have to let non-MMA fans know who this guy is. He's got a great look, he's got a great story and we need to share that with people.

Are you concerned that the UFC will try to counter-program this telecast?
You know, the UFC is a great company and a smart company. They're going to do whatever they feel is necessary to protect their interests. They've done it before and they've done it really any time anybody else has put a big show together. So we'll make due with whatever they do or maybe don't do. But would it surprise us if they counter-program? No.

Will anything be done differently on the broadcast from the past EliteXC shows on CBS?
Each broadcast we really tried to improve and get a little better, and I think we learned a lot from fight one to fight three. Most of that team is back in place for this, and they've even gotten better as they've done more fights on Showtime. I love our broadcast team; I really don't think there's anybody better. I think Gus [Johnson], Mauro [Ranallo] and Frank [Shamrock] do an awesome job, and I think that we're going to try and put the highest quality MMA event on network TV that we can.

After everything that transpired during the last EliteXC event on CBS, did the thought ever cross your mind that MMA would never air on CBS again?
[Laughs] I certainly always hoped there would be the day that we would get back on the air. I believe in this sport; I think our network believes in this sport. You would have to be blind not to see what's happened, really, I think in the last year in terms of popularity [with] the coverage MMA is now getting in the mainstream press, on ESPN, local sports telecasts. I mean, it's really moved beyond just kind of an Internet-based reporting where it's really come along ways to the mainstream. So I always hoped that we would get back to this day and we're very excited that we have.

Are you surprised other networks haven't begun airing MMA?
It's hard to say. You know, each network has their own business plan, so it's not my place to criticize what other networks might or might not do.

What would be considered a successful rating for this show?
Well, what we talked about the last couple of times was if we could improve our demographics on a Saturday night, which we did a great job of the last few fights, and then, you know, we have to sell commercials. So if we can sell commercials, if we can improve our demos then we would consider that a success. ... We don't have kind of the built-in media hot buttons that maybe we've had in the past, but like I said, we do have the world's No. 1 heavyweight, who is an interesting and compelling story, and again, it's up to us to let the people know who he is and what that story is. When we get that out there, we'll get people there. Certainly in the MMA world, everyone knows who Fedor is and we're excited to be giving a lot of these people their first chance to see him.

Are there plans already in place for CBS' fifth show?
We'll handle it kind of like we did the first time with Elite. We'll get one under our belt, see how it goes, see how we do, and then will plan the second [Strikeforce show]. You know, the good news is with Strikeforce and Showtime they're great partners and a great deal of professionalism and a really solid stable of fighters, so when it is time to go back on the air we know they can deliver.

[Liquidrob]

Looks like in Chicago, from bloodyelbow.com

Strikeforce's Fedor Emelianenko vs Brett Rogers Card Filling Out, Chicago Possible
by Kid Nate on Sep 17, 2009 9:50 PM EDT in News 123 comments

Michael David Smith talks to Scott Coker and gets more scoop on the November 7 Fedor Emelianenko vs Brett Rogers card on CBS:

Can you tell me any of the undercard fights?
I can tell you some of the fighters. You'll see Gegard Mousasi, Jake Shields, Mayhem Miller and Cris Cyborg. It'll be a solid card, with the No. 1 heavyweight in the world and a great undercard.

And ESPN.com is reporting that Chicago is the likely venue for the event:

The mixed martial arts promotion Strikeforce is in talks with Illinois' athletic commission to sanction its Nov. 7 bout featuring Fedor Emelianenko, according to sources close to the negotiations.

The bout, which will be nationally televised by CBS, would be held at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.

And per MMA Junkie:

"Thanks to [expletive] B.A. Baracus, I couldn't [expletive] pull it off," White said. "B.A. [expletive] me. The collateral damage that was done by him doing this thing was unbelievable."
...

But White said the loss of a counter-programming option is but one of the effects of Jackson's Hollywood aspirations.

With Jackson withdrawing from a planned December bout with opposing "The Ultimate Fighter 10: Heavyweights" coach Evans - a bout that was scheduled to take place in "Rampage's" hometown of Memphis, Tenn. - White was forced to schedule a B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez bout in the main event of the as-yet-unannounced UFC 107 event."

And middleweight champ Anderson Silva won't be available either, per MMA Junkie:

"Contrary to whatever the hell [Silva] is saying, he's not 200 percent healthy," White said. "He's having some bone spurs removed from his elbow, which is a simple little procedure that happens, but you've got to have recovery time."

[Liquidrob]

rob, it's hard for guys like us to grasp this, but Fedor is an unknown quantity not only to the masses, but also to the "UFC guys" who will watch this. All of the hype will surround Fedor, while Rogers will come off as the sacrificial lamb they are feeding the monster.

If Fedor goes down, the casuals & the UFC guys will laugh him off as the guy who was afraid to come to UFC, and got KTFO by the tire salesman.

He'd be dead, finished, done in the U.S. I'm not even sure it helps Rogers all that much, because to the masses, beating Fedor means nothing until they actually see Fedor dominate.

you guys are probably right, but it also depends how the fight plays out

if Rogers KO's Fedor like he did AA than sure, Fedor probably is dead in the US

maybe if they actually have a brawl for a couple rounds, Fedor kicking his ass and Rogers catches him and wins, you dont think there is interest in a rematch?

if Rogers wins he has beat AA and Fedor, I know it doesnt mean that much to casual fans, but it does mean something

[Liquidrob]

Maybe the U.S. doesnt give a shit about Fedor, but he is Van Damme approved

[Bigpapa42]

There is love in Van Damme's eyes.

[EmpireWF]

Van Damme realizes there actually is a man who can bring him destruction. He chose to join him rather than fight.

Smart man that Van Damme. Smart man.

[clovett]

The event will be held in Chicago.

[Liquidrob]

Now that I think about it and seeing that CBS is only doing 1 show at this point, they havent signed for more and are way more cautious because of the Ken/Kimbo/Seth debacle if Fedor losses they wont do another

Frank has told me that the reason him and Ken havent fought is because CBS was pissed at Ken and doesnt want anything to do with him

[clovett]

not to get off topic but does he still want to fight ken? if so, why?