"What do you think of Brett Rogers' chances of beating Fedor are??? I think judging from the beating Arlovski gave Fedor before he caught him, I think Rogers has a legit shot of beating him..."
Very good question. Rogers briefly had his hands full when James "Colossus" Thompson charged him and clinched, but the fight was over very quickly once Rogers got separation and a enough room to strike.
Result: first-round TKO. Rogers made it look easy.
The Arlovski didn't go much differently. It looked like both fighters would try to find their range for a while, but Rogers moved in first and landed a series of haymakers.
Result: first-round TKO. Rogers made it look easy.
It took Fedor Emelianenko all of the entire first round - a round he almost certainly was losing on the judges' scorecards - to finish the former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski.
Brett Rogers accomplished that feat in just twenty-two seconds.
Rogers IS quicker than people give him credit for, and his convincing KO wins over Thompson and Arlovski probably warrant his top-10 ranking. He's a huge guy relative to Fedor (6"5 vs. a short 6"0) and has a big reach advantage. He appears faster on the feet than Andrei, who seemed to give Fedor fits with his crisp, straight punches. After watching Rogers mow down Arlovski, one might assume the Russian is in big trouble.
On the other hand, Brett Rogers hasn't faced anyone who can come close to Fedor's experience level, particular his experience in one important aspect of MMA: winning. Fedor is smart, and he finds a way to defeat his opponent, whomever that may be. The fight is a game to him; it's nothing personal. His goal is to achieve the victory. Whether by submission or KO is probably irrelevant to him, which is certainly one of the reasons you never hear Fedor predict a victory. I'll say it again: Fedor may have yet to face a puncher with Roger's size and speed, but Rogers certainly hasn't faced anything like Fedor.
A closer examination of Fedor's Affliction bout with Arlovski will reveal just how smart the guy is, how patient. When one watches the fight, it looks like Arlovski's straight punches and kicks are giving Fedor serious trouble. Hindsight is 20/20 but it may be just as likely that Fedor was setting him up. Furthermore, even if Fedor wasn't hustling him, the split-second decision to throw an overhand right to where Arlovski's chin was going to be demonstrates an unreal sense of timing. The world of MMA has never seen anyone like Fedor before.
The advantage has to go to Fedor. Brett Rogers simply can't prepare for the enigmatic Russian the way he's trained for other opponents, and that question mark may leave him preoccupied when he enters the cage. For Fedor to win, however, he must respect Rogers' speed and close the distance early to get Rogers on the mat.
Should be a GREAT fight.
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