Okay, Dana Jacobson of ESPN. We know you’re not an MMA reporter, so the sight of Fedor Emelianenko‘s name on the teleprompter was probably pretty jarring. But seriously? Umalenenko? How do you look at a name that starts with an E, contains no U’s, and come up with that? You didn’t want to maybe ask someone beforehand how it was pronounced? Brett Rogers was sitting right there, and chances are he’s heard the name enough by now to help you out, even though "The Grimm" is too much of a goddamned gentleman to make you feel bad about it.
If you saw the "Fight Camp 360" episode, there’s really no new information on Rogers here, but it is interesting to listen to him talk about fighting Fedor as if he is not an extreme underdog. I can’t decide if he just needs to tell himself that it’s going to be as simple as going in there and banging, or if he truly believes it. He says he has no other option but to win, and yet almost no one expects him to. If he does pull it off, could this be the greatest upset in MMA history?
Semi-related: Yeah, Strikeforce and CBS are putting a lot into promoting the Fedor/Rogers bout, and this ESPN appearance is proof of that, but what about the other fights on the card? That’s exactly what Ariel Helwani and I discussed, among other topics, on this week’s roundtable discussion over at MMA Fanhouse. Be a doll and check it out, won’t you?
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commentsWhat I am saying is a freak loss will only make Fedor's most rabid fans squeal that much louder.
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Secondly..."he's not gonna be aggression anything as well am i" What the fuck was he trying to say there?
And lastly i think Fedor is really marketable anywhere in the world including the US. Just for the sheer fact that he's such a likable guy, and mysterious.
I think that overall this card is decent, basically the only card Strikeforce can put together though. Atleast without parading Carano around.
^^ijustcreated
Agreed, the best thing for strikeforce is if Rogers wins and they essentially have a rags to riches, underdog story about an innercity african american who used to work at sams club but overcomes adversity and lays out the top (and foreign!) fighter in the world with good old fashion american hard work and ignorance.
If Fedor wins, the only ones who will care will be true MMA fans and Strikeforce. And that combination will not keep strikeforce alive for much longer.
CBS is probably expecting the same and looking at three fights before main event, I can imagine a lot of casual fans going, "Who the fuck are all these guys and why should I care about them? I'll come back 10:30". Mayhem could be the exception, but who knows.
Is this really so bad for Strikeforce, as conventional wisdom holds?
It seems to me, that in the US market at least, Rogers is a much better, easier sell as a new-found extreme sportsfighting superstar than Emiliawhatsisnamegoddamnthatthingislong. He's got a wild, distinctive look, he's American and speaks English (this is not a minor consideration) and besides, he's just defied the odds and KOed the legendary Red Menace (cue wrapping the big lug in the American Flag.) It's a really appealling storyline for newcomers to MMA, who will probably just shake their heads, curse the Evil Empire and change the channel if things go as expected.
Sure "it" loves big black dong ... but I'm still not convinced of "its" gender.
Its like making a wish on a magic lamp, you always wanna go back and be a little clearer in your demands because otherwise that Robin Williams sounding mother fucker is going to give you exactly what you asked for, but not at all what you wanted. Poor Rogers, this is going to be a learning experience of the worst variety.
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