A Fedor in Chicago's cap
Strikeforce CEO praises fan base after exciting show
Strikeforce treated Chicago to quite a spectacular night of mixed martial arts Saturday.
Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko bolstered his reputation as one of the sport's best. His opponent, Brett Rogers, tested him with his size and punching power and reportedly broke Emelianenko's nose 30 seconds into the match.
Rogers scrambled out of many of Emelianenko's ground moves and escaped a kimura -- a shoulder lock -- attempt.
He opened the possibility of a titanic upset with an impressive first round that saw Emelianenko's nose bloodied and Rogers' white shorts stained with Russian blood.
But his upset dreams died when a second-round right hook dropped him. Afterward, he questioned referee John McCarthy's stoppage, saying he was down but not out. But, to be honest, Rogers was shielding his face and not intelligently defending himself. McCarthy, widely considered the best MMA referee, was justified to step in. Like 30 of Emelianenko's previous opponents, Rogers couldn't figure out how to beat the Russian.
''It was a very good fight, and Brett has a lot of good size, which other fighters did not have,'' Emelianenko said through a translator at a news conference after the fight.
Throughout the week, the media questioned the marketability of a media-shy, non-English-speaking Russian. But the crowd -- very young, very male and very excited -- was there to see Emelianenko, who energized the Sears Centre.
From the moment he appeared from the dressing room and walked down the Strikeforce runway, Russian and Ukrainian flags waved, numerous Fedor T-shirts and pro-Fedor signs dotted the crowd and fans snapped photos and chanted his name. At the start of the second round, a ''USA'' chant rang out but was quickly reversed into reverence by Emelianenko's right hook.
And it wasn't only Emelianenko whom the fans were excited to see. They clamored to get each fighter's autograph, showing there's a hunger for big-time MMA events in Chicago.
''The fan base here is unbelievable, and their knowledge of MMA is impressive,'' Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said. ''You could tell because they could tell when a guy was going for a submission, and the crowd started getting excited, and they could tell when a guy is about to escape. It's a very educated fan base.''
The evening was quite a contrast to UFC 90 in Oct. 2008, when the Ultimate Fighting Championship visited Rosemont.
The dominating, seemingly unbeatable middleweight champion Anderson Silva failed to live up to expectations when he didn't engage his opponent, Patrick Cote, for two rounds. The fight ended in the third round when Cote couldn't continue after his knee gave out. You can't blame the UFC for such a freak injury or Silva's performance, but the ending ruined the atmosphere and gave the night the feel of a letdown.
Strikeforce's card was anything but a letdown. In addition to being a success at the venue, it scored well with TV viewers on CBS. While not as high as when Kimbo Slice fought last year on CBS, it averaged 3.79 million viewers. It won the 9 p.m. hour with adults 18-49 and also won every half-hour time period for men 18-34.
After the card, Strikeforce expressed their gratitude to the fans for a successful week in Chicago and left with a promise for more.
‘‘I think there are great fans here and we’ll definitely be back,’’ Coker said.