Fedor Emelianenko TKOs Brett Rogers in second round

Associated Press

Fedor Emelianenko of Russia, celebrates with fans after knocking out Brett Rogers in the second round of the Strikeforce Mixed Martial Arts match at The Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill. Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009.

By Brett Okamoto (contact)

Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 | 9:30 p.m.

Fedor Emelianenko delivered the result many were expecting in his nationally televised debut with the Strikeforce organization.

The difficulties he faced in reaching that result was what may have surprised some.

Emelianenko improved his professional mixed martial arts record to 31-1 Saturday with a second-round knockout win over Brett Rogers at Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill.

The win was anything but easy for Emelianenko however, as Rogers bloodied the WAMMA heavyweight champion’s nose with the first punch of what turned out to be a very even fight until a huge right ended Rogers’s night 1:48 into the second round.

Rogers entered the fight as a 9-1 underdog.

“The main thing in the first round is not to be nervous, look for the manners of your opponent and see if there’s a weakness,” Emelianenko said. “There’s no doubt Brett is a great fighter but I watched tape on him and I did find a weak space.”

A visibly disappointed Rogers (10-1) said that he would come back strong from the first loss in his professional career and that he felt he had been slightly affected by his opponent’s reputation.

“I doubted myself a little bit,” Rogers said. “I should have thrown my hands a lot more. That’s the only reason I failed today.

“I hate it. I’m so heated, I can’t even put it to words like I want to right now.”

Before the fight, many believed Emelianenko would look for a takedown as opposed to standing and trading strikes with the heavy-handed Rogers.

Emelianenko did land an early takedown attempt, but Rogers was able to get quickly back to his feet.

Besides one more clinch that ended with Rogers in top position, Emelianenko seemed comfortable keeping the fight away from the ground.

Emelianenko’s debut was televised nationally on CBS, the first time MMA card on network television in 13 months.

The card also included a lead-in middleweight championship bout between Jake Shields and Jason “Mayhem” Miller. Shields won by unanimous decision.

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or brett.okamoto@lasvegassun.com.