Daily Loaf

Rated as best mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter pound-for-pound worldwide, Fedor Emalienko proved that bigger is not always better when he defeated the five-inch taller Brett Rogers via TKO at 1:48 in round two during the Strikeforce main event at the Sears Center in Chicago, Ill. last night. The event was also broadcast live on CBS.

Rogers did not just roll over and play dead, however. In fact, it looked like the fight was going his way when he landed a devastating punch to Fedor’s nose early in the first round. As a result, Fedor had trouble breathing and missed a few shots aimed at Rogers while the blood flowed freely from the cut on his nose.

Naturally, Fedor took the fight to the ground to avoid Rogers’ powerful fists and to finally gain the advantage in this bout by submitting Rogers with an arm bar. But Rogers proved to be an escape artist just as the first round came to a close.

Watch round two of Fedor vs. Rogers in the fight video after the break:

In the beginning of round two both fighters circled each other for a while and occasionally landed a few punches. Rogers then tried to impose his will and height on the shorter Fedor again while pressing him against the fence in the clinch without doing much else. At this point it seemed obvious that Rogers’ cardio had burnt out. Fedor, on the other hand, appeared to be quite alert with a full tank of gas as he pushed Rogers away from him and landed a series of right and left hooks to his face. Rogers again went for the clinch and tried to control Fedor’s fire power by pressing him against the fence. Fedor seized the moment by landing a devastating right-cross that sent Rogers straight to the mat. To close the deal, Fedor added a nice dose of ground-and-pound until referee John McCarthy officially stopped the fight at 1:48 in round two and awarded Fedor the win via TKO.

Complete Strikeforce fight results:

1. Fedor Emelianenko, Stary Oskol, Belgorod, Russia, TKO 2 (1:48, strikes) over Brett Rogers, Minneapolis.
2. Jake Shields (24-4-1), San Francisco, Calif., won a five-round decision (49-46 twice and 48-47) over Jason “Mayhem” Miller (22-7), of Orange County, Calif.; Shields captures vacant STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight Championship.
3. Gegard Mousasi (30-2-1), Leiden, Netherlands, TKO 2 (3:43, strikes) over Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou(7-5), Murrieta, Calif.
4. Fabricio Werdum (13-4-1), Marina Del Rey, Calif., won a three-round decision (29-28 three times) over Antonio Silva (13-2), Coconut Creek, Fla.

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