A Grimm Future May Be Looming for Strikeforce

On Saturday, Nov. 7, we MMA fans will bear witness to one of the true greats of this sport, as living legend Fedor Emelianenko will face the undefeated and virtually unknown Brett Rogers.  To make things even better, this fight will be available to view for free on CBS.

That is all well and good, but what if the unthinkable happens?  What if Brett "The Grimm" Rogers KOs Fedor?  Where would that leave Strikeforce?

I am not saying that Rogers will defeat Fedor, but anything can happen inside the cage. Rogers has the size and the power to put anyone to sleep; all it will take is for one monster shot to clip the Russian, and its lights out.

Fedor has the experience advantage and is light years ahead of Rodgers in terms of technical skill.  On paper, this fight looks like domination by Fedor, but the paper does not tell the whole story.

Rogers is a young, hungry beast.  What he will give up in experience and skill, he will more than make up for in raw power and motivation.  He has a motivation to be the best, something that Fedor seemingly lacks.

If Rogers KOs Fedor, the shockwave will be felt throughout the MMA community.  No longer will Fedor be considered a P4P mainstay, and no longer will we believe that he is still the best in the business.

A loss to an unproven commodity would crush any hope that Fedor can become a major draw here in the U.S.  He would become nothing more than a fighter whose time of greatness has passed.

A win for Rogers would send him into the stratosphere of MMA.  He would become "The Man Who Beat the Unbeatable."  Since he has already expressed interest in a fight with Brock Lesnar, Strikeforce would be hard-pressed to re-sign The Grimm.  Rogers would likely make the transition into the UFC where he would certainly receive an instant title shot.

A Fedor loss could be catastrophic for Strikeforce.  Remember the EliteXC and Kimbo Slice debacle?

While Strikeforce is in a much better situation than EliteXC ever was, the fact still remains that they are a regional MMA promoter that is trying to compete on a national stage, and the last thing that they need is for their prize free-agent signing to go down in flames in his first appearance. 

Having a somewhat thin roster and throwing your marketing behind a guy like Fedor can be a double-edged sword.  If he wins, you can push that you are the home to the greatest HW of all-time.  If he loses, you have a washed-up former great that has never proven himself as much of a U.S. draw.

Strikeforce is closing in on the biggest event in their history, and the sky is the limit, but if their golden child loses, then they will be relegated to being nothing more than a top regional promoter.