Check out the trailer for the upcoming EA Sports MMA video game. The trailer aired live on the Strikeforce CBS broadcast and appropriately features Brett Rogers vs. Fedor Emelianenko. As far as graphics go, the game looks tremendous. The action sequences feature takedowns, strikes, an arm bar, and a muay thai clinch. This is the first visual taste gamers have gotten at EA’s new venture. The game is scheduled for a 2010 release.

The game will be co-headlined by Fedor and UFC superstar, Randy Couture. Couture signed the deal with EA while he was in a self-imposed retirement. Other confirmed and rumored fighters in the game include; King Mo, Jay Hieron, Nick Diaz, Frank Shamrock, Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arolvski, Renato Sobral, Mayhem Miller, Robbie Lawler, Gegard Mousasi, and BenjI Radach. Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock will be the announcers for the game.

The obvious competition for the game is UFC Undisputed. As successful as UFC Undisputed was, it was also disappointing for many UFC fans. There are several immediate improvements EA can make over THQ which would immediately win them some of Undisputed gamers. One thing EA is known for is their online and DLC features. THQ dropped the ball big time in both areas and better step it up in the next game, or they could find themselves tapping out to EA Sports.

Pre-order the EA Sports: MMA Video Game featuring Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko by clicking here.

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To purchase UFC Undisputed 2009 for the Xbox 360, click here

UFC 2009 Undisputed Official Strategy Guide

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Welcome to my new, weekly article for the Camel-Clutch Blog. Every week, I’ll fill this article full of all of the big mixed-martial arts news, rumors, upcoming cards, results and predictions. MMA is a passion of mine and has passed professional wrestling years ago as something that I follow 24/7. Enjoy “The Full Mount,” second edition; or as you will see, should maybe be known as the Strikeforce edition.

The Shot Heard Round the World

The big news of the week is undoubtedly the sickening knockout that Fedor Emelianenko delivered to Brett Rogers during Saturday night’s Strikeforce special on CBS. Fedor’s debut with an American organization ended up being exactly what expected. Casual MMA fans have always heard about the guy who had been called the best pound-for-pound mixed-martial artist in the world. That guy has earned the reputation as being able to take a beating and still win a fight in devastating fashion. That was last night’s tale; word-for-word.

Brett Rogers impressed a lot of people in this fight, myself included. We all knew that Rogers had heavy hands and a history of knocking out his opponents. In fact, he’s knocked his opponents out in nine of his ten matches. Brett Rogers had Fedor on the ropes in round 1. His very first jab of the fight broke Fedor’s nose. He also caught Fedor with a flush right hook midway through the round. Rogers even had a dominant ground-and-pound position on Fedor. Rogers won round 1. For whatever reason, Rogers came out looking much different in round 2. He looked hesitant. He backed away from his game plan. As Fedor mentioned in his post-fight interview, Rogers stopped pressing forward. Instead, he started taking baby-steps and lowered his hands. You can make that mistake against Andrei Arlovski, but not against the best fighter in the world. Fedor lunged forward with w highlight-reel straight right hand that caught Rogers on the button. This was a punch that produced a sickening thud. It was a shot that made you know that the fight would be over. If you weren’t a believer of Fedor before, you are now.

Taking a Slice out of the Ratings

Saturdays Strikeforce averaged 3.79 million viewers. This included a very impressive 1.7/6 rating share among the 18-49 demographic. The 1.7/6 share is triple the average number for CBS during that weekly time. Both numbers are below both of Kimbo Slice’s EliteXC on CBS battles. This cannot be viewed as a positive for Strikeforce when the best fighter on the planet can’t out-rate a YouTube street fighting legend. Why could this be?

Well, for one, a show on free, national television should naturally attract more casual MMA fans. That’s the whole reason for the CBS/MMA experiment. In order for Strikeforce to achieve the popularity and success of the UFC, they’re going to need to lure in casual and new MMA fans. These types of fans may just not know who Fedor Emelianenko or Brett Rogers are. Kimbo Slice gained fame on the internet. Many people who were not into MMA probably caught sight of a Kimbo Slice street fight or two at one point. It makes me wonder aloud if the addition of Gina Carano to this card would have pushed it above in the ratings race. My money says that, prior to Fedor’s knockout of Rogers, Carano would have been a bigger draw amongst the exact type of fans that they were targeting.

What’s Next for Strikeforce?

A Fedor Emelianenko/Fabricio Werdum fight is in the works. Also, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker stated that within the next 7-10 days, they will sign two top free-agent heavyweights. Andrei Arlovski and Bobby Lashley, anyone?
Strikeforce Fedor vs Rogers Review

In my predictions last week, I chose the winners of the four main bouts to be Fedor Emelianenko, Jake Shields, Gegard Mousasi, and Antonio Silva. I went an impressive 3-1 with these picks. My lone incorrect choice was Antonio Silva, who lost via decision to Fabricio Werdum. Of course, I believe that Silva won this match 29-28. The three judges that count, however, disagreed.

Brock Lesnar/Shane Carwin Postponed Again

The Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin matchup originally scheduled for UFC 106 but postponed for UFC 108 is now postponed once again. This time, however, no new date has been announced. Lesnar has been stricken with mononucleosis and is unable to train at all. It is unknown at this time how long he will be on the sidelines. My guess is that this fight ends up at UFC 109 in February, 2009. This leaves the UFC year-end card now without a main event. The original card called for Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort to battle it out for the Middleweight title, but that match has been postponed as well due to Silva’s behind-schedule rehab from elbow surgery. Historically, the end of the year show has always been UFC’s biggest. As of now, Cain Velasquez/Big Nog and Rashad Evans/Thiago Silva will head this card. With injuries and A-Team movies throwing wrench after wrench into the UFC’s fight plans, who knows what they can put together to headline this card. I believe one such change could simply be to make the winner of the Velasquez-Nogueira match the interim Heavyweight Champion; thus, the winner of this match fighting the winner of Lesnar-Carwin.

UFC 105 Predictions

Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera
Prediction: Brandon Vera via TKO (Yes, you read that right.)

Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy
Prediction: Mike Swick via Decision

Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang
Prediction: Michael Bisping via TKO

James Wilks vs. Matt Brown
Prediction: James Wilks via Submission

Ross Pearson vs. Aaron Riley
Prediction: Ross Pearson via Decision

I hope you enjoyed the second edition of ‘The Full Mount”. If you have any questions that you would like answered in the next edition, please e-mail me at Brettley916@aol.com. Thanks.

Brett is 26 years old and from Millville, NJ. He has is a life-log fan of the Philadelphia sports teams as well as the Boston red Sox and Cincinnati Bengals. Brett is also a big fan of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. If you would like to comment on one of his stories, please e-mail him at Brettley916@aol.com

New Items Marked Down! Shop the UFC Sale at the UFC Store.

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Pre-order the EA Sports: MMA Video Game featuring Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko by clicking here.

Strikeforce and CBS will present Fedor Emelianenko to the country this Saturday night. Fedor will fight his first fight in a three-fight deal with Strikeforce. Fedor will fight relative unknown, Brett Rogers in what is being billed as the main-event. Rogers has the unenviable task of trying to survive against arguably the greatest MMA fighter of the 21st century.

To me, this fight is nothing but a huge farce. I think it is laughable that Strikeforce thinks any MMA fan with a brain would take Rogers as a serious threat to Fedor. Brett does boast an impressive record by the numbers, going 10-0 with nine knockouts. However, there is nothing impressive about the record once you take a look at Rogers’ opponents. Rogers’ biggest claim to fame was an awesome first-round knockout over former UFC champion, Andrei Arlovski. Other than the Arlovski fight, there isn’t much on Rogers’ record to get excited about.

Rogers has been turned into main-event fighter in Strikeforce by necessity. Dana White proclaimed the company, Strikefarce due to this kind of match-making. I agree with him. Arlovski hasn’t exactly been stellar the last couple of years. A knockout win over Arlovski is impressive for someone of Rogers’ inexperience, but that doesn’t make me believe he can hang with anyone like Fedor. This is truly a showcase fight for Fedor and nothing more in my opinion.

Something interesting to note about this fight is the betting line as of this writing. The line on the fight from BetUs.com is Fedor as a -550 favorite with Rogers as a +375 underdog. That is interesting to me, because Fedor was a -800 favorite against Marc Coleman two years ago. On paper, I would expect that Marc Coleman would have a better shot of beating Fedor in 2006 yet Rogers is getting a little more respect from Vegas. I am truly surprised that the betting line isn’t -1,000 or more for Fedor.

As for Fedor Emelianenko, the next three fights may be the biggest fights of his career. Fedor passed up a reported $30 million deal to sign with UFC for a three-fight Strikeforce deal. Anyone that follows MMA knows that Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brock Lesnar is the biggest money match not on the table right now. Until Fedor signs with the UFC, it isn’t going to happen. UFC president Dana White said that the offer to Fedor will still be available once his Strikeforce deal expires with one catch. White said he will pull the offer immediately if Fedor loses a fight. Theoretically, the financial future of Fedor and prosperity of a Brock Lesnar showdown starts this Saturday against Brett Rogers.

I don’t think there is a chance in the world that Fedor loses. Rogers does have incredible punching power, but he doesn’t have the ground game to hang with Fedor. To me, too much is being made of the shots Arlovski nailed Fedor with back in their January fight. Strikeforce likes to cite that moment to remind people that Fedor is beatable. The bottom line is that Fedor shook it off and put Arlovski on his butt for a knockout of his own and the win. Fedor is beatable, but Brett Rogers is not going to be the guy to beat Fedor.

If Rogers does the unthinkable, Fedor’s reputation in MMA will take a huge hit. He has been vastly criticized for passing up the UFC deal for Strikeforce. A lot of fighters and writers feel that Fedor went to Strikeforce to avoid the more competitive UFC. To bolster UFC’s argument, UFC offered Fedor an immediate world title match in his first bout. Strikeforce’s champion hasn’t defended the title in two years. One would assume looking on the outside that Fedor is definitely taking an easier road by signing with Strikeforce. If Brett Rogers happens to pull off the unthinkable, all of Fedor’s critics will be proven right in that Fedor’s skills have declined and he isn’t the fighter he used to be.

My prediction is a first-round knockout. I have watched a ton of Fedor fights and I just don’t see a flaw in his game. The only flaw I see would be his size and the obvious mismatch in size that he would have to overcome against Brock Lesnar. Rogers is taller and has about 30-40 pounds on Fedor, but he doesn’t have the ground game to bully Fedor around like Lesnar could do. I think Fedor is out to prove a point Saturday and keep his $30 million UFC offer safe. Fedor saw what happened when Arlovski let his guard down and he won’t make the same mistake. My prediction is Fedor in a first-round knockout, and the Fedor-Lesnar talk starts once again.

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Welcome to my new, weekly article for the Camel-Clutch Blog. Every week, I’ll fill this article full of all of the big mixed-martial arts news, rumors, upcoming cards, results and predictions. MMA is a passion of mine and has passed professional wrestling years ago as something that I follow 24/7. Enjoy “The Full Mount.”

All Mixed Up
If there’s one thing for the casual fan to learn very quickly about MMA, it’s that a card is never actually set in stone until the night of an event. The bad news began on Monday when it was announced that the UFC 106 match between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin had been postponed to UFC 108 on January 2010. Then came the news that Josh Koscheck and Anthony Johnson will now co-main event UFC 106 to fill the void. I love Kos and I love “Rumble” Johnson, but this is no co-main event.

Remember when Jon Fitch was scheduled to face Ricardo Almeida at UFC 106? That matchup idea seems like so long ago. After Almeida backed out of the fight due to injury, they made a match between Fitch and Thiago Alves for UFC 107. This week then brought us the news that Alves is now injured and cannot compete in that fight. Fitch will now face rising newcomer, Mike Pierce at UFC 107. Pierce is 9-1, with 6 consecutive victories including his upset over Brock Larson at UFC Fight Night 19.

Today brings us the news that the UFC 108 main event between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort has been postponed as well. Silva recently had elbow surgery and is going to need more time to rehab. With Lesnar/Carwin moving to UFC 108, that more than fills the void left by Silva/Belfort. UFC 108 is stacked!

It’s A Bad Time To Be Champ
How’d bad is it to be a champion in the UFC right now? Here’s how bad:

UFC Heavyweight Champ Brock Lesnar – Out until January with some type of flu
Lightweight Champ Lyoto Machida – Out until April or May after surgery on his hand
Middleweight Champ Anderson Silva – Out until February or March after elbow surgery
Welterweight Champ Georges St. Pierre – Out until March with a torn abductor muscle
Lightweight Champ BJ Penn – Healthy, for now…but will he be after his UFC 107 match with Diego Sanchez? If being a champ in the UFC has anything to say about it, my guess is, no.

“Houston, We Have a Problem”
That was the line that Kimbo Slice updated his Twitter with on Friday. It was just a few minutes after he updated the account with “I Accept.” What was Kimbo exactly referencing? Dana White had stated in a radio interview over a month ago that we would see Kimbo Slice on The Ultimate Fighter 10 finale. There have been rumors for weeks regarding who Kimbo would be facing at that event. The rumors seemed to center around three specific names; Roy Nelson, Seth Petruzelli, and Houston Alexander.

MMAJunkie.com is reporting that Houston Alexander will be the man to face Slice. Alexander has applied for a license to fight with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Since bursting onto the UFC scene with highlight reel knockouts against Alessio Sakara and Keith Jardine, Houston was the victim of three straight UFC losses. He has since won one match in another organization. This will be his first match back with the UFC.

Another major note is that this match with be at a catchweight of 215 lbs. Alexander has always fought at 205 and Slice’s most recent TUF match against Roy Nelson was at 230 lbs. It has been assumed that since Slice joined American Top Team, that he would move down to 205 lbs. Slice stands a much better chance against the likes of Liddell and Couture than against guys like Cain and Dos Santos. Heavyweights now know that Slice can be tossed around at will. And, according to Nelson, all you need to do is sit on Slice’s chest and softly tap his head 12 times in order to beat him. 205 lbs. is where Slice needs to end up and it seems that this 215 catchweight bout is American Top Team’s way of moving him towards that mark.

It’s way too early for a prediction. Don’t expect to see any arm bars and triangle chokes in this match. These guys will be swinging for the fences. One of these two guys is virtually guaranteed the Knockout of the Night Bonus. This is a match that Kimbo Slice can win just as much as it is a match that can earn Houston Alexander a new UFC contract.

Strikeforce: Fedor Emelianenko vs Brett Rogers Predictions
Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers takes place this coming Saturday, November 7 live on CBS. It will be the first nationally-televised on network TV event since Kimbo Slice got TKO’d by Seth Petruzelli. Fedor Emelianenko makes his much-anticipated Strikeforce debut. He will be fighting the undefeated Brett Rogers. Rogers is 10-0 with 9 knockouts. Rogers has never had a match last longer than a minute-thirty eight through the send round. His notable wins are over James Thompson and Andrei Arlovski. Fedor, however, is 30-1 with 1 no contest. His one loss was due to a doctor stoppage after an illegal, accidentally elbow from Tsuyoshi Kohsaka. He holds victories over Mark Coleman, Antonio Nogueira, Mirko Cro Cop, Tim Sylvia, Heath Herring and Andrei Arvlovski. Fedor is commonly called the top-ranked all-around fighter on the planet. I’m just not sold on that. I’ll take GSP and Anderson Silva over Fedor on that list any day of the week.

Here’s why I am not sold on Fedor. We all know that the most talented organization in the world is the UFC. Until Fedor fights in the UFC and beats some of the heavyweights there, he can’t possibly be the best heavyweight, better yet, the best all-around fighter in the world. Who has Fedor beaten that earns him any prize? In my opinion, his only victory worth noting is over Nogueira. His victories over Coleman, Cro Cop, Sylvia, Herring and Arvlovski came way after any of those fighters’ primes. Each of those guys were on the downside of their careers. He hasn’t beaten anyone that Brett Rogers couldn’t beat. This is exactly why Fedor has joined Strikeforce. Though it’s not the UFC, it’s better than where he’s been. A few victories in Strikeforce will at least give him credibility. Still, until Fedor steps inside of a UFC octagon and fights the likes of Lesnar, Carwin, Couture, Velasquez, Mir, Kongo, and Dos Santos, he simply will always have an asterisk next to his name. With that said…it’s prediction time.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers

Prediction: Fedor Emelianenko via Submission

Middleweight Championship Bout: Jason Miller vs. Jake Shields (c)
Prediction: Jake Shields via Decision

Light-Heavyweight Non-Title Bout: Gegard Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
Prediction: Gegard Mousasi via Knockout

Antonio Silva vs. Fabricio Werdum
Prediction: Antonio Silva via TKO

I hope you enjoyed the first edition of ‘The Full Mount”. If you have any questions that you would like answered in the next edition, please e-mail me at Brettley916@aol.com. Thanks.

Brett is 26 years old and from Millville, NJ. He has is a life-log fan of the Philadelphia sports teams as well as the Boston red Sox and Cincinnati Bengals. Brett is also a big fan of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. If you would like to comment on one of his stories, please e-mail him at Brettley916@aol.com

New Items Marked Down! Shop the UFC Sale at the UFC Store.

Buy UFC tickets at clicking here.

Pre-order the EA Sports: MMA Video Game featuring Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko by clicking here.

In the midst of all of the UFC 101 hype today, Fedor Emelianenko and his manager Vadim Finkelchtein also held a press conference.I know things are tense between M1 and UFC, but Vadim may have lost any credibility he has left in the MMA world. According to Vadim, Brett Rogers is better than Brock Lesnar.

Dana White started this earlier in the week when he called Fedor a fraud. I may disagree, but it is actually an argument you can make. Anyone that thinks a fighter fresh off the tire changer is better than the UFC heavyweight champion has lost whatever credibility they may have had in the MMA world.

I have had a real problem with this Brett Rogers hype all week. Strikeforce earlier in the week named Brett as one of the top heavyweights in MMA. Let’s call a spade here a spade here with Rogers. The guy knocked out Andrei Arlovski and….nothing. That is it!

Let’s talk about Rogers’ one notable opponent in Arlovski. Arlovski is well known for his glass chin. Matt Serra nailed Georges St. Pierre with a lucky punch, but was anyone ready to call Serra the best pound for pound fighter in the division? Lucky punches happen all of the time, but to make an argument that Rogers is better than Lesnar is ludicrous.

I understand the deal and the promotional hype between both companies, but give me a break. Brock Lesnar is a decorated NCAA wrestling champion. Brock Lesnar has now beaten Heath Herring, Randy Couture, and Frank Mir decisively. I am not saying Lesnar is the best, but he is certainly better than Brett Rogers.

Brock Lesnar has been doing nothing for the last three years but training in MMA. Rogers has been training in MMA part-time until recently. I am open to the fact that Rogers may become a better fighter at some point. But I don’t think anyone truly believes that Rogers is better than Brock Lesnar.

The bottom line here is that Fedor truly has turned into a complete joke. He is obviously scared of Lesnar or something, for him to take such a lesser deal with Strikeforce. Fedor and his management team really just need to shut up at this point. Nobody believes that Brett Rogers is better than Brock Lesnar and not very many people believe that Fedor isn’t running from Brock Lesnar.

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Headlocks and Eye Gouges –I will be back on Pro Wrestling Radio Wednesday August 10 at 7 PM/EST. Listen live and ask questions from the chat room clicking here. Check out Prowrestlingradio.com for more information on the radio show and archived show downloads. Listen to my 75 mn minute uncut interview with the Dan “The Beast” Severn on Pro Wrestling Radio by clicking here.