MMA Ratings: Fight Picks and Predictions for Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers

What is the meaning of a Fedor vs. Rogers fight? It's not clear. Rogers isn't the cream of the crop, and he's dangerously untested for a fight against an all-time pound-for-pound great like Fedor, but he does have the ability to threaten the heavyweight kingpin. Furthermore, all of this will be happening on the widest possible stage, being broadcast to millions of homes, expanding beyond even the reach of Zuffa's media monster. If Rogers loses quickly, as Fedor's recent opponents have, his humiliation will be complete, and those who have never seen him before will regard him as little more than a speed bump of a warm-up fight for the Russian. Conversely, if Fedor is indeed upset, most in the audience won't grasp the import and will simply regard Fedor's story as little more than marketing hype from the carnival-barker world of fight promotion.

The cruel realities of public indifference aside, fight fans must appreciate the fact that our niche sport is given airtime we could only dream of ten years ago, lets enjoy it while we can, and hope that Strikeforce steps up the quality of its packaging for a fight of such gravitas (i.e. puts the meat puppets back in their coffins and keeps a tight leash on the announcers).