Bellator MMA Heavyweight Division

With +Bellator MMA Season 9 set to debut on September 7, over the upcoming weeks we will take a look at each weight division.

HEAVYWEIGHT

Champion: Alexander Volkov (19-3; 14 KO's, 1 sub)
"Drago" (3-0 in Bellator) defeated Rich Hale in December 2012 to win the vacated (Cole Konrad retirement) heavyweight title. NEXT FIGHT: winner of Vitaly Minakov-Ryan Martinez

1. Vitaly Minakov (11-0; 6 KO's, 4 sub)
A veteran of the Russian M-1 promotion, Minakov is undefeated in his career and 2-0 in Bellator. At age 28, he could be someone to watch in the near future. NEXT FIGHT: July 31 vs Ryan Martinez

2. Ryan Martinez (10-2; 5 KO's, 2 sub)
Started career in the Colorado fight scene, Martinez gave notice to the world in November 2011 in the ProElite heavyweight tourney. A huge underdog vs NCAA champion wrestler Mark Ellis, who was unable to get a takedown against Martinez the entire 15 minutes, Martinez cruised to a 30-27 victory. Defeated Cody Griffin in the semifinals, but +Pro Elite 2.0 never held another event. 3-1 in Bellator. NEXT FIGHT: July 31 vs Vitaly Minakov

3. Ruslan Magomedov (10-1; 4 KO's, 2 sub)
Was set for Bellator debut vs Minnesotan Brett Rogers in October 2012, but visa issues halted the matchup. NEXT FIGHT: September 21 vs Tim Sylvia (31-9) in Russia

4. Blagoi Ivanov (7-0; 4 KO's, 2 sub)
A 26-year old Bulgarian, Ivanov is 2-0 in Bellator with victories over William Penn and local Zak Jensen. A February 26, 2012 bar fight resulted in Ivanov being stabbed through the heart and a near 3-month coma! NEXT FIGHT: September ?

5. Thiago Santos (11-2; 2 KO's, 5 sub)
"Big Monster" Santos is 3-1 with 1 NC (a brutal groin kick to Eric Prindle) in Bellator. Coming off an upset TKO loss to Rich Hale, Santos is just 26-years old and trains with Team Nogueira in Brasil. Yet to see his best. NEXT FIGHT: July 13 vs Alex Sandy Modelli (6-2) in Brasil

6. Augusto Sakai (5-0; 5 KO's)
Another young (age 22) Brazilian heavyweight, 1-0 in Bellator with a KO-knee vs Rob Horton in March 2013. NEXT FIGHT: TBA

7. Vinicius Kappke de Queiroz (6-3; 5 KO's, 1 sub)
One-time UFC fighter, "Spartan" is 1-1 in Bellator after losing to eventual-champion Volkov in November 2012 tourney semifinal. NEXT FIGHT: TBA

8. Brett Rogers (12-5; 10 KO's, 1 sub)
Was scheduled to fight Eric Prindle in March, but an injury to Prindle cancelled the fight. NEXT FIGHT: August 17 vs Dave Keeley (6-4) in South Korea

9. Cheick Kongo (18-8-2; 10 KO's, 3 sub)
Unconfirmed signing, Kongo reportedly is joining Bellator after a 11-6-1 mark in the +UFC - Ultimate Fighting Championship .

10. Quinton Jackson (32-11; 14 KO's, 7 sub)
Rampage Jackson recently signed a deal with Viacom (Bellator MMA/+IMPACT WRESTLING) and has expressed interest in fighting at heavyweight. Currently rehabbing an injury, Jackson hopes to compete by the end of 2013.

Minnesota connections:

• Raphael Butler (6-0) - made his Bellator debut on June 19 with a R1 TKO of Jeremiah O'Neal.
• Kevin Asplund (15-5) - lost by R2 TKO to Rogers in June 2012.
• Zak Jensen (10-10) - two losses (Neil Grove & Ivanov) in 2011 part of losing 7 of his past 8 fights.
• Cole Konrad (9-0) - retired undefeated (7-0 in Bellator) as the 1st Bellator heavyweight champion.

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Bellator 71 To Feature Three Minnesotans

June 22 will mark the beginning of the 2012 Bellator Summer Series. The event being held in West Virginia will definitely have a Minnesota-flavor, with three veterans competing on the card.

Newly-signed heavyweight Brett Rogers, a veteran of Strikeforce, will make his Bellator debut against a familiar face. His opponent is fellow-Minnesotan and ex-Ambition Training Academy teammate Kevin Asplund. Rogers (11-4) is trying to snap a 2-fight losing streak, falling to UFC vets Eddie Sanchez and Josh Barnett.

Asplund (15-1) signed with Bellator earlier in the year and was set to make his debut on May 8 against Ron Sparks, but the bout was dropped on fight night.

Travis Wiuff

Rogers and Asplund have history beyond training together. An incident of fire in the Rogers home with a friend of Asplund alleged to have started it (although not clear if it was intentional or not) soured the relationship.

Appearing on MMAJunkie Radio, Rogers said, "I just believe that I need to move forward by taking it out in the cage and just letting it be what it is..."

The event will also begin the light heavyweight tournament. Travis Wiuff (66-14) of Rochester could be considered the favorite to win the 8-man tourney. Wiuff defeated current Bellator champion Christian M'Pumbu in October 2011 in a non-title bout and has won 11 of his last 12 fights.

ROGERS VS. SANCHEZ SET TO HEADLINE "HDNET PRESENTS: TITAN FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 20"

From: http://www.titanfighting.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=154:-rogers-vs-sanchez-set-to-headline-qhdnet-presents-titan-fighting-championship-20q&catid=1:latest-news

Kansas City, KS –A heavyweight showdown between EliteXC and Strikeforce veteran Brett “The Grim” Rogers (11-3 with 9 (T)KOs) and UFC and Bellator Fighting Championships veteran Eddie Sanchez (12-5 with 8 (T)KOs) has been announced as the main event for “HDNet Presents: Titan Fighting Championship 20” on Friday, September 23.

 

The news of Rogers’ addition to the Titan Fighting Championship (www.TitanFighting.comand @TitanFighting) roster was revealed during Friday’s edition of “Inside MMA” on HDNet (www.HD.net) in a one-on-one interview between Rogers and HDNet’s Ron Kruck.

 

“The goal of Titan since we became partners with HDNet was to put on exciting fights,” said Titan Fighting Championship CEO Joe Kelly (@TheJGK). “A double-header featuring Rogers vs. Sanchez and former WEC lightweight world champion Jamie Varner vs. Alonzo Martinez promises to be one of our best shows to date.”

 

Rogers began his career with a perfect 10-0 record in which his win streak was highlighted by a 22-second first round (T)KO victory over former UFC heavyweight championAndrei Arlovski in June of 2009.

 

The Chicago native was also featured on the first-ever network prime-time broadcast of an MMA bout back in May 31, 2008 during CBS’ first-ever “Saturday Night Fights” airing.

 

Additionally, Rogers received further notoriety when he was featured in MMA’s return to CBS against Fedor Emelianenko in November of 2009 at “Strikeforce/M-1 Global Present: Fedor vs. Rogers.”
 

However, on June 29 of this year, Rogers found himself in the headlines again. But this time for the wrong reasons after being arrested on charges of third degree assault against his wife, Tiuana.

 

Rogers and his wife appeared on camera with Kruk but declined to discuss details. However, Rogers’ attorney, Murad Mohammad, told HDNet that his client is looking forward to addressing the allegations in court. In the meantime, Rogers is now training full-time at the Minnesota MMA Academy with plans on recording yet another dramatic knockout victory on national television.

 

“Brett has made a lot of changes in recent months and it will be exciting to see how much of a difference they’ve made in Brett’s game,” said Kelly. “But Eddie Sanchez is not exactly the type of fight you want to walk into when you’re looking to make sure your comeback starts off the right way. This one has slugfest written all over it.”

 

Tickets for the event are currently on-sale at Ticketmaster.com(www.Ticketmaster.com) and the Memorial Hall box office and start as low as $35.

 

Additional matchups for “HDNet Presents: Titan Fighting Championship 20” will be released in the coming days. For the latest information pertaining to Titan Fighting, please visit www.TitanFighting.com, follow Titan Fighting on Twitter (@TitanFighting) or become a “fan” on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/TitanFighting).

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Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Returns Tonight!

The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix returns to action tonight with some local fighters in action. Brett Rogers will be facing Josh Barnett in a tourney quarterfinal. Also, Jeff Monson, born in St. Paul, faces Daniel Cormier.

The event will be highlighted by the return of Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Alistair Overeem, who will face BJJ ace Fabricio Werdum.

Fans can watch the Strikeforce undercard at 7 PM live on HDNet. The main card will be broadcast live on Showtime beginning at 9 PM.


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Brett Rogers Video Interview

Watch "Brett Rogers - I Am A Fighter" on YouTube

First Fedor, Now Lesnar Fall Among Heavyweight Champs

How quickly the MMA heavyweight picture has changed over the past six months. Pound-for-pound king Fedor Emianenko was submitted by Fabricio Werdum in June. UFC champion Brock Lesnar then submitted undefeated Shane Carwin in July to claim the top of the heavyweight division ranks. And now: Lesnar loses to another undefeated fighter in Cain Velazquez to again scramble the rankings.

In a most impressive performance, Velasquez may have proven one thing: any fighter can be beaten on any night. Lesnar had destroyed the one person who defeated him, Frank Mir, in a rematch and then showed he could survive adversity by coming back to defeat Carwin. All of this after nearly losing his life to a rare intestinal disorder that required surgery and nine months of recovery. But now it will be Cain Velasquez with the target on his back.

The first challenger to the UFC champ Velasquez is reportedly going to be Junior dos Santos. Expect Lesnar to get one fight (possibly a third fight against Mir) and the winners to face off.

Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem has mostly been competing in K-1 the past year. His lone MMA fight was a dominating TKO victory over Minnesota heavyweight Brett Rogers in May. Overeem will be competing in the K-1 World Grand Prix on December 11, so expect an early 2011 return to MMA. That is the same timetable for Werdum and Emelianenko.

Strikeforce also contracts Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in their strong heavyweight stable. Silva is expected to face Valentijn Overeem, the older brother of Alistair, at the December 4 Strikeforce event in St. Louis.

In a wide-open division, here are my unofficial rankings of the top dozen heavyweights in the world:

1. Cain Velasquez (9-0)
2. Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1)
3. Fedor Emelianenko (31-2)
4. Brock Lesnar (5-2)
5. Junior dos Santos (12-1)
6. Alistair Overeem (33-11)
7. Shane Carwin (12-1)
8. Frank Mir (14-5)
9. Antonio Rodrigo Noguerira (32-6-1)
10. Antonio Silva (14-2)
11. Josh Barnett (29-5)
12. Brett Rogers (11-2)

Fighters in red are contracted by Strikeforce.
Fighters in blue are contracted by UFC.

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Rogers fighting Overeem For Strikeforce Heavyweight Title

Local heavyweight fighter Brett Rogers (10-1) will be challenging Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem (32-11) tonight in a show broadcast live on Showtime.  Telecast begins at 9 PM (CT).

Fightcard:
ALISTAIR OVEREEM VS. BRETT ROGERS
ANDREI ARLOVSKI VS. ANTONIO SILVA
JACARE SOUZA VS. JOEY VILLASENOR
ROGER GRACIE VS. KEVIN RANDLEMAN
ANTWAIN BRITT VS. RAFAEL FEIJAO

Fedor, Rogers at Strikeforce weigh-in

St. Paul heavyweight Brett Rogers weighed in at 264, while Fedor Emelianenko tipped the scales at 232. The two fighters headline the Strikeforce show to be broadcast live on CBS tonight at 8 PM (CT).

Brett Rogers speaks on Jordan Breen Show

Heavyweight Brett Rogers was a guest on the Jordan Breen Show of Sherdog Radio (39th minute) on Thursday.


Rogers (10-0) will face WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) this fall on a Strikeforce event to-be-announced.  Emelianenko was the second and last Pride Heavyweight Champion, 2002 RINGS World Tournament Champion, and 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion.


Emelianenko has defeated some of the top fighters in the world. Some of his victories have come against UFC Champions Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, Mark Coleman (twice), and Kevin Randleman; K-1 World GP Champions Mark Hunt and Semmy Schilt; 2006 Pride Grand Prix Champion Mirko Cro-Cop; the 1st Pride Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (twice); former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Babalu Sobral; Heath Herring and Ricardo Arona.


His one loss came at the hands of Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at the 2000 RINGS King of Kings Tournament.  The end to the fight came via an illegal elbow strike that opened a cut just 17 seconds into the 1st round.  Since the bout was in a tournament, a fighter had to move on and Kohsaka was awarded the victory.

Fedor-Rogers to fight on Showtime

The Showtime Sports website features a breaking news announcement today saying that #1 pound-for-pound fighter Fedor Emelianenko will fight Minnesota heavyweight Brett Rogers this fall.  No event details were available.


Stay tuned for more info.

Brett Rogers post-fight on Sherdog

Local heavyweight Brett Rogers took one giant step towards reaching the top of the MMA heavyweight world last night be defeating former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski (15-7). The fight took place as the co-main event of Strikeforce on Showtime.

The win improved his record to 10-0 and potential shot at Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem (29-11). That fight could take place on the next Showtime show on August 15.

Strikeforce weigh-in results

• Showtime Card:
• Robbie Lawler (182.75) vs. Jake Shields (181.75)
• Andrei Arlovski (244) vs. Brett Rogers (262)
• Nick Diaz (179) vs. Scott Smith (179.5)
• Kevin Randleman (204) vs. Mike Whitehead (206)
• Phil Baroni (168.75) vs. Joe Riggs (170)

• Preliminary Card:
• Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante (205.5) vs. Mike Kyle (202.5)
• Jesse Finney (175.75) vs. Josh Bumgarner (173.5)
• Tyron Woodley (170.5) vs. Sal Woods (169.25)
• Scott Ventimiglia (185) vs. Lucas Lopes (186)
• Pat Benson (155.75) vs. Dave Cochran (153)
• Booker DeRousse (204.25) vs. James Wade (205.25)

Brett Rogers interview with Five Ounces of Pain

Arlovski-Rogers added to Strikeforce show on June 6

Rogers gets knockout over Humphrey

Brett Rogers opened the Strikeforce on Showtime event last night with an impressive 2nd round TKO victory over Abongo Humphrey. Using superior striking and knee strikes in the clinch, Rogers (9-0) easily defeated the former television reality show "The Ring" winner Humphrey (5-1).

Rogers (9-0) got to the second round after a choppy 1st round in which he was penalized one point for grabbing the hair of Humphrey, who was wearing his long hair with dreadlocks. The fight was paused on three different occasions while referee Herb Dean warned Rogers and eventually took the point away.

After the fight, Rogers indicated to the crowd of 15,211 that he did not intentionally grab the dreadlocks.

Local heavyweight to appear on Showtime

Heavyweight Brett Rogers will make his long awaited return to the cage tonight live on Showtime Sports at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz. Rogers (8-0), who has not fought since knocking out Jon Murphy in May of 2008, will face Ron "Abongo" Humphrey of Atlanta. Humphrey is also undefeated at 5-0, but has fought much lesser opponents than Rogers.

Rogers has the honor of being the first victorious fighter on network television when he defeated James Thompson on February 16, 2008 at EliteXC: Street Certified on CBS.

Rogers wins on CBS

On May 31, Team Bison heavyweight fighter Brett Rogers remained undefeated by defeating Jon Murphy on the premiere broadcast of EliteXC Saturday Night Fights on CBS.

Rogers (7-0) connected with an uppercut to the jaw of Murphy (4-3) and followed him to the mat before the referee stopped the bout just 1:01 into the first round. It was the first televised fight in the history of MMA on primetime network television.

At the post-fight press conference, Rogers called out event headliner Kimbo Slice (3-0) who had a hard-fought 3rd round TKO victory over James Thompson. The same James Thompson that Rogers defeated by KO in just over two minutes three months ago.

"Everybody saw the fight today," Rogers said. "A man is a man and what I saw today was garbage."

Slice was losing on all three judges scorecards going into the final round of the fight with Thompson.

"That sounds like a challenge," Slice said as he and Rogers faced off on both sides of EliteXC promoter Gary Shaw before calmer heads prevailed.

Brett Rogers to fight on first EliteXC show on CBS

Team Bison heavyweight fighter Brett Rogers (6-0; 5 KO, 1 sub.) will face Jon Murphy (4-2; 3 KO, 1 sub.) on the first EliteXC show to be broadcast on over-the-air TV. They will be the first fight on the TV card headlined by heavyweight Kimbo Slice.

Rogers has two victories in EliteXC, defeating Ralph Kelly and most recently James Thompson in February.

Murphy is coming off of a 2nd round KO victory over Dave Huckaba at the EliteXC show in August. His two losses are against highly regarded fighters Chase Gormley (Gladiator Challenge Champion) and Houston Alexander, who has recently fought in the UFC.

The show will be carried live on CBS in primetime on Saturday, May 31. Kimbo Slice will face James Thompson in the main event.

FIGHT CARD:
Kimbo Slice (2-0) vs. James Thompson (14-8)
Robbie Lawler (15-4) vs. Scott Smith (13-4) - EliteXC Middleweight Title
Gina Carano (5-0) vs. Kaitlin Young (4-1) of Circle Pines, MN
Phil Baroni (10-9) vs. Joey Villasenor (25-6)
Brett Rogers (6-0) vs. Jon Murphy (4-2)

Rogers gets KO over Thompson

Heavyweight Brett Rogers stopped British fighter James Thompson (14-8) at the EliteXC-Street Certified show last night in Miami to improve his record to 6-0. Rogers caught Thompson, a veteran of Pride and Cage Rage, with a knee to the chin and followed up with five brutal strikes to the head before Thompson fell to the mat and ended the fight at 2:24 of the first round.

Thompson is the biggest name to date on the undefeated resume of Rogers. Having fought seven career fights for Pride, Thompson has faced opponents like Don Frye, Hidehiko Yoshida, Kazuyuki Fajita, Giant Silva, and Aleksander Emelianenko.

Rogers has now won two fights for the EliteXC promotion after beginning his career in Minnesota with four straight wins by knockout. Rogers defeated Ralph Kelly at the EliteXC-Renegade show last November.

Rogers to fight for EliteXC

St. Paul heavyweight Brett Rogers will be fighting at the February 16 EliteXC show in Miami. Rogers will face perhaps his toughest oppenent to date in James Thompson (14-7) of England. The event is being headlined by the matchup of famed street fighters Kimbo Slice (1-0) and Tank Abbott (9-13).

Thompson has fought all around the world including shows for PrideFC and Cage Rage. He has faced some of the MMA elite in Don Frye, Hidehiko Yoshida, Kazuyuki Fujita, Giant Silva, Aleksander Emelianenko, and Dan Severn.

Rogers (5-0) will be making his second appearance for EliteXC after fighting on the November 10 show in Texas. Rogers earned a first round victory over Ralph Kelly (3-3) when Kelly submitted due to strikes.

The event will be broadcast live on Showtime.