If Fedor loses Strikeforce still wins

A lot of people have been saying that Saturday’s Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers headliner is a huge risk if Fedor Emelianenko loses to a relatively untested Brett Rogers. They say that if Fedor loses it will tarnish his reputation and lessen his value to Strikeforce leading to Strikeforce’s financial ruin, plagues of locusts, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria.

Well, David Andrest over at Five Ounces of Pain is crying “Poppycock!” Okay, he’s not actually saying “poppycock” and I don’t know anybody who actually does say “poppycock,” but he thinks that Strikeforce is in a win/win situation no matter how the fight ends. And I have to say he presents a pretty convincing case:

The reality is this weekend’s Strikeforce event could easily be the most watched mixed martial arts event in history. To have 6-10 million viewers (a majority of which who will know as much about MMA as Frank Shamrock tells them) watch an undefeated Brett Rogers defeat the man widely recognized as the best heavyweight ever is not a bad thing for Strikeforce. They will have a homegrown superstar at a bargain price.

Strikeforce has to have a goal set to create new fans, those who up until now have not purchased pay per view or given the sport a chance. New fans are going to be the life blood for Strikeforce, the group of new fans that will listen to the company line and buy it. Zuffa has their fans, we all know them, those who go to bed at night believing “ if the guy isn’t fighting in the UFC he can’t be very good.”

Two men will fight in this weekend’s main event , and the story that plays out in the cage can only end one of two ways: Either….

A) Strikeforce has the number one heavyweight in the world and they have brought him to you for free on primetime broadcast television.

or

B) Strikeforce has the hottest up and coming superstar in the mixed martial arts world, Brett Rogers, a man who has defeated Andrei Arlovski, and now the consensus number 1 heavyweight on the planet Fedor Emelianenko. A superstar that speaks English, lives in the USA and is available for comment 24/7.