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FIGHT CAMP 360°: Fedor vs. Rogers UPDATE

SHOWTIME Sports® Captures Brett Rogers in Training Camp

“I Am Living THE American Success Story…”

Premieres Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME®

30-Minute Documentary Also Available For Broadcast on CBS Affiliates

NEW YORK (Oct. 29, 2009)—SHOWTIME Sports cameras were entrenched in the training camp of undefeated American powerhouse Brett “The Grim” Rogers in Minneapolis earlier this week as he prepares for the highest profile fight of his career.

On Saturday, Nov. 7, Rogers faces world No. 1 ranked heavyweight fighter Fedor Emelianenko in the main event of “STRIKEFORCE/ M-1 GLOBAL: Fedor vs. Rogers” LIVE on the CBS Television Network (9:00 PM live ET /delayed PT) at the Sears Centre in Chicago.

SHOWTIME Sports is completing FIGHT CAMP 360°: Fedor vs. Rogers, a 30-minute documentary preview show for the landmark event. FIGHT CAMP 360°: Fedor vs. Rogers premieres on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 9:30 PM ET/PT on SHOWTIME and is available for broadcast on CBS affiliated stations nationwide.

Quotes and photos (via download) from Brett “The Grim” Rogers ’ training camp follow.

Air dates and times for FIGHT CAMP 360°: Fedor vs. Rogers on SHOWTIME and SHOWTIME 2®.

Tuesday, Nov. 3          9:30p (premiere)         SHO

Tuesday, Nov. 3          10:00p                         SHO2

Wednesday, Nov. 4    11p                              SHO2

Thursday, Nov. 5         10p                              SHO2

Friday, Nov. 6              10p                              SHO2

Saturday, Nov. 7         4:30p                           SHO

Note: all times ET/PT

The link for photos from Rogers training camp:

http://www.st-photoservices.com/blasts/FC360_Brett_Rogers.zip

Rogers Quotes:

“The hardest part has been having someone (camera persons) on the mat during training that I CAN’T hit. Normally, the rule is, if you’re on the mat, you’re fair game to get some.”

“It’s been fun to share my story. I feel that I am living the American success story. And I hope that others can take some level of inspiration from it.”

“I am really looking forward to seeing the show, but to be honest, I won’t be in the right frame of mind next week to really enjoy it.  I’ll have to go back and watch it in a couple of weeks to digest it all.”

“The film crew has been here for more than five days.  I tell you, it is a surreal experience to have the world watching you, watching me do what my fight team and I have been doing for five years in relative obscurity day in and day out. All of a sudden, to have my life become worthy of this attention is amazing, shocking almost.  But we are having fun with it.”

“We’ve had various training partners roll through the past few days and it’s been odd to explain what the cameras are doing here.  They aren’t expecting it. The first few days the crew was here, it was a bit suffocating. To have them shadow me through my every move, not just in training, but at home with my family, during meals, everywhere.  After a few days, though, I kind of got used to it.”

Roger’s trainer and manager, Mike Reilly , on training camp:

“Brett has evolved as a fighter. He’s always been a tremendous athlete but now he’s a more well-rounded fighter. He’s developed so much over the past year and especially in this camp.”

“He is working as hard as he ever has.  He is in better shape than ever, so I can now push him harder and expand the training to be much more complex.  All of this is possible because he’s evolving.”

“We have new wrinkles in training, new sparing partners and sessions.  With his striking in top form, I can have Brett focus on other facets of the game: grappling, submission defense, throws and kicks.  We are coming in from new angles, we found a new range.  We have taken conditioning to a new level.  Fedor is in for a shock.”

PRIMETIME MMA FIGHT CARD ANNOUNCED FOR “CBS/STRIKEFORCE/M-1 GLOBAL SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS” SATURDAY, NOV. 7 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Fedor Emelianenko, the #1 Ranked MMA Heavyweight in the World, To Be Seen for the First Time by a Broadcast Television Audience, Squares Off Against Undefeated American Brett Rogers

Middleweights Jake Shields and Jason “Mayhem” Miller Battle for the Recently Vacated Strikeforce Middleweight Title; Gegard Mousasi and Heavyweight Fabricio Werdum Will Also Appear on the Four-Fight Primetime Card

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 9 — CBS, Strikeforce, M-1 Global today officially announced the fight card for mixed martial arts’ (MMA) return to primetime with CBS/ STRIKEFORCE/M-1 GLOBAL SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS, Saturday, Nov. 7 (9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.

“We’re looking forward to delivering an explosive night of world class MMA action on CBS,” said Scott Coker, Founder and CEO of Strikeforce.  “We have the world’s # 1 fighter, Fedor, making his network primetime debut against an undefeated powerhouse in Brett Rogers and, with the stars lined up for the remainder of the card, it is bound to be an exciting night of television.”

The following four primetime matchups are confirmed for CBS/ STRIKEFORCE/ M-1 GLOBAL SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS on Nov. 7:

* Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko vs. Brett “The Grim” Rogers
*   Jake Shields vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller (Middleweight Title Fight)
* Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry “The African Assassin” Sokoudjo
*  Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum vs. Antonio “Big Foot” Silva

(All bouts are pending approval by the Illinois Athletic Commission.)

FEDOR “THE LAST EMPEROR” EMELIANENKO vs. BRETT “THE GRIM” ROGERS :

Simply referred to as “Fedor” by fans around the world, the 6-foot, 235-pound Russian is one of the most dominant fighters in the sport.  A master of the Russian military combat system, Sambo, he boasts a record of 30 wins, one loss, no draws with 16 wins by submission, seven knockouts and seven decisions.  His opponent, undefeated American, 28-year-old Brett Rogers (10-0) stands 6-feet, 5-inches tall, weighs 265 pounds and brings two of the heaviest hands in the sport to the cage.  Both Fedor and Rogers ’ last victories came against former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.

JAKE SHIELDS vs. JASON “MAYHEM” MILLER

In the night’s middleweight title fight (185 pounds), Jake Shields (23-4-1) squares off against Jason “Mayhem” Miller (22-6).  Shields, widely considered one of the best fighters in the world, brings an impressive 12-fight win streak to the cage, six of his last seven coming by way of first round submission.  Most recently, he defeated world-ranked middleweight “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler in his Strikeforce debut on June 6.  His opponent, Miller, a fellow submission expert, is one of MMA’s most exciting fighters.  The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai specialist is the host of MTV’s reality series “Bully Beatdown” and trains with two of the sport’s most recognizable fighters, Randy “The Natural” Couture and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson . He currently has 13 submission victories on his resume.

GEGARD “THE DREAMCATCHER” MOUSASI vs. RAMEAU THIERRY “THE AFRICAN ASSASSIN” SOKOUDJOU

Gegard Mousasi and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou will face one another in the night’s light heavyweight (205 pounds) bout.  Mousasi (26-2-1) of Leiden , Netherlands , recently scored his 13th consecutive victory on August 15, 2009 by winning his US debut and the Strikeforce light heavyweight title in a first round victory over defending champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral on SHOWTIME®.  Sokoudjou (7-4), known to his fans as “The African Assassin,” has scored six of his seven wins by knockouts and brings an impressive striking game to the cage.

FABRICIO “VAI CAVALO” WERDUM vs. ANTONIO “JUNIOR” SILVA

Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum will face Antonio “Junior” Silva in a matchup of two promising Brazilian heavyweights.  Werdum is a two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and a submission expert while Silva has nine KOs in his 13 victories.  Werdum, a former PRIDE and UFC standout, is coming off an impressive first round submission victory in his Strikeforce debut on Aug. 15 over veteran Mike Kyle.  Silva, a fellow 6-foot-4 Brazilian, will be making his Strikeforce debut after compiling a remarkable 13-1 record since he turned pro in 2005.

SHOWTIME Sports will produce the four-fight event with host Gus Johnson calling the action and MMA legend Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo serving as color analysts.  The executive producer is David Dinkins, Jr.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose ‘s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold out record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose .

About M-1 Global

M-1 Global (www.m-1global.com) has been one of the leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organizations in the world for over a decade. M-1 has promoted over 150 shows worldwide since 1995.  Billed as the “World Cup of Mixed Martial Arts,” the M-1 Challenge is a full season of MMA events that showcases some of the best up and coming MMA fighters in the world. Broadcast to over 90 countries around the world, including HDNet in the United States , the M-1 Challenge pits teams of five fighters representing their respective countries against each other for international bragging rights and the title of M-1 Challenge Champions. Fighters who succeed on the M-1 Challenge’s international breeding ground will earn the opportunity to participate in major MMA events presented by M-1 Global and their promotional partners such as STRIKEFORCE.

Fedor Emelianenko

The CBS Television Network will return to the mixed martial arts (MMA) cage with STRIKEFORCE: FEDOR VS. ROGERS , to be broadcast Saturday, Nov. 7 (9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT).  SHOWTIME Sports® will produce the four-fight event with host Gus Johnson calling the action and MMA legend Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo serving as color analysts.

In 2008, CBS aired the first live MMA fights on network television, with three successful events earning time period-winning ratings in all key young adult and young men demographics.  CBS’s most recent broadcast in October 2008 ranked as the night’s highest-rated program on both broadcast and cable in adults 18-34 and men 18-34, topping all other sports programming in those demographics, including the Major League Baseball playoffs and college football.

On Nov. 7, the world’s Number One-ranked MMA heavyweight fighter, Fedor Emelianenko of Russia , will face undefeated American Brett Rogers of Minnesota in the marquee match up. The fight marks the first bout for the highly coveted Emelianenko since his promotional company M-1 Global signed an agreement with STRIKEFORCE to co-promote major events.

“There’s no question this is a sport that is fast becoming a force in popularity and as a business,” said Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, Prime Time, CBS Television.  “We’re excited to be the platform that will enable millions more to see the athlete regarded as the very best in his sport.  The Number One heavyweight on the most-watched network has a very nice ring to it.”

Simply referred to as “Fedor” by fans around the world, the 6-foot, 235-pound Russian is one of the most dominant fighters in the sport.  He is a master of the Russian military combat system Sambo and boasts a record of 30 wins, one loss, no draws with 16 wins by submission, seven knockouts and seven decisions.  The 28-year-old Rogers (10-0) is a massive physical specimen standing 6-feet, 5-inches tall and weighing 265 pounds.  He possesses two of the heaviest hands in the sport of MMA, an attribute that has helped him knock out all 10 of his professional opponents.

“It is an honor to have the opportunity to bring the STRIKEFORCE brand to CBS,” said Scott Coker, Founder and CEO of STRIKEFORCE.  “We are looking forward to bringing MMA back to the network and to having the world’s No. 1 heavyweight—Fedor—compete for the first time on live network television against one of America ‘s most promising young, undefeated stars—Brett Rogers.”

STRIKEFORCE has experienced significant growth since it launched its first MMA promotion on March 10, 2006.  After signing a landmark deal to air live events on SHOWTIME® earlier this year, STRIKEFORCE earned the premium network its highest MMA rating ever on August 15 with Carano vs. Cyborg.  Shortly before the live telecast, the main event principals—Gina Carano and Cris “Cyborg” Santos —were the most searched terms on Yahoo! and Google, while the fight was the most discussed subject on Twitter.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose .

About M-1 Global

M-1 Global (www.m-1global.com) has been one of the leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organizations in the world for over a decade. M-1 has promoted over 150 shows worldwide since 1995.  Billed as the “World Cup of Mixed Martial Arts,” the M-1 Challenge is a full season of MMA events that showcases some of the best up and coming MMA fighters in the world. Broadcast to over 90 countries around the world, including HDNet in the United States , the M-1 Challenge pits teams of five fighters representing their respective countries against each other for international bragging rights and the title of M-1 Challenge Champions. Fighters who succeed on the M-1 Challenge’s international breeding ground will earn the opportunity to participate in major MMA events presented by M-1 Global and their promotional partners such as STRIKEFORCE.