Going down the stairs to Brunette's Gym in St. Paul, Minnesota, is like stepping into a Rocky movie (not Rocky V though, that one just sucked). There is no question what kind of a place it is. There isn't any fancy equipment. There isn't an acre of rolling mats.
There is a ring. There are heavy bags. There is a wrestling mat. That's about it. That is all that Brett Rogers needs.
If the name and picture aren't enough to jog your memory, it is probably because most of his fights don't last very long. At 8-0, Brett has seven knockouts and one submission due to strikes on his record.
His most recent win was on May 31st, at EliteXC's network premier. Rogers was the first fight of the night, one that only lasted 1:01 of the first round and ended in the knockout of Jon Murphy.
Going back to the fight before that is where things get confusing. On February 16th of this year Rogers knocked out James "The Colossus" Thompson at 2:24 of the first round. Thompson when on to fight in the main event against Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Fergusson.
- B/R Ticket Guide
A fight that has since gone down as one of the poorest performances by heavyweights in recent memory (to find worse might actually take a recollection from when the UFC PPVs were still in their single digits).
After the fight Rogers let it be known exactly what he thought of Fergusson and his performance, calling him out and starting talks with EliteXC to fight Fergusson this October.
Unfortunately, when Fergusson steps into the octagon, he won't see the determined face of Brett "The Grim" Rogers, he will see the old, tired, and seemingly confused look of Ken "I-was-never-that-great-to-begin-with" Shamrock instead.
Why? Rogers doesn't know, but it is a safe bet that EliteXC is concerned that their poster boy would get knocked out before they can start profiting off of a pay-per-view audience.
So Rogers is left to patiently wait. He isn't currently scheduled for any fights. It seems no one is willing to fight a guy that can, and probably will, knock them out.
While Rogers holds no ill-will against EliteXC, it begs the question: when did it become a bad thing to be a successful fighter? When will Rogers get his chance at the main event?
For the interview that inspired this article, please see this link.
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about 1 month ago
It is a bad thing to be a really good fighter when you are working for a second rate organization trying to pass off freaks and fads as legitimate fighters and ignoring their real talented fighters. It is a crying shame.
from about 1 month ago
We have been seeing a lot of that in Minnesota. Not everyone gets the attention that Lesnar does up in the frozen north.
about 1 month ago
Rogers wasn't scheduled for this fight because it's basically a make or break show for EliteXC.
If they score a high rating, Showtime will complete the deal and buy them out. If it bombs like the second CBS show did, CBS will drop them from the TV deal, Showtime will back out, and with 50 million in debt they would go belly up. Dave Meltzer called this the most important show in the history of MMA simply because the repercussions from a bad rating would drastically change the MMA industry in America. If EliteXC goes belly up, then the only people who could be considered competition would be Affliction, and they're already hurting badly. If this show bombs, the end result will be UFC pretty much owning MMA as far as mainstream fans.
Because of the pressure to score a good rating, they needed the biggest fight they could possibly make. Rogers is infinitely more deserving of the Kimbo fight than Ken Shamrock, but his name means nothing compared to Shamrock. That's the biggest fight they could make while still making Kimbo look strong (in theory, at least), so they signed it. It wouldn't surprise me to see Rogers fight Kimbo at some point over the next 12 months, and hopefully he'll knock Kimbo out and expose him as the sham he is.
from about 1 month ago
I totally agree. Rogers is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is a talented and successful fighter that puts the organizations poster boy in jeopardy. Hopefully he will at least get a shot at Antonio. If he doesn't get Fergusson, give him a title shot.
from about 1 month ago
I agree this is a huge show, but to say it is the most important show in MMA history, I cant agree with that. The most important show in MMA history was probably the first TUF finale. Forrest VS Bonnar put MMA on the map and to this day is the greatest match in UFC history, maybe in MMA history.
from about 1 month ago
You're dead on with your "wrong place, wrong time" comment. Truly the wrong time since Bigfoot Silva is serving a suspension for steroids and EliteXC is letting him keep the belt.
This is the most important show in present day MMA. Yes the Griffin-Bonnar fight helped the UFC but more so on TUF end of things than anything else. This is a MMA event on broadcast television. You don't need to have cable or fork over $49 to see it and it has the largest potential audience. This is the event that will also make or break one or two MMA organizations. (Sorry to go off topic)
from about 1 month ago
Historically (and especially for the UFC), the Griffin/Bonnar fight was obviously the most important fight in the history of the company. But if EliteXC does a terrible rating on this show, then Showtime will back out of the deal to purchase them, CBS will drop them, and they will likely sell the assets to the UFC for a small amount. This would include all the feeder promotions that ProElite purchased during that spending spree over the past year. Affliction is already hurting (as evidenced by the partnership with ProElite and Golden Boy) and likely wouldn't make it past 2008.
The end result is that there would only be one major MMA promotion left in the United States, which obviously would have long-lasting effects on fighter salaries both in the UFC and outside. UFC fighters would have no leverage when negotiating a new contract, because there would be no competition for them to sign with. Young fighters who are looking to get a big break have nowhere outside of Strikeforce to make a name for themselves, and Strikeforce is largely regional anyway. The only mixed martial arts stars in the US would be ones created by the UFC, because there would be nowhere else for them to become stars.
If anything, I understated the importance of this show in my previous comment. If it does a big rating, then Showtime will buy EliteXC and things will continue on as they have. If this is the case, then it won't be remembered as that much of a historic show in the future, because things will stay the same as they are. But if it does a poor rating, this truly will be considered a landmark event in MMA, and not for good reasons.
about 1 month ago
Thank you for your article. It exposes a definite issue happening in MMA right now. This fight is certainly acting as a lightning rod right now. In no other sport do people cherry pick the match ups. But lest we not forget that MMA needs to make money to survive. The UFC has figured out how to do it. They don't have to rely on gimmicks. While they are still involved in cherry picking to some extent they have the luxury (hard fought no doubt) of having the best fighters to choose from.
My question to you would be: What would a Kimbo vs Rogers fight accomplish for anyone? Would it help Elite XC grow their business and increase market share? Would it help them stop the bleeding financially, by bringing in a high television ratings? Overall, would it help the world of MMA. Perhaps the world of MMA would be benefited by Elite XC disappearing although I don't want UFC to be the only organization that exists.
While I think the result of the fight is insignificant in the long run for MMA it does raise philosophical questions. The primary one being "What is more important: Maintaining the ethicality of the sport and actually scheduling the appropriate fights or Scheduling the fights that could potentially bring in the most viewership and money, increasing attention for MMA?
They say no press is bad press yet this fight certainly isn't making people take the sport seriously. Hopefully, in the end it will draw the right amount of attention while forcing the higher ups in the industry to self reflect on whats best for the sport. You can make money and still be credible, its just hard to do out of the gate, especially with the UFC ready to crush you, with their competitive spirit!
Thanks for writing the article and getting me to leave my longest post to date!
about 1 month ago
Glad I could help.
The impact that many people seem to want to overlook, much like in matching up Lesnar and Couture, is that the fighters are the ones that lose out. The message that is sent by organizations is that winning does matter. Which is great for little league, but is horrible for men and women that fight for their livelihood.
It will create fighters that are more concerned with creating persona than being great fighters. Unless anyone else can explain why Phil Baroni and Tank Abbott keep getting fights.
about 1 month ago
My opinion Jon...if Kimbo wins...get ready for Slice vs Grim on a PPV....and I will not be ordering that...
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