Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers don't look or sound anything like each other. But if you listened to Arlovski back in January after his loss to Fedor Emelianenko and then Rogers last night in Chicago, the mood was eerily similar. Both guys had that, "what just happened" tone.

Just like Arlovski at Affliction 2, Rogers was making the Fedor look human. Not many opponents have done that. The Russian hasn't lost since 2000 but Rogers was doing quite a bit of damage on the feet and even got Fedor on his back. But then just like Arlovski, who tried a crazy flying knee, Rogers telegraphed a left hook. Fedor timed it perfectly and blasted him on the chin. Next thing "The Grim" knew, referee "Big" John McCarthy was rubbing his back saying, "it's okay, you're safe." 

"I guess you can say I didn't see it coming," said Rogers. "I definitely knew that's his punch. I like to throw but every now and then I put my hands down. He got too close. He capitlized on the hole. I'm gonna work on that."

Rogers said his problems started when he went away from his game, being the aggressor and attacking:

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The crowd stood on its feet for all seven minutes of the action-packed Brett Rogers-Fedor Emelianenko fight on CBS before the Russian scored a knockout win. Was it because Fedor was in trouble or the fact that Rogers was simply competing? During the postfight press conference, Fedor said he wasn't in trouble, the cut on his nose was never an issue and the fight went exactly like his team thought it would. Can that all be true? 

It was the same tune Fedor sang after his win in January over Andrei Arlovski. Did Rogers and Arlovski show that Fedor weaknesses with his standup defense or is the bottomline that the guy continues to pile up devastating knockout wins? 

Brett Rogers had a little lump over his right eye but that was about the only way you could tell he has just fought. Meanwhile Fedor Emelianenko looked like he'd been by a Mack truck. Is that a broken nose? The Fedor camp wouldn't say but his nose is oddly curved to the right. The world's best heavyweight didn't dominate Rogers, but when it counted most Fedor landed the fight changing punch in the second round knocking out the bigger fighter with a perfectly timed counter right. The pictures may tell a different story but there's no controversy when there's a knockout.

There may be a little argument when it comes to the Fabricio Werdum-Antonio Silva fight. Many media folks cageside thought Silva had won a close decision. That's not the way all three judges saw it giving the decision 29-28 to Werdum. Silva didn't argue the point much in the press conference although he did say he put Wedrum on his butt twice with better standup in the second.

In an arena that was electric with the excitement of seeing the world's best heavyweight take on a tough challenger, Fedor Emelianenko won his first Strikeforce bout with a TKO at 1:48 in the second round. If there were any questions of Fedor's dominance, they were answered tonight as Emelianenko lasted through an early onslaught from Rogers. 

Fedor started the fight off with big looping punches and then threw Rogers to the ground, using his sambo skills. Rogers got back to his feet and used the clinch to cause damage. Rogers cut Fedor on the bridge of his nose with a perfectly square jab. When Rogers took Fedor to the ground, he landed a bevy of punches to put "The Last Emperor" in trouble. 

But Fedor could not be stopped. He finished the fight off with one lethal right hand punch in the second round, and then finished it on the ground with one more big right.

Judging by the crowd at the Sears Centre in suburban Chicago, Fedor has clearly become a star in the United States. The cheers for him were deafening, and more than once, the crowd began to chant "Fedor, Fedor!" 

Rogers fought Fedor better than anyone has in quite a while. This was his first loss, but one that will still leave a mark in the memories of MMA fans. 

In the battle for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight belt, Jake Shields won a unanimous decision 48-47, 49-46, 49-46. Despite having the Chicago crowd squarely against him, Shields employed an effective, smothering offense to grind out the win over Jason "Mayhem" Miller. 

In the first round, Shields got a quick takedown, and did some damage on the ground. Mayhem got up, but then was taken down again quickly. When Miller got back to his feet, he picked Shields up for a takedown, which got a large cheer from the crowd.

The second round was incredibly close, as the two spent it mostly on the ground. Neither fighter got close to a submission, though. Miller dominated the third, sinking in a rear naked choke near the end of the round. Shields was saved by the bell, because if the round would have lasted just a few more seconds Shields would likely not have made it.

In the fourth, an exhausted Shields got a takedown but did little with it. When referee "Big" John McCarthy stood them up, Mayhem landed some kicks before Shields took him down, again. Every time Miller tried to roll out, Shields stuck to him. In the fifth round, Shields continued his attack of taking Miller down and sticking on him like white on rice. For much of the round, he had Miller's back, but when Miller did get out, he tried and quickly gave up on a guillotine.

The crowd in suburban Chicago showered Shields with boos as he walked out of the arena, but his attack was effective. After the fight, Shields said that he would fight at middleweight or welterweight, and that Cung Le, the former holder of the middleweight belt, is afraid of Shields. Le vacated the belt after pursuing a film career, but he will fight again on Dec. 19 against Scott Smith. 

Gegard Mousasi continued to show his dominance, TKO'ing Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at 3:43 in the second round. 

As he is wont to do, Sokoudjou came out guns blazing in the first round, not only landing punches on Mousasi, but also displaying his judo prowess with a few throws to put Mousasi on his back. His dominance was short-lived, though, as his well-known lack of conditioning reared its ugly head.

In the second, it looked like Sokoudjou might be in trouble after Mousasi unloaded a flurry of punches, but Soko survived and took Mousasi down. Mousasi reversed Sokoudjou, and it was quite clear that Soko was exhausted at that point. Mousasi unloaded punches and elbows, and the referee, "Big" John McCarthy called the fight. 

For Mousasi, 24, the win didn't test his Strikeforce light heavyweight title, but it did show off his skills as a top fighter. The American audience is now much more familiar with the young veteran's dominance.