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Strikeforce Main Event Breakdown: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers

Fedor EmelianenkoIn August of 1995, Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci penned a feature about pitcher Greg Maddux entitled "Once in a Lifetime." Wearing an Atlanta Braves uniform, Maddux also graced the cover of SI in that issue. The photo showed a focused Maddux a nanosecond after delivering a pitch. The caption read "The Greatest Pitcher You'll Ever See."

One line in the story has stuck with me for all these years: "Did you see van Gogh paint? No, you could respond, but I saw Greg Maddux pitch." Maddux, of course, has nothing to do with MMA (although he has attended at least one UFC event), but the premise of the story has everything to do with Saturday night.

Fedor Emelianenko is MMA's van Gogh, its immeasurably gifted genius, and Saturday, he will be fighting Brett Rogers in front of the largest American audience ever to witness him.

Mackens Semerzier on His MMA Upset of the Year: 'I Fully Expected to Win'

Mackens SemerzierUpon authoring perhaps the biggest upset of the year in mixed martial arts, Mackens Semerzier nonchanlantly rose from the canvas, whispered a thanks to his fallen opponent Wagnney Fabiano for the opportunity to compete against him, and simply smiled to the camera broadcasting the shocker to the world.

No one would have objected if Semerzier, who according to multiple MMA wagering sites entered the bout as the biggest underdog of the 10-card WEC event, pulled out a bottle of champagne and uncorked it right in the center of the cage. Instead, he illustrated the maturity that led to his win in the first place by controlling his emotions in a supercharged moment.

"I say this with total confidence: I fully expected to win," said the previously little-known Semerzier, who improbably submitted top three featherweight Fabiano with a triangle choke. "Not that I walk around saying I can beat anyone, but that's a thing for me in life: you can always win. You can always find a way. I always thought, 'I'm going to figure out a way to do it. So when I win, it doesn't surprise me."

Matt Serra's Road Back to UFC Welterweight Title Begins in February

If you're wondering why Matt Serra hasn't been booked to fight since his UFC 98 clash against rival Matt Hughes in May, it's not because he's been injured or taking the loss too hard. No, Serra has simply been busy working on his new 8,300 square foot MMA gym that will be opening soon.

"It's going to be a beautiful martial arts facility," Serra told FanHouse on Thursday. "It's going to be the best one on Long Island, that's for sure."

Matt Hughes Signs New UFC Deal

Matt HughesMatt Hughes has signed a new multi-fight deal with the UFC, officially ending rumors and speculation that the former UFC welterweight champ had fought his last fight at UFC 98 in May.

"Last week I went out to Vegas and I signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC, which is much like my last contract," Hughes wrote Thursday on his blog. "I also brought up the fact that I wanted to do a hunting show and they thought that would be a good thing."

Hughes (43-7) was victorious in his last fight against Matt Serra, but had entered UFC 98 with three losses out of his previous four fights.

Ben Saunders: 'I'm Looking to Make It a Dominating Win' over Mike Swick

Ben Saunders first came on to the national MMA scene when he appeared on the sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Though he lost in the quarterfinals on in the show, he has gone on to become the most successful member of the season. Each time out in the octagon, he appears to get more comfortable, and in his last time out, he roughed up Brandon Wolff in a devastating first-round TKO win.

On June 13, Saunders takes a step up in competition level when he takes on welterweight contender Mike Swick at UFC 99.

Saunders recently took a few minutes to speak to FanHouse about the biggest fight in his career, whether he considers Swick a top 10 caliber fighter, and where he hopes to go from here.

Even in Losing to Hughes, Matt Serra Proves He's No Fluke

First thing's first. Matt Serra was not robbed at UFC 98. Neither though, did he lose. After two years of back and forth, after injuries delayed their original fight, and after 15 minutes in the octagon, the two Matts were fit to be tied, and their match should have been ruled a draw.

The judges, however, saw things differently. After three rounds, they gave Matt Hughes a 29-28 across-the-board win. They no doubt gave Serra the first round, and Hughes the final two.

The fight was close enough that neither fighter was quite sure whose name ring announcer Bruce Buffer would call.

UFC 98 Morning After: How Will Anyone Beat Lyoto Machida?

Lyoto Machida winsThe light heavyweight division is the most talented weight class in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but after watching Lyoto Machida dominate Rashad Evans for the title Saturday night at UFC 98, I'm having a very hard time seeing how anyone is going to beat him any time soon.

That might sound like a crazy thing to say, because upsets happen all the time in mixed martial arts, and the light heavyweight title has changed hands four times in the last two years. But the fundamental way to win a fight is to hurt your opponent without getting hurt yourself, and there's no one better at that than Machida.

Hughes-Serra Grudge Match Delivers


Seldom does a grudge match live up to the hype. But Matt Hughes and Matt Serra lived up to their promises of war, grinding out a 15-minute battle which the judges scored as a unanimous decision win for Hughes.

UFC 98 Live Blog: Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra in Co-Main Event



This is the live blog for the UFC 98 grudge match between Matt Hughes and Matt Serra, where we'll have live, round-by-round updates of all the action. The fight should begin around 11:30 PM ET, and the live blog begins below.

More Coverage: Full UFC 98 Results | Photos

UFC 98: Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra

Unlike the UFC 98 main event title match, in which anything could happen and we wouldn't really be surprised, the co-main event between longtime rivals Matt Hughes and Matt Serra has a certain level of predictability to it.

Both Hughes and Serra, after all, have been fighting for years and employing their own formulas to success.

What adds the sizzle to this one is the war of words that will finally see a winner emerge. So how will it go down? Let's take a look.

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