Where Does Brett Rogers Go From Here?

Brett Rogers (10-0 MMA, #9 IWMMAR) is one of the rising stars in the heavyweight division. With ten wins and ten finishes, all by strikes, The Grimm has put himself in a position to move up the ladder in a division that has a great deal of talent on the open market.

His win over former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski (15-7 MMA, 10-4 UFC, #10 IWMMAR), one of the most visible and most popular heavyweights in the western world, legitimized Rogers in the minds of many fans, and certainly demonstrated that his hands have world class power, regardless of the technical striking ability of the opposition. He destroyed Arlvoski, who was widely considered the most technical striker and the heavy favorite, in 22 seconds.

Only going past the first round twice (once in a bout that had significantly less than five minute rounds), Rogers has never really been in deep waters and, only in his fight with Abongo Humphrey (5-1 MMA) did Rogers really look like he was in danger of being taken out.

While we never got to see Rogers take on Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (3-1 MMA), we will certainly see more of Rogers now that he’s in the Strikeforce promotion. What remains to be seen, though, is who Brett is going to fight next.

With the upcoming Strikeforce heavyweight title fight between Alistair Overeem (29-11-0-1 MMA, #7 IWMMAR) and Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum (11-4-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC), there are a lot of people who think that Brett got screwed out of his shot at Overeem, but with the Strikeforce heavyweight division continuing to grow, there’s plenty of opposition for Rogers. Here are a few of the potential matchups for the world champion.

Roger Gracie (2-0 MMA)

The eight time world champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will look to make his Strikeforce debut against an unnamed opponent on August 15th, and he will no doubt look to impress American fans with one of the most accomplished jiu-jitsu backgrounds in the history of the sport (his record setting career makes an argument for him as the greatest jiu-jitsu fighter of his generation) and one of the most technical submission games (if not the most technical) ever displayed by a heavyweight.

As far as matchups go, Gracie is an incredibly difficult fight for Rogers. Rogers has never been tested by a BJJ blackbelt, much less one of the world’s best BJJ blackbelts. That said, Rogers is a tough test for Gracie, too, as the Brazilian has never fought a top striker in MMA, and hasn’t had a serious test to his chin yet.

It’s hard to pick against Gracie in this fight, as he can almost certainly get this mat to the ground (whether he gets a takedown or jumps guard), but Rogers definitely has a well defined gameplan: punch Roger in the face until he stops moving.

Paul Buentello (24-9 MMA, 3-1 UFC)

While Buentello has been on loan to Affliction, after he fights Gilbert Yvel at (35-12-1-1 MMA) on August 1st, there’s a good chance he may come back to Strikeforce. If he does, there’s a good chance he could end up staring down the 265 pound Minnesota monster that is Brett Rogers.

Buentello presents a tough test for Rogers, as he’s a technical striker who will almost certainly be seen as the more technically proficient in the matchup. Of course, he’s not the most technical fighter Rogers has ever dealt with (that would be Arlovski), but his ability to use the jab definitely presents a good challenge for the up-and-comer. Still, it’s hard to take Buentello in this matchup, though it would be a substantial win for the newly crowned top ten heavyweight.

Alistair Overeem (29-11-0-1, #7 IWMMAR)

Whether Overeem wins or loses (and I expect him to win, given that he’s much bigger, physically, than he was the first time he and Werdum met), a fight with Rogers has great potential. A K-1 veteran, Overeem is a fantastic striker and would present a great test to Rogers’ striking game.

As a very versatile fighter, Overeem could potentially submit Rogers, and would present a great physical test to the American. With fantastic strikes and a new level of power, Overeem is looking for more opportunities to prove himself, and Rogers certainly lends more credibility to his record than Werdum, who put on some pretty impressive wins in the UFC, but was ultimately beaten by a fighter he shouldn’t have lost too.

Overeem has the potential to really beat Rogers badly, given that he’s the more technical striker and isn’t really any less powerful than Brett. Overeem would certainly be the favorite in this fight, but, as is the case with all heavy handed fighters, Rogers just has to look to land his hands, use his knees in the clinch and put the Dutch kickboxing machine away.