Strikeforce “Evolution” is scheduled to take place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California on Saturday, December 19. The event will be headlined by a middleweight fight between Cung Le and Scott Smith. In other middleweight action, Matt Lindland will take on Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. “King Mo” Lawal and Robbie Lawler are also expected to fight on the card.

Ticket info below.

• “Strikeforce Insiders” E-Newsletter Subscribers Presale: Tuesday, November 10 at 10AM PT
• Public On-Sale Date: Friday, November 13 at 10PM PT

Tickets will start at $30. They can be purchased through Ticketmaster and Stubhub. Stubhub is a secondary ticket market where you can find the hard-to-find seats even when the event is “sold-out.”

The latest Strikeforce Evolution fight card and event info can be found in our fight cards section.

Image via All Elbows

Fox Fight Game’s Mike Straka talks to Scott Smith about his upcoming fight against Cung Le and gets Kelly Kahl’s immediate reaction to the event.

Here’s the Strikeforce “Fedor vs Rogers” post-fight interviews courtesy of Fanhouse.

More after the jump.

Where have we seen this image before?

The 11-11:30PM numbers from the actual Fedor-Rogers fight aren’t out yet (which should improve the numbers below), but the overnight ratings for the 9PM-11PM scheduled broadcast slot are. Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Rogers” averaged 3.79 million viewers during that time period and a 1.7/5 ratings share in the adults 18-49 demo. Where the event shined was with males 18-34 and males 18-49 drawing ratings shares of 2.2/8 and 2.3/7, respectively. It beat out college football in both demos.

TV by the Numbers has the ratings notes from CBS.

Fast NTI’s for Saturday, November 7th:

CBS’s SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS aired 9:00-11:24PM. Fast NTI ratings are only available 9:00-11:00PM so CBS’s ratings will change when released Tuesday morning.

ABC (split national college football) had live event programming Saturday night. CBS and ABC ratings and all time period rankings are tentative and subject to change.

CBS SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS (S) was first in adults 18-49 (1.7/05), adults 18-34 (1.7/06), men 25-54 (2.4/07), men 18-49 (2.3/07), men 18-34 (2.2/08), tied for first in adults 25-54 (1.7/05 with both NBC and ABC) and third in both households (2.3/04) and viewers (3.79m).

Compared to the 9:00-11:00PM season-to-date averages (CRIMETIME SATURDAY and 48 HOURS MYSTERY), CBS SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS was up +31% in adults 18-49 (from 1.3/04), +113% in adults 18-34 (from 0.8/03), +100% in men 25-54 (from 1.2/03), +156% in men 18-49 (from 0.9/03), +267% in men 18-34 (from 0.6/02), even in adults 25-54, down -44% in households (from 4.1/08) and lost -2.33m viewers (from 6.12m, -38%).

CBS average from 9-11p vs. college football
M1834: 2.2 (#1 in the tp, 0.7 ahead of ABC’s prelim football number, the closest competitor.)
M1849: 2.3 (#1 in the tp, 0.3 ahead of ABC’s prelim football number.)
The M1834 rtg was #1 in the tp for all four half hours. At 9pm, the M1849 was a tenth behind ABC, but led the tp for the remaining half hours.

Without knowing CBS’ targets it’s difficult to say if they’ll consider this a success or not. They’re definitely not as big as the numbers Kimbo and Gina put up last year, but as Kelly Kahl told Fanhouse, the bar wasn’t very high to begin with and they’re pleased with the improvements in the younger male demographics over their typical Saturday night ratings. He says it’s too soon to say if it was enough to convince them to put on another event on their network though.

Fairly disappointing numbers aside, I thought the show came off extremely well, much better than the EliteXC shows did last year. The fights were entertaining, with maybe the exception of Shields-Mayhem, and the production was good for the most part. It’s certainly something they can build off, but the question is, did Fedor do enough last night to captivate the casual audience who saw him fight for the first time? Since Rogers made him look human and Fedor didn’t decimate Rogers in the opening minutes of the fight, I wonder if Fedor fell short of the high expectations everyone sets when trying to introduce Fedor to a new audience. If CBS gives it another shot, it will definitely be interesting to see what kind of a draw he is in round two.

Image via CombatLifestyle.com

Cagewriter has a few highlights from the Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Rogers” post-fight press conference. A rundown of news and notes below.

— For all the havoc Fedor Emelianenko wreaks inside the ring, he sure is fragile. All it took was a simple jab to bust his nose open, which Sherdog confirms was broken, and like he does about every other fight, Fedor injured his left hand. A trip to the hospital last night didn’t reveal if it was broken, however, he’s expected to see another doctor today to determine the severity of the injury. Alistair Overeem recently said he wants Fedor in April 2010, so perhaps the timing will work out perfectly.

— Fedor says he was never in trouble, looked a lot worse than it was.

“It was nothing serious, these things happen in mixed martial arts. Actually I was anticipating this strike but somehow did not see it coming,” he said. “It was nothing special, and during a fight you kind of don’t notice punches. I think there were no dangerous situations during the fight.

“The first round went the way me and my coaches thought it would, so did the whole fight in fact. I didn’t have much trouble when Rogers was in my guard. I saw his punches coming. I wasn’t in trouble during the fight.”

“In the first round i was searching for weak points. I saw his footwork wasn’t that good. I was waiting to make a strike, I missed at first but the second round I hit him.”

— Brett Rogers thought the stoppage was a little early (it wasn’t, at all), but he’s not going to complain about it. He believes he gave Fedor too much respect inside the cage and should have been more aggressive.

“I was kind of giving him a little more respect,” said Rogers. “He was playing the game right. He was just real loose and I didn’t come out like I normally do. I come out aggressive and next time I’ll come out strong, a lot more… I hurt myself by not performing the way I should have. I should have thrown my hands.”

“The speed on his right hand –- I think a lot of people sleep on that,” said Rogers. “I definitely knew that that was his punch and I’m just going to work real hard on defending that. I like to throw punches and I like to drop my hands and he kind of capitalized on that. I let him get too close.”

— Jake Shields called out Cung Le.

“Cung won’t fight me,” he said. “That’s why he vacated the belt, obviously, and then fights a month later.”

“You’d have to ask Cung,” Shields said. “He’s the one who vacated his belt and then decided to fight a month later.”

It turns out Cung is back in the cage a lot sooner than expected because the movie he was working was pushed back a year. Maybe Shields vs. Le will happen after all.

— Jake Shields says he feels more comfortable at welterweight and would like the opportunity to fight for that title as well if Strikeforce will allow it. Nothing was mentioned about the vacant 170 lbs. belt, but Coker did say Jake could fight in the welterweight division if he wanted to.

— Werdum-Silva was a very close fight, but ultimately the judges awarded Werdum the victory. A lot of people apparently think Silva should have won, but he’s not complaining about the decision. “I think both of us can be proud of the fight,” he said.

— Fabricio Werdum wants a shot at Fedor, and Scott Coker thinks the fight makes a lot of sense. Of course, before any decisions can be made about Fedor’s next opponent, Strikeforce will have to consult with M-1, but it definitely sounds like Fedor-Werdum could come before Fedor-Overeem.

— Mark Miller vs. DeRay Davis was canceled due to time constraints.

M-1 gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Fedor Emelianenko in the days leading up to his primetime network television debut against Brett Rogers.

Part two after the jump.

Here’s the EA Sports MMA trailer that ran during the Strikeforce “Fedor vs Rogers” broadcast.

HT: Savage Science

In the night’s main event, Fedor Emelianenko fought for the first time in front of a massive American audience against hard-hitting heavyweight Brett Rogers.

In the co-main event, Jake Shields and Jason “Mayhem” Miller went to battle for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight championship.

Gegard Mousasi took on Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in a light heavyweight contest.

Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva opened the show in a heavyweight bout.

Results, thoughts and live gate (when available) after the jump.

Results

• Fedor Emelianenko defeats Brett Rogers via TKO (Strikes) in Round Two
• Jake Shields defeats Jason “Mayhem” Miller via Unanimous Decision
• Gegard Mousasi defeats Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou via TKO (Strikes) in Round Two
• Fabricio Werdum defeats Antonio Silva via Unanimous Decision
• Marloes Coenen defeats Roxanne Modafferi via Submission (Armbar) in Round One
• Jeff Curran defeats Dustin Neace via Submission (Injury) in Round One
• Shamar Bailey defeats John Kolosci via Unanimous Decision
• Nate Moore defeats Louis Taylor via Submission (Strikes) in Round Two
• Christian Uflacker defeats Jonatas Novaes via Unanimous Decision
• DeRay Davis vs. Mark Miller

Thoughts

Antonio Silva vs. Fabricio Werdum: Silva and Werdum start the show off strong with a solid fight. Werdum spent the majority of the first round trying not to get his head caved in. Silva knocked him down early and went in for the kill dropping bombs. Werdum was able to hang on but couldn’t mount any significant offense for the rest of the round. Werdum had better luck in the second scoring a few takedowns that won him a very close round. Silva’s gas tank started to run dry in the third and Werdum took over. Werdum landed several knees from the Thai clinch and controlled the fight on the ground to take the round convincingly. I had it 10-9 Silva, 10-9 Werdum and 10-9 Werdum. The judges agreed and Werdum earns the decision. Solid win for Werdum which puts him in the running for the Fedor-Rogers winner.

Gegard Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: No one gave Sokoudjou a chance against Mousasi. It was supposed to be a quick and easy beatdown for Mousasi. Well, someone forget to tell Sokoudjou because he came to fight. In the first round, it was the best Sokoudjou we’ve ever seen. He was a lot more patient than we’ve seen him in the past and he didn’t give Mousasi any huge openings. He scored a little on the feet but his judo throws were the difference maker in the round. It was close, Mousasi had a few moments of his own, most notably the trip from his used from his back to gain top control in the final seconds, but Sok did enough to take it. Going into the second, it seemed like a very real possibility that Sok could pull off the upset. But, it didn’t happen. Mousasi exploited Sok’s still developing ground game, manged to get top control and unleashed a tactical missile strike on Sok’s head and body forcing the ref to stop it. Sok may have lost, but he proved he’s still maturing as a fighter and may have a bright future in this sport after all.

Jason “Mayhem” Miller vs. Jake Shields: If you like a great ground war, you liked the show Jake Shields and Mayhem Miller put on tonight. It had it’s dull moments but there were a ton of transitions, reversals, etc to make it entertaining. Shields controlled most of the action. He was relentless with his takedowns taking Mayhem out his “punch him in his face” gameplan. Mayhem had his moments though, most notably sinking in a tight rear-naked choke in the final seconds of the third round. Shields was on his way to going to sleep for the first time in his career until the bell saved him. Another second or two and it could have been over. Jake kept it together though and dominated the final two rounds on the ground to earn the decision and win the Strikeforce middleweight championship. Even though Cung Le’s fighting in December, it’s a shame he’s only fitting it in between movies because him against Shields would make for a very interesting fight. Would Cung’s takedown defense be enough to keep Jake Shields standing where he could surely score the knockout? Unfortunately, we’re not gonna get the answer.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers: They say one of the keys to greatness is the ability to overcome adversity, and like he has before, Fedor Emelianenko did that tonight against a game Brett Rogers. In the opening exchange of the fight, Rogers landed a job that cut the bridge of Fedor’s nose wide open. Blood poured out and it was clear early on breathing became a problem for Emelianenko. Against a giant like Rogers, it would have spelled the beginning of the end for many a foe, but not for Fedor. He stayed calm and composed like he always does and brought the fight to Brett. Fedor got a takedown fairly early on, which many including myself thought would be the end of the night for Brett, but Rogers used his strength to scramble back to his feet and trapped Fedor against the cage. Once Fedor broke loose, he unleashed a series of hooks that put Brett off balance and Fedor secured another takedown. A failed kimura attempt turned into a reversal for Brett. Rogers rained down bombs from the top, but Fedor was able to escape with an armbar attempt and regained top control for the remainder of the round. In the second, Brett managed to tie Fedor up against the cage, but that was about it. After they split up and reset their feet, out of nowhere Fedor threw the same overhand right he knocked Arlovski out with, and sure enough, Brett crumpled to the ground just like the man he knocked out in 22 seconds. Fedor pounced and Big John stopped it.

I got to give Brett a lot of credit. He fared a lot better than I thought he would. He was upset without himself after the fight for what he didn’t do, but he ought to head back home with his head held high because he was impressive even in defeat. He has a bright future ahead of him, but tonight he just didn’t have what it takes to dethrone the king.

As for Fedor, his reign continues. He’s looking at either a title fight against Alistair Overeem or a match against Fabricio Werdum. As good as Fabricio is, I really don’t see that fight going much differently than the Nogueira fights, but Werdum may be able to take it the distance if nothing else. The fight I really want to see is Fedor-Overeem though. Overeem’s well-rounded enough to compete with Fedor wherever the fight goes, but the question is if he will crumble against an elite opponent like he has many times before. I don’t think Alistair will win, but I think he’ll give Fedor the best fight we’ve seen in years.

Live Gate & Attendance

Live gate: TBA
Attendance: TBA

Here’s part two of Mayhem Miller’s Fight Journal produced by All Elbows for Fanhouse. Here’s part one if you missed it.

Fabricio Werdum takes on Antonio Silva in a heavyweight contest tonight on CBS at Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Rogers.”

Video via Fanhouse