Top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, originally expected to be sidelined up to six months due to a hand injury suffered in his Saturday win over Brett Rogers, underwent surgery on Tuesday for a dislocated thumb and is now likely to return early next year, according to Sherdog.

“Emelianenko said he planned to return to training, sans striking, upon his return to Russia later this week. M-1 officials said Emelianenko could headline his second co-promoted Strikeforce card in the first quarter of 2010.”

Fedor EmelianenkoTop-ranked Strikeforce heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko could be out of action for up to six months due to a hand injury suffered in his second-round knockout of Brett Rogers on Saturday, according to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker.

“[The hand injury] could’ve been from that blow when he had Brett on the mat at the end,” Coker today told the LA Times. “We’re hearing he could be out for four to six months.”

Top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko suffered a broken nose and injured his hand in his second-round knockout of Brett Rogers on Saturday in the main event of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers, according to Sherdog.

The extent of Fedor’s injury is likely to affect the upcoming matchups for Strikeforce, as Fedor was likely to fight Fabricio Werdum, who also won on last night’s card, or heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem in his next fight, but Werdum and Overeem could instead square off if Emelianenko is sidelined.

Despite being bloodied in the opening seconds of the fight, top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko did what most predicted he would, scoring a second-round knockout of previously undefeated Brett Rogers on Saturday in the main event of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers.

In the evening’s co-headliner, Jake Shields was crowned Strikeforce’s middleweight champion with a unanimous decision victory over Jason “Mayhem” Miller.

All 20 fighters who will be in action at tomorrow’s CBS-televised Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers event in Hoffman Estates, Illinois successfully made weight today for their bouts.

Top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko tipped the scale at 232 pounds, while his main event opponent, Brett Rogers, came in 32 pounds heavier at 264 pounds.

M-1 and Fedor Emelianenko have filed a lawsuit against Affliction Clothing, Affliction Entertainment, and other unnamed parties alleging breach of contract stemming from the cancellation of “Affliction: Trilogy” and folding of the MMA promotion earlier this year as part of a deal struck with the UFC.

The lawsuit alleges that Affliction “elected to serve its own financial interests at the expense of its partners” and hints that UFC may soon be added as another plaintiff.

Top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, who’s slated to make his Strikeforce debut against Brett Rogers on November 7, was married over the weekend to his longtime girlfriend Marina in his hometown of Stary Oskol, Russia.

WWE star turned MMA prospect Bobby Lashley is reportedly in talks with Strikeforce to be a part of their upcoming November 7 CBS televised event. Lashley still has two fights left on his contract with Prize Fight Promotions, and was rumored to have a November match-up with Ron Waterman with the promotion. However, MMAFanhouse says they have reason to believe he will be making his Strikeforce debut on the Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers headlined event, though no deal has been signed.

UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva will undergo elbow surgery after all to remove bone spurs and will be sidelined briefly, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic is not retiring following his latest loss and intends to fight at least once more, at a November 7 Strikforce event headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers will take place at the Sears Centre near Chicago.

Read about the latest MMA news in MMAFrenzy.com’s Quick Hits…

Read about the latest MMA news and notes in MMAFrenzy.com’s Quick Hits, including UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre hopes to be “110 percent” healed by October, UFC 103 already setting a gate record for American Airlines Arena in Dallas, and details on Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers possibly taking place in Chicago.

The UFC has a history of counter-programming their competition, that is, putting on their own show opposite the competition’s. When Affliction debuted on July 19, 2008 headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia on pay-per-view, the UFC threw together a full night of fights on Spike including Anderson Silva’s light heavyweight debut. Most recently they aired bouts from UFC 100 on Spike only a month after the event, to counter Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg. It stood to reason they would try to do something along those line when Emelianenko makes his Strikeforce debut, in fact UFC president Dana White had already said publicly that they had in the works a third November event to be headlined by BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez, and hinted that it would air on network television.

Recent Strikeforce acquisition, and top ranked heavyweight fighter Fedor Emelianenko will make his Strikeforce debut against Brett Rogers on national television. The promotions first event to be televised on CBS since striking their deal with the network will take place on November 7, 2009. The bout itself has been locked up for some time, though the date had yet to be finalized.

An upcoming Strikeforce event headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers could take place on October 10 in New Jersey, according to ESPN’s MMA Live. A venue was not revealed for the possible date, and it is not yet clear whether the UFC will attempt to organize a card to counter-program the Showtime-televised event.

Heavyweight prospect Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal kept his undefeated record intact against Mark Kerr in the main event of M-1 Global: Breakthrough on Friday in Kansas City, knocking out the veteran just 25-seconds into their headlining matchup to cap off the HDNet-televised event.

In a special sparring exhibition featured on the main card, top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko made easy work of Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi, following up a series of seemingly-easy takedowns with a fight-ending armbar.

Strikeforce held an open workout on Friday in New York City for top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, who makes his Strikeforce debut this fall against Brett Rogers. A photo gallery of the event is after the jump…