The Russian heavyweight underwent a successful surgery Tuesday in Los Angeles to correct a dislocated thumb in his left hand and will have a half cast removed in 4-6 weeks….the fighter’s reps said two pins were placed in Emelianenko’s hand to correct the dislocation, and that the bone had not fractured nor broken through the skin as is possible with this type of injury.

Emelianenko also said that his nose was not fractured, as was earlier suspected, following Roger’s first punch…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.

For the latest Fedor Emelianenko news and Strikeforce news stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

“[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.”

Emelianenko had been likely to next fight Fabricio Werdum, who also won on Saturday’s card over former EliteXC champ Antonio Silva, though a matchup between Werdum and Strikeforce title-holder Alistair Overeem could now take place with Fedor sidelined with Emelianenko then fighting the winner in mid-2010.

For the latest Strikeforce news and Strikeforce rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

After attending the post-fight news conference, Emelianenko was sent to a local hospital. He returned later the same evening with his left arm in a soft cast nearly up to his elbow.

The source said the first examination could not determine if Emelianenko had broken bones in his hand, but that the Russian is expected to visit a doctor again Sunday to further assess the damage.

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.

The bout capped off the promotion’s first CBS-televised event, which took place at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois just outside Chicago.

Rogers opened up a gash on Fedor’s nose with his first punch of the fight, but Emelianenko recovered to batter Rogers with punches throughout the round and also attempted several submissions, but was unable to earn the stoppage in the first.

The pair clinched to start the second but separated and squared off in the center of the cage, where Fedor dropped Rogers with an overhand right and forced the referee, “Big” John McCarthy, to intervene after several follow-up punches on the ground.

Fedor improves to 31-1 with the victory, extending his winning streak to 27-straight, while Rogers falls to 10-1 after suffering the first loss of his career.

After the bout, both Emelianenko and Rogers said they were open to a rematch, though both will almost certainly take on other opponents first. Fabricio Werdum, who won a hard-fought decision over Antonio Silva earlier on the card, and Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem could be next in line for Fedor, while Silva is among the possibilities for Rogers’ next fight.

Shields Tops “Mayhem” To Win Middleweight Title

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

Though Miller appeared closest to ending the fight, securing a tight rear naked choke in the third that he was forced to give up when the bell sounded, Shields was dominant on the ground in earning the victory, taking Miller’s back and getting to mount nearly at will.

Shields, who jumps to 24-4-1 with his 13th-straight win, captures the title which was vacated by Cung Le earlier this year and appears poised to fight the winner of a December 19 matchup between Le and Scott Smith, made official during Saturday’s event, in his first title defense next year.

Miller drops to 22-7 after the loss, his second in his past three fights.

Mousasi, Werdum Earn Main Card Wins

Once-feared striker Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou appeared improved in his non-title matchup with Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi, but in the end it was an outcome”The African Assassin” has become all too familiar with over the last two years, as Mousasi finished a tired Sokoudjou with punches in the second.

In a matchup of heavyweight contenders making their Strikeforce debuts, former UFC contender Fabricio Werdum took out former EliteXC champ Antonio Silva, who returned to the United States after serving a one-year steroid suspension while fighting in Japan.

Coenen Sets Up “Cyborg” Fight With Win; Curran Snaps Losing Streak

On the “Fedor vs. Rogers” preliminary card, Marloes Coenen quickly submitted Roxanne Modafferi to likely earn a title shot against champ Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos early next year, while Jeff Curran snapped his four-fight losing streak when opponent Dustin Neace was forced to quit due to a rib injury in the opening round.

The official results for Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers were:

MAIN CARD

• Fedor Emelianenko def. Brett Rogers via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 1:48
• Jake Shields def. Jason “Mayhem” Miller via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
  Strikeforce Middleweight Championship
• Gegard Mousasi def. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 3:43
• Fabricio Werdum def. Antonio Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Marloes Coenen def. Roxanne Modafferi via submission (armbar) — Round 1, 1:05
• Jeff Curran def. Dustin Neace via submission (injury) — Round 1, 1:39
• Shamar Bailey def. John Kolosci via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
• Nate Moore def. Louis Taylor via submission (strikes) — Round 2, 3:24
• Christian Uflacker def. Jonatas Novaes via unanimous decision (29-26, 30-25, 30-25)

Note: A scheduled fight between Deray Davis and Mark Miller was scratched due to time constraints.

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.

The event’s official weigh-in results were:

MAIN CARD

• 265: Fedor Emelianenko (232) vs. Brett Rogers (264)
• 185: Jason “Mayhem” Miller (184) vs. Jake Shields (184.5)
  Strikeforce Middleweight Championship (vacant)
• 205: Gegard Mousasi (205) vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (204)
• 265: Antonio Silva (263) vs. Fabricio Werdum (242)

PRELIMINARY CARD

• 145: Marloes Coenen (145) vs. Roxanne Modafferi (140)
• 170: Deray Davis (170.5) vs. Mark Miller (171)
• 135: Jeff Curran (145) vs. Dustin Neace (150.5)
• 170: Shamar Bailey (170) vs. John Kolosci (171)
• 185: Nate Moore (184) vs. Louis Taylor (185.5)
• 155: Jonatas Novaes (155.5) vs. Christian Uflacker (156)

Don’t forget, MMAFrenzy.com will be providing live “Fedor vs. Rogers” results tomorrow beginning at 7pm ET, with main card coverage of the event getting underway at 9pm.

“Trilogy” was to take place on August 1 in Anaheim, California, but was put in doubt when headliner Josh Barnett, who was to fight Emelianenko in the pay-per-view’s main event, tested positive for steroids and was forced off the card in late-July. The event was ultimately canceled citing the promotion’s inability to secure a suitable replacement, though the lawsuit alleges that Brett Rogers was “ready, willing, and able” to fight Fedor at the event and that Affliction “elected to serve its own financial interests at the expense of its partners”.

Emelianenko and Rogers are now slated to headline Saturday’s Strikeforce event on CBS, which is co-promoted by M-1.

The lawsuit outlines a number of allegations regarding the relationship between M-1 and Affliction, most of which concern the deal between Affliction and the UFC which resulted in the cancellation of the event and closure of Affliction Entertainment, an independent branch of the company which promoted MMA events, even though a viable replacement opponent had been secured and the show could have taken place as scheduled.

Bloody Elbow and MMA Payout have further details on the lawsuit, including that wording of the complaint makes it appear likely that the UFC will soon be added as a defendant alongside Affliction.

Lashley was last in action defeating Bobb Sapp via TKO June 27 in the headlining fight of Prize Fight Promotion’s “Ultimate Chaos” event, continuing his four fight undefeated career. Lashley had previously defeated Mike Cook at a May MFC event, as well as Jason Guida in March for Square Ring Promotions.

If Lashley were to sign with Strikeforce for the November 7th event, there has not yet been word of who his opponent may be. It is also still unclear if the Strikeforce deal, should it work out, would mean that Lashley would not be involved in a November event for Prize Fight Promotions.

Ratings for the second episode of The Ultimate Fighter 10 dropped 29 percent to 2.9 million from the series record 4.1 million who tuned in for the TUF 10 debut. [Spike TV]

Pictured: Anderson Silva