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.

The contest is a rebooking of a scheduled Dream 11 bout which was called off due to Mousasi suffering a shoulder injury in an exhibition grappling match against Fedor Emelianenko.

Mousasi won the Strikeforce light heavyweight title in his last fight by defeating Renato “Babalu” Sobral on August 15 via first round knockout. He has put together a 26-2 MMA record including wins over Ronaldo Souza, Mark Hunt, Denis Kang, Hector Lombard, and Melvin Manhoef.

Sokoudjou recently defeated Bob Sapp, who replaced Mousasi, at Dream 11 in the second round of the Dream Super Hulk Tournament. He has a 7-4 MMA career including a 1-2 stint in the UFC, where he lost to Lyoto Machida and Luiz Arthur Cane.

Pictured: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

Mousasi won the Strikeforce light heavyweight title in his last fight by defeating Renato “Babalu” Sobral on August 15 via first round knockout. He was then scheduled to take part in the Dream SuperHulk tournament last night at Dream 11, but was forced to withdraw due to an injury suffered in his exhibition fight against Fedor Emelianenko at “M-1 Breakthrough”.

Rumored opponents for the bout are Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, who would have been Mousasi’s opponent at Dream 11, and former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho. A bout between Mousasi and Filho would be easy to promote since both fighters have already had unpleasant comments about one another in the media. Among those comments was a claim by Mousasi, in and interview with fighters.com, that Filho was using steroids.

Update: October 7, 2009 at 11:36 pm by Justin

MMAJunkie has spoken with Strikeforce executive Mike Afromowitz who confirmed Mousasi’s participation in the event, but said the bout would not be a title fight.

Pictured: Gegard Mousasi

A massive favorite, Lawal improved to 5-0 with the TKO victory and should face a step-up in competition in his next fight, while Kerr falls to 15-11 and has now lost 5-straight and 10 of his last 12.

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.

In other notable action, Karl Amoussou submitted John Doyle in the opening round and said he hopes to next fight in Strikeforce, while Lucio Linhares and Jesse Gibbs also picked up victories.

The complete results for M-1 Global: Breakthrough were:

• Muhammed Lawal def. Mark Kerr via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:25
• Fedor Emelianenko def. Gegard Mousasi via submission (armbar)
  Special Sparring Exhibition
• Karl Amoussou def. John Doyle via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 3:15
• Lucio Linhares def. Mikhail Zayats via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 1:00
• Jessie Gibbs def. Rob Broughton via unanimous decision
• Michael Kita def. Lloyd Marshbanks via submission (strikes) — Round 1, 1:50
• Daisuke Nakamura def. Ferrid Kheder via unanimous decision
• Alexey Oleinik vs. Rogent Lloret — unanimous draw
• Eric Marriott vs. Tim Bazer via unanimous decision
• Sean Wilson vs. Josh Arocho via KO — Round 1, 3:05
• Rudy Bears def. Brendan Seguin via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 1:01
• Mollie Ahlers-Estes def. Andria Caplan via TKO (doctor stoppage) — Round 1, 3:00

Pictured: Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal

The HDNet-televised event also features a special sparring exhibition between top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko and Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi.

The event’s recently-finalized 12-bout card features:

MAIN CARD

• Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal vs. Mark Kerr
• Fedor Emelianenko vs. Gegard Mousasi
  Special Sparring Exhibition
• Lucio Linhares vs. Mikhail Zayats
• Jessie Gibbs vs. Rob Broughton
• Karl Amoussou vs. John Doyle
• Lloyd Marshbanks vs. Michael Kita
• Daisuke Nakamura vs. Ferrid Kheder

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Rogent Lloret vs. Alexey Oleinik
• Eric Marriott vs. Tim Bazer
• Sean Wilson vs. Josh Orocho
• Rudy Bears vs. Brendan Seguin
• Andria Caplan vs. Mollie Ahlers-Estes

Renato “Babalu” Sobral ($70,000), Jay Hieron ($55,000), Gilbert Melendez ($50,000), and Fabricio Werdum ($50,000) were also among the top earners for the event, according to the official fighter salaries released by the California State Athletic Commission on Tuesday.

Gegard Mousasi, who won the Strikeforce light heavyweight title with a first-round knockout of “Babalu” in the card’s co-headliner, officially made just $2,000, but is assumed to have made significantly more, with his previous contract for Affliction’s now-defunct promotion calling for a reported salary of $125,000.

The official attendance for the Showtime-televised event was 13,976 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose for a live gate of $735,710, with a disclosed fighter payroll of $468,500.

The official fighter salaries for Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg were:

• Cris “Cyborg” Santos ($25,000 – includes $5,000 win bonus) def. Gina Carano ($125,000)
• Gegard Mousasi ($2,000 – no win bonus) def. Renato Sobral ($75,000)
• Gilbert Melendez ($50,000 – no win bonus) def Mitsuhiro Ishida ($30,000)
• Fabricio Werdum ($50,000 – $25,000 win bonus) def. Mike Kyle ($14,000)
• Jay Hieron ($55,000 – $30,000 win bonus) def. Jesse Taylor ($12,000)
• Scott Lighty ($4,000 – no win bonus) def. Mike Cook ($2,500)
• Justin Wilcox ($5,000 – $2,500 win bonus) def. David Douglas ($5,500)
• James Terry ($6,000 – $3,000 win bonus) def. Zak Bucia ($2,000)
• Alex Trevino ($3,500 – $1,500 win bonus) def. Isaiah Hill ($2,000)

For more Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg coverage check out MMAFrenzy.com’s Strikeforce category.

Pictured: Gina Carano

After an exciting start to the main event that saw Cyborg pick Carano apart with powerful punches, Santos used a late flurry of ground and pound to force the referee to step in and stop the bout just one second remaining before the end of the opening frame.

With the victory, Cyborg improves to 8-1 with eight-straight wins dating back to 2005, while Carano falls to 7-1 after suffering he first career loss.

In other main card bouts, Gegard Mousasi became the new Strikeforce light heavyweight champion with a 60-second knockout of Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Gilbert Melendez retained the promotion’s interim lightweight title with a third-round TKO of Mitsuhiro Ishida, and heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum submitted Mike Kyle in the opening round to kick off the Showtime broadcast.

Jay Hieron, Scott Lighty, Justin Wilcox, James Terry, and Alex Trevino were all victorious on the event’s preliminary card.

The official results for Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg were:

• Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos def. Gina Carano via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 4:59
• Gegard Mousasi def. Renato “Babalu” Sobral (c) via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 1:00
  Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship
• Gilbert Melendez (c) def. Mitsuhiro Ishida via TKO (strikes) — Round 3, 3:56
  Strikeforce Interim Lightweight Championship
• Fabricio Werdum def. Mike Kyle via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 1, 1:24
• Jay Hieron def. Jesse Taylor via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Scott Lighty def. Mike Cook via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 2:05
• Justin Wilcox def. David Douglas via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 3, 3:16
• James Terry def. Zak Bucia via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 1:23
• Alex Trevino def. Isiah Hill via submission (key lock) — Round 1, 3:56

Pictured: Cris “Cyborg” Santos

Carano tipped the scale at 143-pounds, while “Cyborg” weighed in at 144.5.

The rest of the 18-fighter card also successfully made weight with the exception of Jesse Taylor, who weighed in one pound over the welterweight limit for his main card bout against Jay Hieron. A late-replacement, Taylor has one hour to shed the extra pound.

The official weigh-in results are:

MAIN CARD

• Gina Carano (143) vs. Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (144.5)
  Strikeforce 145-pound Women’s Championship (vacant)
• Renato “Babalu” Sobral (c) (201) vs. Gegard Mousasi (204)
  Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship
• Gilbert Melendez (c) (155) vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida (155)
  Strikeforce Interim Lightweight Championship
• Mike Kyle (219)vs. Fabricio Werdum (228)
• Jay Hieron (169) vs. Jesse Taylor (172)*

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Mike Cook (205) vs. Scott Lighty (202)
• David Douglas (156) vs. Justin Wilcox (154)
• Zak Bucia (170) vs. James Terry (169)
• Isaiah Hill (156) vs. Alex Trevino (156)

* Taylor has one hour to lose one pound and reach the 171-pound non-title welterweight limit.