PRO MMA (promma.info) has been notified by Strikeforce that top ten ranked heavyweight and former UFC champion Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski (15-6) will face undefeated heavyweight prospect Brett “The Grim” Rogers (9-0) on Saturday, June 6th as part of the “Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields” card at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
Arlovski, who has a fight contract with Affliction Entertainment, wil in essence be “on loan” to Strikeforce for the June 6th fight against Rogers. Arlovski is coming off a first round knockout loss to Fedor Emelianenko back in January at “Affliction: Day of Reckoning.”
Rogers was last seen on April 11th at “Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz” where he defeated Ronald “Abongo” Humphrey via TKO early in round two. It was the first fight anyone had gotten out of the first round with Rogers.
Arlovski will definitely be the biggest test of Rogers’ career. If he could get past “The Pitbull,” especially in impressive fashion, MMA experts would have to seriously start thinking about where to fit Rogers in among the top ten heavyweights in the world.
The heavyweight showdown, which will be sponsored by Affliction, will precede the main event fight between “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and Jake Shields. Also on the card will be Nick Diaz vs. Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith in a special 180-pound showdown, fresh off their respective wins in the premier of Strikeforce on SHOWTIME on April 11.
“The New York Badass” Phil Baroni will collide with Joe “Diesel” Riggs in a 170-pound contest and opening the SHOWTIME telecast, Kevin “The Monster” Randleman will face Mike “Iron” Whitehead in a 205-pound clash.
The event will be televised live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
Tickets for Strikeforce: “Lawler vs. Shields”, priced from $30, are on sale now at the Scottrade Center box office as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com), and Strikeforce’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).
By: Jack Bratcher