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Strikeforce heavyweight Brett Rogers will attempt to rebound from consecutive losses to Fedor Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem this October, but it won't be for the California-based organization.
Multiple published reports are stating that Rogers will take on heavyweight journeyman Ruben "Warpath" Villareal at an event in Canada on October 23.
The promotion is W-1 MMA, and their event, "W-1: New Ground," will take place from the Halifax Forum in Halifax, Nova Scotia on that date.
Rogers had gone undefeated until his meeting with Fedor last November. He even appeared to have "The Last Emperor" in a precarious state in the first round, though he fell to a knockout punch in the second round. He was then given a shot against Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem in May, but was defeated even more soundly than in the bout with Emelianenko.
Villareal is a seven year veteran of the sport who has faced a number of notable heavyweights in his career, including Antonio Silva, Bas Rutten, Ricco Rodriguez, Paul Buentello, Tim Hague, Dan Severn and Don Frye.
Penick's Analysis: This is essentially Rogers returning to a regional level promotion against a fighter he should beat to get back on track. He cannot afford a loss to a fighter like Villareal after the Fedor and Overeem losses. Those in and of themselves aren't a big deal, as it's quite possibly he simply wasn't prepared for that big of a jump up in competition despite his 10-0 start. He's still got a lot of talent and can compete, but he needs to regain his confidence after the knockout loss and subsequent beating at the hands of Overeem.
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