It was already known that Emelianenko’s next bout would come against unbeaten heavyweight Brett Rogers. However, the man who has ruled the heavyweight division for six years and counting will get an even richer opportunity Nov. 7, as the bout will serve as the main event of Strikeforce’s first live network television card on CBS.
2. Brock Lesnar (4-1)
Three weeks of unshakable illness in the middle of training camp has forced the UFC heavyweight champion to postpone his bout with challenger Shane Carwin. Originally scheduled for UFC 106 on Nov. 21, the bout will now likely take place in early 2010.
3. Josh Barnett (24-5)
Barnett's appeal in front of the California State Athletic Commission regarding his positive steroid test was set for Oct. 26. However, with his legal team still awaiting additional lab results, Barnett was granted a second extension. His case will now be heard Dec. 8.
4. Frank Mir (12-4)
Most of the attention Mir has received lately has stemmed from talks of a superfight with middleweight ace Anderson Silva. Instead, the real next fight for Mir will come at UFC 107 in December, when he takes on French hitter Cheick Kongo.
5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1, 1 NC)
Through his first three outings in the UFC, Nogueira looked like a shell of the fighter who had become one of MMA’s greatest over the course of this decade. Nearly 25 pounds lighter, the 33-year-old Nogueira was in vintage form at UFC 102, though. He took an exciting unanimous verdict over Randy Couture, thrusting himself back in the UFC title mix and putting himself in a much better place in the minds of fans and critics.
6. Brett Rogers (10-0)
Rogers finally has a date for the biggest bout of his career. “The Grim” will vie for MMA’s heavyweight mantle on Nov. 7, when he takes on Fedor Emelianenko under the Strikeforce umbrella. Better still, he will do so on network television on CBS.
7. Andrei Arlovski (15-7)
He knocked off the likes of Fabricio Werdum, Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson in the recent past, but those accomplishments now seem like distant memories for Arlovski. “The Pitbull” has been brutally smashed in his last two outings against Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers, and conversation now centers on the fragile chin that has betrayed him again.
8. Junior dos Santos (9-1)
“Cigano” emerged as a serious heavyweight threat by battering Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic on Sept. 19. In order to earn his contender’s stripes, he will have to take out another Brazilian known for his win over Filipovic -- Gabriel Gonzaga -- at UFC 108 on Jan. 2.
9. Cain Velasquez (7-0)
Velasquez's Oct. 24 meeting with Ben Rothwell was supposed to be a major step-up for the developing prospect. However, instead of a competitive learning process, Velasquez turned the bout into a one-sided beatdown, as he demolished Rothwell in just less than six minutes.
10. Shane Carwin (11-0)
Lesnar's ongoing illness has forced Carwin to wait for his UFC heavyweight title shot. Rather than getting his crack at UFC 106 on Nov. 21, Carwin's shot may come as soon as UFC 108 on Jan. 2.
Other contenders: Randy Couture, Aleksander Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem, Ben Rothwell, Fabricio Werdum.
*With the entry of Velasquez following his victory over Ben Rothwell, and no wins in over two years, formerly ninth-ranked Randy Couture falls to the contenders list.