Enter Fedor: World's best heavyweight headlines Strikeforce card on CBS

Saturday night, CBS will air its first live MMA event since October 2008, promoted by Strikeforce and M-1 Global. While it remains to be seen whether headliner Fedor Emelianenko can be the ratings success that Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson was, one thing is certain: In the sporting sense, Fedor is absolutely the real deal.

Emelianenko doesn't have a crazy beard or funny hair. He doesn't have a bodybuilder's physique. He's not a giant. He's not a trash-talker. He attends major press conferences wearing the types of Cliff Huxtable sweaters that most men would only put on for a family Christmas gathering, if at all.

Fedor is the toughest man to ever wear a Cosby sweater. (Getty Images)

In terms of his appearance and demeanor, Fedor Emelianenko is the exact opposite of the MMA fighter stereotype. But he is the best heavyweight in the world. That's not coming from a PR department or a hype machine. That's coming from guys like UFC legend Randy Couture. That's coming from veteran fighters that know the sport inside and out. That's coming from Emelianenko's past opponents, his peers, a wide swath of MMA journalists and fans alike.

The people that know the most about MMA agree that Emelianenko is the cream of the crop. And he got all of that attention without begging for it or making a spectacle of himself.

No scruffy beard or foul mouth. No pink hair, back tattoos or closet full of skull T-shirts. No viral marketing or reality-TV shenanigans. Fedor's hype is the result of his success in fights, period. People don't call Fedor the best fighter in the world because of his look or charisma. They call him the best because until someone proves otherwise, he simply is.

He has beaten every man he has ever fought (his only loss was a controversial cut stoppage from an illegal strike, and Emelianenko made it a point to destroy that guy in a rematch). He has tremendous instincts and skills in all aspects of MMA. He is not invincible, though. That's why his fights are so dramatic and entertaining. There's got to be a way to beat this guy, but so far, nobody has been able to see it through to a victory.

Enter Brett "The Grimm" Rogers, who will try to make history Saturday by knocking out the mighty Fedor.

Up until this year, Rogers was working long hours at a Sam's Club to support his family while chasing MMA stardom. In his 10 professional fights, Rogers finished every single opponent with strikes. His only win via submission came when Ralph Kelly decided to give up while eating Rogers' punches. Standing 6-feet-5, Rogers has the reach and power to cause big problems for anyone in a toe-to-toe battle.

Rogers' success in finishing his opponents quickly -- he has only fought past the first round once in his career -- could render him vulnerable if the fight goes into deep water. Emelianenko has stamina and is exactly the kind of fighter who can frustrate Rogers or break his will as the fight wears on. Then again, Emelianenko has a knack for finishing guys early, too, and figures to be faster and more accurate with his boxing than Rogers. This might be another quick KO for Rogers, but not in the way he's hoping for.

No matter who wins the main event, there is a big-picture battle happening on the same night. While the UFC is not counter-programming Strikeforce with a live card of its own (Spike TV will air tapes of past UFC fights instead), it remains to be seen whether an MMA promotion other than the UFC can have sustained success on a national scale.

The number of potential viewers on network TV alone is reason enough for a promotion like Strikeforce to take the gamble.

The now-defunct EliteXC was responsible for seven of the 10 most watched MMA fights in U.S. history, including three of the top four. All seven of those EliteXC fights aired on CBS in 2008. The most watched fight in U.S. history was Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson, with roughly 7.3 million viewers, according to research done by Ivan Trembow for the MMA Weekly website last year.

The UFC toiled for years on PPV and cable to build enough of a fan base to fill out the remainder of the fights in the top 10 (all three of which aired on Spike). EliteXC -- for all of its numerous, downright comical faults -- made a gigantic dent in the all-time standings in a very short amount of time, at least partially because their product aired for free on a major network.

How many of those viewers tuned in just because of Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano, and how many would come back for a CBS show featuring a truly elite fighter like Emelianenko, even though he's not as fun to look at? We'll find out.

But the caliber of fighters is definitely much better with this Strikeforce show than it was with EliteXC. Viewers will see better MMA competition, but probably far less flash and posturing.

Here is where we'll find out how many of those EliteXC viewers showed up last year to actually watch MMA, and how many of them accidentally watched a few fights while they were busy rubbernecking at the Kimbo-Gina spectacle.

Three other bouts are scheduled to air on Saturday's live two-hour broadcast:

• Jake Shields vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller for the Strikeforce middleweight title. Shields is the former EliteXC welterweight champion and one of the legit best in the world at his weight. After quickly defeating middleweight Robbie Lawler in June, Shields decided to chase the titles in both the 170- and 185-pound divisions. With former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le surrendering his belt as he continues his acting career, Shields and Mayhem will fight to crown a new champion. Miller is a longtime cult favorite in the MMA community for his fighting ability and his bizarre sense of humor during interviews. Miller picked up mainstream notoriety this year as the host of the MTV series Bully Beatdown.

• Gegard Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. Mousasi hails from Emelianenko's Red Devil fight team and carries a lot of clout with die-hard MMA fans. He looked like a world beater in recent fights, winning 13 consecutive bouts via a healthy mix of strikes and submissions. He made his Strikeforce debut in August, destroying former UFC and Affliction star Renato "Babalu" Sobral via TKO in 1:00. A powerful puncher, Sokoudjou made his name with a pair of 2007 upset wins in Pride FC before a disappointing 1-2 stint with the UFC.

• Fabricio Werdum vs. Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva. Werdum was considered one of the UFC's top heavyweights shortly before the Brock Lesnar era took hold, with wins over Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon Vera. "Bigfoot" was the EliteXC heavyweight champion before a disputed drug test result led him to fight in Japan while he pursued a lawsuit against the California State Athletic Commission. The winner of this bout could be the frontrunner to take on the winner of Emelianenko vs. Rogers in 2010.

Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Rogers airs live from the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill., Saturday on CBS at 9 p.m. ET.