Hoffman Estates, Ill.- “The Last Emperor” has proven to the casual mixed martial arts fan why he is considered royalty by so many. Fedor Emelianenko (31-1-0), bruised and bloodied, defeated Brett Rogers (10-1) by TKO in the main event of Saturday Night Fights. Fans in Southwest Florida could have asked for little more from a bout that aired live on WINK-TV.

The main event of the prime time fight card got off to bloody start. A Brett Rogers’ jab opened a gash on Fedor’s nose during an early exchange in round one. Fedor then connected with a left hook during a flurry of punches that visibly rocked the big man. While on the ground, Rogers dropped several heavy punches on Fedor’s face from the top position. Fedor tried for several submission holds, the last of which saw Rogers free himself from an arm triangle choke. Shortly after, a dramatic first round was in the books.

For a man known for his knockouts, Rogers appeared reluctant in the first five minutes to throw punches from the standing position. Round two saw more of the same. Rogers did well to block an onslaught of strikes one minute in, but did little other than press Fedor against the cage. They once again moved to the center and that’s when Fedor stuck. The Russian threw a looping right hand that nailed Rogers on the jaw. He hit the mat and Fedor pounced, landing several punches before referee John McCarthy called a stop to the contest at 1:47 into round two.

After the fight, a humble Fedor lightly pumped his fist in celebration and accepted hugs from his entourage, which had flooded the cage. Rogers, who fought well for the most part, said afterwards, “I doubted myself a little bit. I should have thrown my hands more.”

Other bouts saw Jake Shields (24-4-1) win the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship in a unanimous decision over Jason Miller (22-7-0). The fight, which heard a lot of boos from the crowd, was mostly a grappling match.

Also, Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi (27-2-1) dominated Rameau Sokoudjou (7-5-0), and recorded a TKO.

In the opening bout of the telecast, Fabricio Werdum (13-4-1) earned a decision win over Antonio Silva (13-2-0).

Strikeforce/M-1 Global “Fedor vs. Rogers” was witnessed by a sell out crowd of 11,512 at the Sears Center Arena near Chicago, and marked the return of MMA to CBS primetime.