Brett Rogers explains he’s not looking past Alistair Overeem but wants a rematch with Fedor

Strikeforce heavyweight number one contender, Brett “The Grim” Rogers has been speaking about his upcoming fight this weekend with Alistair Overeem, explaining he’s not looking past the big Dutchman but he wants another crack at WAMMA champion, Fedor Emelianenko.

Speaking during a media conference call recently to promote the event, Rogers said:

“I’m not looking past Alistair – I feel it’s going to be a tough, exciting fight – but I’m definitely wanting to catch that rematch. It’s only going to look that much better when I get in there and get the title and go for that second shot.”

“It (the loss) affected me deeply. I have lots of love for this sport. I love what I’m doing, and it kind of breaks you a little bit. I was on a winning streak, and I was hoping to blow through (my opponents) and catch the title without a loss, so it’s kind of [expletive] with me. But you learn more from a loss than a win.”

“I’m putting it in the hands of the man upstairs, (and) hopefully go out there and have a good time because that was my problem the last time. I guess I really wasn’t having fun with the Fedor fight. I just feel the time is now.”

“I know that if I would have came out a little more aggressive that the tables would have been turned. That fight, I treat it as a lesson learned. Fedor is a highly ranked fighter and he’s been in the game for a long time. I learned a lot from that fight and I’m going to take what I learned and I’m going into this fight with a lot more confidence. I know I’m going to take care of myself.”

“That definitely makes sense to me, the Fedor fight, but I take one fight at a time and right now Alistair is on my radar and he’s a little too close for comfort so I’m just going to have to take him out and take everything else from there. 2010, if I could finish it off with the Fedor rematch, that’d be bomb for me right there. After that defend the title one more time and go into 2011.”

Rogers also talked about the rigorous training routine he’s been going through since going full time, something his guarantee’s will pay dividends when he steps into the cage on Saturday night.

“I’ve been training out in California for the last month and two weeks or so. I’ve been training at the body shop with Antonio McKee. He’s definitely known for his wrestling abilities and striking.”

“He’s also got a lot of big boys out there, and I’ve also been training out at Millennia in Rancho Cucamonga too. Millennia has a bunch of heavyweights, and I’ve never been to a gym that has so many guys. They have guys ranging from 6’2, 250lbs to 300lbs. They also have Maurice Jackson, he’s 6’7 or 6’8 and just working with those guys that are going to push me and help me get the win this weekend.”