Brett Rogers facts for kids

Brett Charles Rogers (born February 17, 1981) is an American former mixed martial artist. He competed in the Heavyweight division. Rogers started his professional career in 2005. He fought in major organizations like EliteXC, Strikeforce, and Bellator.

Brett Rogers' Early Life and Training

Brett Rogers was born in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in a challenging part of the city. He often used his large size to help his younger brothers during street fights. People sometimes tried to get him to join groups, but he always said no.

When he was twelve, Rogers moved to Minnesota with his grandmother. He went to Harding High School in Saint Paul, Minnesota. There, he played both football and basketball. After high school, Rogers went to a junior college. During this time, he started learning Tae Kwon Do, a type of martial art. Before becoming a professional fighter, he worked at a garage changing tires. He also had fifteen amateur fights, known as "Tough Man" bouts.

Rogers began his mixed martial arts (MMA) training with Team Bison. He trained in a garage with his head trainer, Mike Reilly. Later, in 2008, Reilly and his partners opened a modern training center called "Ambition MMA." Rogers continued to train there every day with Reilly.

Brett Rogers' MMA Career Highlights

Fighting in EliteXC

After a fight in EliteXC: Primetime, Brett Rogers challenged another fighter named Kimbo Slice. Rogers said Kimbo's last fight was not good. Kimbo Slice accepted the challenge. However, the EliteXC organization closed down later that year. So, the fight between Rogers and Kimbo Slice never happened.

Time in Strikeforce

In February 2009, Rogers joined Strikeforce. On June 6, 2009, at Strikeforce: Lawler vs Shields, he won a big fight. He defeated former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. Rogers won by TKO in just 22 seconds of the first round. This win made Rogers a top heavyweight fighter in Strikeforce.

He then agreed to fight the famous MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko. This fight, called Fedor vs Rogers, happened on November 7. In the second round, Fedor landed a strong punch that knocked Rogers down. The referee quickly stopped the fight. This was Brett's first loss in his professional career.

Rogers was set to fight Alistair Overeem on May 15, 2010, at Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery. This fight was for Overeem's Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship. Rogers lost to Overeem by TKO in the first round. He landed only one punch during the entire fight.

Later, Rogers won a fight against Ruben Villareal. But on June 18, 2011, at Strikeforce: Dallas, he lost to Josh Barnett. Barnett won by a submission move called a one-arm triangle choke. This fight was part of a heavyweight tournament.

Fighting in Bellator

On June 5, 2012, Brett Rogers signed with Bellator Fighting Championships. He made his first appearance on June 22, 2012, at Bellator 71. He fought Kevin Asplund and won by TKO. The referee stopped the fight because Asplund's eye was too swollen to continue.

Rogers also competed in the Bellator season seven heavyweight tournament. He faced Alexander Volkov in the quarter-finals at Bellator 75. Volkov used his long reach to control the fight. Rogers lost by a unanimous decision. It was later found that Rogers had broken his arm during the fight. This injury affected his performance.

Independent Fights and Championship

After leaving Bellator, Rogers continued to fight in other promotions. On October 5, 2013, he fought Evgeny Erokhin and won by a split decision.

His next fight was on November 30 at Super Fighting Enterprise. He faced Edson Ramos and won by knockout. This victory made him the SFE Heavyweight Champion. It was the first championship title of his career.

A month later, he fought Phil De Fries and lost by submission. In 2014, Rogers fought Konstantin Erokhin and lost by decision. However, he quickly bounced back. On April 4, 2014, he fought Yusuke Kawaguchi and won by knockout in just 28 seconds.

Rogers had a rematch with Evgeny Erokhin on May 17, 2014. Rogers was knocked out in the second round. In July, he won a fight against Magomed Malikov by TKO. Malikov broke his leg during the fight.

Rogers then lost to Denis Goltsov by decision on September 19, 2014. His last recorded win was on October 4, 2014, against Aslambek Musaev. He won by TKO in the first round. His final professional fight was a loss to Derrick Mehmen in March 2015.

Championships and Accomplishments

• Super Fighting Enterprise
  • SFE Heavyweight Championship (1 Time)
• Other
  • Fought in the First Ever MMA Fight in Primetime on a Major American Television Network

See also

• List of Bellator MMA alumni