Tough Road Leads Brett Rogers to Strikeforce

Originally posted on MMAweekly.com

Heavyweight Brett Rogers sees his fight at “Shamrock vs. Diaz” this Saturday as a chance to blow off a year’s worth of pent-up steam.

“The way I see it, this dude is about to pay my bills,” the 28-year-old Minnesota resident said of his meeting with former "Iron Ring" contestant Ron Humphrey. “It’s been a long time, and I’m just going to have to take out a little aggression on him.”

For a guy who put himself on fans’ radar by calling it like he sees it, Rogers has been mostly quiet since the collapse of former home base EliteXC. There’s been little to talk about – except his uncertain situation.

A year ago, Rogers was a promising heavyweight in an organization poised to be the first on network TV. He and his wife had quit their jobs, and he was training full-time. Five months later, he was stuck in a contract with a promotion that couldn’t put him to work.

The fight purses Rogers earned slowly evaporated, and with no means to make a living, he had to ask for his old job back, installing tires at Sam’s Club.

“Out here, you just can’t be letting jobs go, because people aren’t hiring,” said Rogers. “It’s hard to find anything with an educational background.”

His managers let him know the return wouldn’t be permanent, either. They were already stretched thin.

“Realistically, I shouldn’t be working there,” he continued. “They knew that I needed it. So they were just like, as soon as the time comes, you’ve got to let it go. I said just let me work the next couple of months, and then I’ll disappear.”

The struggles made him wonder if it was all worth it.

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