Strikeforce was founded in 1985 as a kickboxing organization, but later on it gained popularity with MMA. However, it never attracted the public as much as its primary rival, the UFC, did. While many MMA fans saw the promotion as fun and unique, many did not think that its fighters had much to offer for UFC talent at the time. However, since the promotion was absorbed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, there have been several fighters from the original Strikeforce rosters who proved to be some of the best fighters around the world.
10) Jake Shields
Shields began his professional MMA career in 1999 and after fighting in various promotions for years, he also worked for Strikeforce for some time. Even though he was there for just three matches from 2009 to 2010, it was very important for his career. His Strikeforce debut was against Robbie Lawler, when Jake scored a submission win. This led him to a middleweight title shot against Jason Miller after Cung Le vacated the belt. Jake won the title and also defended it once against Dan Henderson. He built a great reputation before moving to the UFC.
9) Alistair Overeem
Overeem’s time in Strikeforce may have been brief but it was good for his growth as a fighter and his career overall. Alistair made his Strikeforce debut in 2006 against Vitor Belfort and scored a unanimous decision win. “The Reem” returned to the promotion in 2007 and won the Inaugural Strikeforce Championship by defeating Paul Buentello. He defended the title against Brett Rogers in his next Strikeforce appearance in 2010. After this he defeated Fabricio Werdum in his final Strikeforce fight and cemented himself as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. Unfortunately, he left the promotion due to a contract dispute and moved to the UFC.
8) Cris Cyborg
Cris Cyborg made her Strikeforce debut against Hitomi Akano in 2009 and scored a TKO win within 35 seconds of the first round. This gave her a shot at the inaugural featherweight strap against Gina Carano. Cyborg defeated Carano via TKO and defended her title three times consecutively against the likes of Marloes Coenen, Jan Finney and Hiroko Yamanaka. However, her last title defense was overturned after Cris tested positive for steroids.
7) Ronaldo Souza
After fighting in promotions like Jungle Fight and Dream, Ronaldo made his debut in Strikeforce in 2009. He became one of the most dominant fighters in the promotion and had an incredible run from 2009 to 2013. His only loss in Strikeforce came against Luke Rockhold. Souza also became the Middleweight champion in Strikeforce after defeating Tim Kennedy and defending it against Robbie Lawler.
6) Nick Diaz
Nick Diaz is one of the most amazing MMA fighters in history. He made his Strikeforce Diaz in 2009 against Frank Shamrock, scoring a TKO victory. Nick then defeated Scott Smith via submission and earned a title shot for the Welterweight Championship. He defeated Marius Zaromskis to win the title and became one of the greatest stars, making three title defenses. He defeated K.J. Noons, Evangelista Santos and Paul Daley in stellar fashion.
5) Gilbert Melendez
Melendez made his Strikeforce debut in 2008 and had a stellar run in the promotion. His grappling and striking skills were just on another level, giving MMA fans some of the greatest fights of all time. Melendez built a rivalry with Josh Thomson and all three of their bouts for the lightweight title. Gilbert won the trilogy 2-1 and also scored impressive wins over fighters like Jorge Masvidal, Shinya Aoki and Clay Guida.
4) Dan Henderson
Dan Henderson was already a great MMA fighter when he made his Strikeforce debut in 2010. Although he lost the middleweight title fight against Jake Shields in his debut, Henderson soon silenced the skeptics by moving up to light heavyweight, defeating Renato Sobral and Rafael Cavalcante, and winning the light heavyweight title. In 2011, Dan scored the iconic TKO win against Fedor Emelianenko, shocking the world.
3) Luke Rockhold
Luke Rockhold was one of the best-born Strikeforce fighters. He fought in the promotion from 2008 until the UFC purchase. Rockhold scored some impressive wins, like defeating Josh Neal via TKO and then got four consecutive submissions. He defeated Ronaldo Souza for the middleweight title and then defended it against Keith Jarine and Tim Kennedy. Rockhold then moved to the UFC, winning the middleweight championship there as well.
2) Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey entered the Strikeforce in 2011, at a time when women’s MMA was just beginning to become a thing. With no women in the UFC, Strikeforce became the home of women’s MMA. “Rowdy” scored great wins against fighters like Sarah D’Alelio, Julia Budd and Miesha Tate. With her incredible skills, Rousey completely dominated the competition.
1) Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier made his debut in the Strikeforce in 2009 and made an impact immediately by winning his first seven MMA bouts, four of which were in the Strikeforce. He defeated Jeff Monson in 2011 and was then booked on short notice to fight Antonio Silva. Cormier defeated Silva in the first round via knockout and went on to win the Strikeforce Grand Prix with a win over Josh Barnett. “DC” then scored a TKO win over Dion Staring and moved to the UFC, where he accomplished more things.
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