Strikeforce Champions
A list of former champions in the MMA promotion Strikeforce.
List activity
552 views
• 1 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
23 people
- Script and Continuity Department
Known for her strength and being one of the best punchers in Mixed Martial Arts, Sarah Kaufman never aspired to compete in combat sports. Before the native Canadian begun training in MMA, Kaufman was a dance student. An early interest in dancing would indirectly lead her to to compete in Mixed Martial Arts. At age 2 Kaufman started to train in dance and continued up until age 8 when she performed in musicals. In the year 2002 when she turned 17, Kaufman found out about Zuma Martial Arts gym beneath the dance studio where she took lessons. The gym run was by Adam Zugec who later became Kaufman's coach.
Kaufman's first class at the gym was in Muay Thai, which she liked and took additional classes. In June 2006, Kaufman's first professional bout was in her home city of Vancouver, British Columbia at North American Challenge 23 where she fought fellow Canadian Elizabeth Posener. Kaufman won the fight by knocking out Posener in the 3rd round. In the following October and November, Kaufman had two bouts in King of the Cage (Canada). First, she easily defeated Sarah Draht in 17 seconds and a month after won by doctor stoppage at the end of the second round in her fight with Misty Shearer. She next fought in Ultimate Cage Wars where she beat Alexis Davis by 3rd round technical knockout. In her fifth bout, she took on Valerie Letourneau in the TKO Major League MMA promotion's first ever women's bout. Kaufman opened the round by connecting with punches and pushed Letourneau up against the fence, where Letourneau attempted a guillotine submission hold. Kaufman defended by bringing the fight to the ground, escaping the submission and dominating the ground action. The fighters were stood up and Kaufman landed some punches before Letourneau landed a left kick to her head which stunned her. Letourneau pounced and hit Kaufman with punches on the ground and attempted an arm-bar submission. Kaufman escaped and took the fight to the feet where she landed more punches to end the round. Kaufman out-struck Letourneau early in the 2nd round and landed punches at will until the referee intervened.
Kaufman's next fought Ginele Marquez at Hardcore Fighting Championship's "Title Wave" event to inaugurate a women's champion in the bantamweight division. At the bout's onset, Marquez fell after trying to take Kaufman to the ground. Kaufman unleashed knees, punches, and adept take-down defenses. Kaufman exploited a failed take-down by hitting and further bloodying Marquez's face while on the ground. Marquez attempted a leg-lock submission which Kaufman escaped from and ended up on her back. Marquez tried more leg-locks and both fighters exchanged mutual foot/heel submission attempts until the round ended. On the feet in the 2nd round, Kaufman went to her strength and landed punches on Marquez, who tried for a haphazard take-down. Marquez tried another take-down which Kaufman blocked and was pushed to her back. Marquez did not land any strikes as she tried to control Kaufman. Kaufman got out from the bottom to reverse her opponent and landed several punches to win the fight by technical knockout and the championship.
Kaufman would face Molly Helsel in her first championship defense. At the start of round one, Helsel rushed Kaufman and hit her with some punches until Kaufman clinched and reversed her against the cage and landed some knee strikes. Kaufman created distance and landed more knees and punches. Helsel initiated a clinch and was controlled by Kaufman against the cage, who then landed left punches to Helsel's body, face and knees to the thigh. Helsel ended up on her back after getting reversed when she tried to pull Kaufman to the ground. Kaufman stood and out-punched Helsel in the stand-up, controlled her against the fence and landed more punches to the face. Early in round two, Kaufman hit Helsel in the face with a right knee and connected with most of her punches while Helsel missed. Helsel clinched with Kaufman who controlled her against the fence and landed punches. Hesel put Kaufman in a headlock and tried a hip toss but again ended up on her back. Helsel attempted a leg-lock submission which Kaufman escaped from by punching her opponent's body. Kaufman stepped away and allowed the fight to resume on the feet where she regained control. She landed several punches to Helsel's bloodied face until the referee stepped in and declared a technical knockout win by Kaufman at 2:44. It turned out to be Kaufman's first title defense and final bout in Hardcore Championship Fighting as a result of the promotion's closure.
Kaufman remained out of competition for a year, until Kim Couture withdrew from a Strikeforce Challengers 1 (2009) fight with Miesha Tate. Kaufman campaigned successfully to replace Couture. At the start of the fight scheduled for 3 rounds at 3 minutes each, Kaufman utilized her striking advantage and hit Tate with a barrage of punches, which Tate countered by using her wrestling to try to take Kaufman to the ground. Kaufman defended until Tate was successful near the end of the round. Kaufman landed more punches at the start of the second round, and Tate quickly took her to the ground. In a half-guard/semi-crucifix position from the top, Tate landed punches. From the bottom, Kaufman fought to free one of her hands from being trapped to defend again Tate's punches. As time ran out, Kaufman stood up and Tate took her back in an attempted submission. Kaufman was more aggressive with her punches at the start of the 3rd round and sprawled to counter the take-down attempts by Tate, who looked exhausted and bled from the face. During one successful take-down defense, Kaufman tossed Tate to the ground and landed more punches until the round expired. Kaufman won by unanimous decision. A month later Kaufman fought submission specialist Shayna Andrea Baszler at Strikeforce Challengers 2 (2009). The non-title women's bout was scheduled for 3 five-minute rounds. Baszler got an early trip on Kaufman and attempted a submission by a choke hold. Kaufman rolled to escape and ended up top, from where she landed punches to end the round. In the second round Baszler tried several trip attempts on Kaufman. Kaufman landed a hard right punch which appeared to hurt Baszler who reacted by stepping back for the rest of the round to avoid more punches. Kaufman ended up on top in the third after a failed take-down by Baszler. Kaufman stood up to allow the bout to be a stand up. Kaufman clinched and took Baszler down and controlled the action. At the audible urgings of her nearby coach, Josh Barnett, Baszler attempted a knee-bar submission which Kaufman survived until the end of the round. Kaufman won the unanimous decision.
Kaufman fought Takayo Hashi at Strikeforce Challengers 6 (2010) to inaugurate Strikeforce's first women's welterweight champion in a division usually called "bantamweight". (The promotion abide by the MMA Unified Rules of Conduct which defined that category as welterweight for women.) Hashi, a grappling specialist, was true to her stated intentions and engaged with strikes on the feet with Kaufman. In the opening round, Hashi connected with a few leg kicks and a body kick which were outnumbered by Kaufman's punches which knocked down Hashi twice. Another fall happened when Kaufman held Hashi's right foot after a kick. Hashi tried a take-down near the end of the round which Kaufman defended. The fighters exchanged leg kicks in the second round, and Kaufman kept Hashi at a distance with frequent jabs, landed left hooks and leg kicks. Hashi landed a body kick in the 3rd round and punched Kaufman. Kaufman again held Hashi's after a kick and connected with punches. Takayo clinched with Kaufman and landed punches. Kaufman hit a hard right punch and more left jabs, followed by a right hand which put Hashi on the ground. Hashi stood and landed knee strikes, Kaufman punched some more and defended another take-down attempt by Hashi. Kaufman opened the 4th round with punches and Hashi tried for an early take-down. Kaufman defended the attempt and both fighters battled for position against the fence. Kaufman connected with jabs and sprawled to stop another take-down try by Hashi. The fighters again ended up against the cage where knee strikes were exchanged. Hashi tries for another take-down, and Kaufman pushes her on her back while defending. The start of the 4th round saw Kaufman land leg kicks and combinations of left jabs and left hooks. Again, Kaufman sprawled to defend a take-down attempt and Hashi ended up on her back. Kicks and punches were exchanged between the two and Hashi tried to pull Kaufman to the ground and go for an ankle submission. Kaufman quickly escaped and landed punches while Hashi was on the ground. Hashi stood up and landed a front kick to Kaufman's face. Hashi went for more take-downs which Kaufman avoided and the bout ended. Kaufman won all rounds unanimously and was crowned the Strikeforce Women's Welterweight Champion. Kaufman was criticized by some who felt she could have decisively ended the fight and not have it go to a decision.
Roxanne Modafferi became Kaufman's first title challenger for the Strikeforce Women's Welterweight title. In interviews prior to Strikeforce Challengers 9 (2010), Kaufman was critical of the decision to book a title fight on the lesser profiled Strikeforce Challengers (2009), which she contended that title fights should be decided on higher profile cards. Her criticisms had a financial dimension because the value of sponsorships rely on the prominence the events. Modafferi started the bout and attempted to land two jumping knees which Kaufman avoided. While in a clinch they fought for dominance against the cage until Modafferi tripped Kaufman to the ground. From the bottom, Kaufman prevented Modafferi from landing any substantial strikes until they were stood up by the referee. With the distance created by the stand up, Kaufman landed a few punches until Modaferri closed the distance and resumed grappling against the cage. Modaferri attempted take-downs which were thwarted by Kaufman. At the start of the second round, Kaufman landed multiple punches and again avoided Modafferi attempts at taking her down. While fighting in close quarters, Kaufman connects with knees and punches. Modafferi initiated a leg trips but ended up on bottom. The fight returned to the feet where Kaufman landed more punches. Kaufman landed several punches at the start of the third round. Again, Modafferi close the gap and managed to trip her. While on the ground, Kaufman used her feet to keep Modafferi at bay and created enough room to stand up and land more punches while preventing further take-downs by Modaferri. They ended in a clinch against the cage, and Modaferri pulled Kaufman to the ground in her guard. From the bottom, Modafferi attempt submission holds until Kaufman hoisted her up and slammed her back to the ground to win by knockout and defended the championship remain undefeated in 12 professional fights. Kaufman's knockout slam victory received numerous praise and featured on the #4 spot on ESPN's SportsCenter (1979) "Plays of the Week" segment.Strikeforce's first bantamweight champion.- Since her first professional fight in the year 2000 at age 19, Dutch-born Marloes "Rumina" Coenen is among the most veteran of mixed martial artists. Coenen's introduction to combat sports happened out of a will to learn self-defense when she was 12, with no intention to compete as a professional fighter. Circumstances lead a young Coenen having to travel back and forth alone to school in her native Olst in the Netherlands. She stopped playing volleyball and tennis learn fighting. By age 14, Coenen tried Karate, but felt restricted by its choreographed moves called "katas". She also tried Jiu Jitsu for a year but felt it was not as realistic as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). Her interest in BJJ lead her to Martijn de Jong who taught classes in "free fighting"--Mixed Martial Arts. Jong competed professionally and was made the local head of the Japan-based Shooto organization, named Shooto Europe.
Coenen won her first amateur fight in 20 seconds. After winning the amateur fights Coenen focused on attending a local university until she was invited to her first professional fight in Japan. Coenen's opponent was Yuuki Kondo, whom she submitted by arm bar at the L1 event,"Ladies Legend Pro Wrestling". Before getting settled back home in the Netherlands, Coenen was invited back to Japan to compete in "World Cup 2000" tournament held that November by the ReMix organization. Feeling unprepared by the short notice, Marloes was convinced by Martijn de Jong to compete. In the tournament, she submitted Mika Harigai 31 seconds in the first round by rear-naked choke. Coenen advanced to implement a flying arm bar on Becky Levi 90 seconds in their fight, then won the unanimous decision over Megumi Yabushita to win the tournament and become the ReMix World Cup champion. Her success motivated her to take time off from her studies at Erasmus University. In her next bout for Remix in 2001, in a non-tournament bout Coenen submitted Yoko Takahashi by a first round arm bar.
In 2002, she again fought Megumi Yabushita, this time it was in at the "No Holds Barred" event for Japan's Jd' promotion. Unlike their first meeting in the Remix tournament, it did not make it to the judges--Coenen submitted Yabushita in the first round. In that same year she went to Shooto to win a 2 round majority decision over 'Miwako Ishihara' at 'Wanna Shooto 2002'.
Marloes was absent from competition for 2 years because of glandular fever, while she kept training in the interim. She returned to fighting in late 2004 to fight Yoko Takahashi whom she defeated 3 years earlier in ReMix. ReMix changed its name in 2001 to SmackGIRL, and continued holding tournaments. In the "World ReMix 2004" tournament bout, Coenen again beat Takahashi, this time by TKO in the 2nd round. Coenen advanced to meet Erin Toughill, who knocked her out in the first round, giving Coenen her first professional lost. Months later Coenen again fought Yuuki Kondo, her first mixed martial arts opponent, at the SmackGIRL event "Cool Fighter's Last Stand.". The bout ended early in the 2nd round when Coenen knocked out Kondo. In 2006, Coenen returned to Shooto--now named G-Shooto--to fight Yoko Takahashi for the 3rd time. Coenen won her 3rd and quickest victory over Takahashi with a early arm bar.
In one of her few fights in her native Netherlands, Coenen competed in Ultimate Glory's second event in 2007, where she submitted Majanka Lathouwers by arm bar. Months later in May she entered K-Grace's "K-Grace 1" tournament in Japan. Coenen applied successive rear-naked chokes on Keiko Tamai, then Magdalena Jarecka before encountering Roxanne Modafferi. Modafferi eliminated Coenen after winning by split decision. A year later, she fought Asci Kubra in Holland and won by arm bar in the promotion Beast of the East. Coenen then traveled to Switzerland a few months later to compete in Ultimate Glory for the 2nd time. At the event, "Swiss Las Vegas", she fought Romy Ruyssen and won my rear-naked choke in the 2nd round. She returned to Holland to again fight Asci Kubra, this time for K.O. Events "Tough is Not Enough"; she won by technical knockout. In early 2009, Coenen returned to Beast of the East and lost a unanimous decision to Cindy Dandois.
Coenen had a contract with Elite XC (2007), however she never fought with the American promotion because it went out of business in October 2008. By the time of Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg (2009), Coenen had a contract with Strikeforce (2006), and was present as a possible replacement if either Cris Cyborg (Cristiane Justino) or Gina Carano could not make the appropriate weight. Coenen was originally considered to fight Erin Toughill at the event, but Toughill had unresolved contractual issues with the promotion. Prior to this Coenen was to have fought Justino in Montreal at XMMA 7, promoted by Canada's Xtreme MMA. Justino withdrew from the fight purportedly due to injuries.
After Justino defeated Carano to become Strikeforce's first featherweight champion, Coenen was mentioned as a possible contender. There were plans to include Coenen in what was to have been an 8-woman tournament to determine Cyborg's next opponent. The tournament never came to fruition, and instead, Coenen's first fight with Strikeforce (2006) happened in November 2009 at the event,CBS Strikeforce M-1 Global Saturday Night Fights (2009). Coenen was to have fought Justino for the title, but Justino withdrew due to injuries from a grappling competition. Coenen was again booked against Erin Toughill with the winner challenging Justino for the title. Toughill canceled due to a medical situation, and Coenen faced a previous opponent in Roxanne Modafferi, who was also competing in the promotion for the first time. Early in the first round, Coenen hurt Modafferi with a strike before taking the fight to the ground, then submitting Modafferi by arm bar a little past the first minute. With that victory, Coenen became Justino's first title challenger, which required Coenen to move up a weight class at Strikeforce: Miami (2010). It was mainly a striking bout with Coenen lasting longer that Justino's recent opponents. Coenen used her size to neutralize Justino's striking power until the 3rd round when took she Coenen to the ground, attacked with punches and the fight was stopped.
Coenen partly attributed her defeat to Santos came as the result of of playing to her opponent's strength and making it a stand-up fight. Following her loss to Justino, Coenen dropped a weight class to return to the women's welterweight division. She was named the next challenger for Sarah Kaufman at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons 2 (2010). The fight was for the Strikeforce Women's Welterweight title held by Kaufman. An issue immediately ensued after the fight when a visibly upset Kaufman complained that Coenen held the submission too long. An apologetic Coenen comforted Kaufman and said she held the submission until the referee--who appeared to be out of position--eventually intervened. Miesha Tate was already known as the next contender for the Strikeforce Women's Welterweight championship. Tate had earn the title opportunity by winning a tournament held at "Strikeforce Challengers 10" where she unanimously won over Maiju Suotamaand Hitomi Akano.(Carina Damm had also competed in the tournament and was eliminated by Akano.)
Several days before Coenen and Tate was to fight at Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson (2011) in March 2011, Tate withdrew from the fight reportedly due to injuries sustained in training. Liz Carmouche was quickly announced as the new challenger. Carmouche had defeated Colleen Schneider in an alternate bout at "Strikeforce Challengers 10". Carmouche utilized her wrestling abilities to put Coenen on defense for much of the fight and controlling her on the ground. Presumably behind by points up to the fourth round, Coenen caught Carmouche with a triangle choke submission to retain the championship.Strikeforce's second bantamweight champion. - Miesha Tate was born on 18 August 1986 in Tacoma, Washington, USA. She is an actress, known for Here Without You, Fight Valley (2016) and Pursued.Strikeforce's third bantamweight champion.
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Ronda Rousey burst onto the women's MMA scene in August of 2010. Born in Riverside County, California on February 1, 1987 to parents Ron Rousey and AnnMaria DeMars, little Ronda was born with an umbilical cord wrapped around her neck that damaged her vocal cords. She didn't speak coherently until the age of six. Ronda was a self-professed tomboy and swam from the ages of 6 to 10. She competed on the Jr. Olympic swim team where she placed in the state level.
Because of her mother, a 7th degree black belt and 1984 World Judo Champion, Ronda took up the sport. She had a hard time socializing with other kids and found that Judo gave her confidence. She holds a 4th degree black belt in the martial art.
Ronda's Judo career is a storied one. At 17 she became the youngest judoka in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. That same year she won a gold medal at the World Junior Judo Championships in Budapest, and in 2006 she became the first U.S. female in almost 10 years to win an A-Level tournament going 5-0 to clench the gold at the World Cup in Great Britain. At 19 she won the bronze medal at the Junior World Championships. She is the first U.S. athlete to win two Junior World Medals. In 2007 she added a silver at the World Judo Championships and a gold at the Pan American Games. The pinnacle of her Judo career was a bronze at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Rousey became the first American to win an Olympic medal in women's Judo since it became an Olympic sport in 1992.
After medaling in the Olympics, Ronda's career hit a dead end. She did some bartending to make ends meet and tried to find a better paying job, but it was tough finding anyone that needed her particular skill set. Throwing people down and putting them in armbars aren't really something you can put on a resume. By chance Ronda caught the Gina Carano vs. Julie Kedzie fight on television and things changed.
She made her mixed martial arts debut as an amateur in 2010. Since then she has never lost a fight, winning the majority in the first round by armbar submission. Ronda took it upon herself to chase after and demand attention so that the UFC could no longer ignore women fighters. UFC President Dana White had publicly stated that women would never be allowed to fight in the UFC, but on February 23, 2013, Ronda did just that. She won the fight against Liz Carmouche in the first round with her signature armbar and became the first UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion.
In 2014, Ronda appeared in her first motion picture - The Expendables 3 (2014). Other projects are Furious 7 (2015) and The Athena Project as well as Entourage (2015).Strikeforce's fourth and final bantamweight champion.- A native of Curitiba, Brazil, Cristiane Justino Venancio was born in July 1985. Famous as Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, she shares the nickname "Cyborg" with her former husband and fellow mixed martial artist Evangelista Santos. After their divorce years later, she would become Cristiane Justino. Known for her aggressiveness and size, Justino has been compared to Wanderlei Silva in her approach to fighting. In 2004 after Justino competed in a high school handball championship game, she was approached by Rudimar Fedrigo, the founder and head coach of Chute Boxe Academy. Fedrigo was impressed by her strength and athleticism and encouraged a hesitant Santos to become a fighter. Santos relented and agreed to a free Muay Thai class at the Chute Box gym. At the Chute Boxe Academy she met Evangelista Santos, a training partner. Months into her combat sports training, her first professional fight was with the Brazil-based Showfight promotion in May 2005 and she adopted the nickname of "Cyborg". Cyborg fought Eric Paes who submitted her by knee-bar early in round one.
Cyborg's first MMA win happened that year in her second bout which happened with local promotion, Storm Samurai. She won unanimously over Vanessa Porto at "Storm Samurai 9". In 2006, she would experience the most MMA success with three consecutive wins over opponents in the first round: Chris Schroeder by TKO at "Storm Samurai 10"; hurting Elaine Santiago at "Storm Samurai 11" to earn a corner stoppage victory, and Marise Vitoria at "Storm Samurai 12". After a two-year absence from MMA competition, Cristiane returned to action in July 2008, for her first fight in the United States. It happened at the Episode #1.2 (2008) event titled "Unfinished Business", which aired on CBS. Cyborg hit knee strikes on Shayna Andrea Baszler who fell on her back and attempted a knee-bar which Cyborg defended by punching. Baszler managed to get a take-down and attempted a leg-lock submission without success, as Cyborg again landed powerful punches while on the ground. The second round was a repeat of the first with Cyborg exhibiting her punching dominance hurting Baszler with her power. One of the fight's notable moments includes Baszler collapsing from Cyborg's strikes, and Cyborg prematurely celebrating on top of the cage. Referee Steve Mazzagatti implored Cyborg to keep fighting because the bout was not stopped. A confused Cyborg resumed her punches, then dragged Baszler to the ground and then allowed Baszler to stand up. The second time Baszler collapsed from Cyborg's punches; the bout was stopped by TKO victory.
Months later in October at Episode #1.3 (2008), named "Heat", Cyborg won unanimously over Yoko Takahashi, in one of her few fights to go to a decision. The non-title bouts with Baszler and Takahashi were scheduled for three 3-minute rounds, unlike the usual three 5-minute rounds for men in non-title fights. Several days later after "Heat", Elite XC (2007) went out of business and ended any prospects of a much discussed fight between Cyborg and Gina Carano, who also fought in the promotion. In 2009, Strikeforce (2006) acquired former properties of Elite XC, including the video library and fighter contracts, which included Cyborg's. The signing prevented a planned bout between Cyborg and and Dutch fighter Marloes Coenen. Cyborg moved to Strikeforce (2006) under an exclusivity agreement, with her first fight against Hitomi Akano in a bout scheduled for 3 three-minute rounds. Cyborg controversially came in 7 pounds over the 145-pound weight limit against Akano who usually competes a weight class below.
Clearly the smaller fight at 143 pounds, Cyborg aggressively dominated Akano. Pushing aside her attempts at tossing her by German suplexing her to the ground, landing punches, then walking away. Cyborg repeated tossing Akano to the ground, briefly attacking from top then walking away until the end of the round. Cyborg repeated this approach in round two until Akano went for a flying submission without success against her much stronger opponent. Early in the third round Cyborg landed kicks and punches which staggered Akano for the technical knockout win. With Gina Carano also under contract, Cyborg's much speculated bout with Carano was booked on August 15, 2009. Strikeforce held its first MMA event headlined by women: Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg (2009) scheduled for the conventional five 5-minute rounds for championship MMA bouts. The fight would be for the Strikeforce's women's "middleweight" title at a 145 pounds weight limit usually known as "featherweight".
The women were aggressive with Cyborg using her strength to take Carano down but landing on the bottom. Carano took advantage and started to ground and pound until Cyborg grabbed her left foot for a heel hook submission. Carano escaped from it and Cyborg stood up and attacked with power punches, went for another take-down, and again ended up on the bottom with Gina on top. Carano stepped back and Cyborg stood up and initiated a clinch accompanied by punches. Carano applied a headlock and Cyborg took her down. Both fighters ended up against the cage in a clinch position. Carano drags Cyborg down and ended up on the bottom with Cyborg on top. Cyborg attempted an Americana/kimura submission hold and Carano secured her arm. Cyborg then unleashed a ground attack of punches until the fight was ended by technical knockout one second before the end the first round, becoming Strikeforce's first ever women's champion.
Cyborg was to have fought Marloes Coenen at CBS Strikeforce M-1 Global Saturday Night Fights (2009) to defend the title. An injury from a grappling competiton resulted made Justino withdraw from the fight. Justino's first defense of her Strikeforce championship (145 pounds) against Coenen--whom she was to have first fought at XMMA 7 in Montreal--to Strikeforce: Miami (2010). Coenen kicked and Cyborg punched until both got into a clinch against the fence and took her down by the waist. Coenen attacked from the bottom with an arm-bar submission and Cyborg escaped and rained down punches before the fight was stood up. Cyborg landed more punches and clinched with Coenen on the feet. Cyborg knocked Coenen to the ground in the second round and controlled her from the top. The fight was stood up and Cyborg attacked with hooks, body kicks, and defended against a take-down from Coenen. Coenen ended up on her back by applying a jumping guard, with Cyborg in control until the round ended. Coenen began the third round with an aggressive running effort to get Cyborg to the ground, which was defended with Cyborg's back against the fence. Cyborg opened up punches and kicks against, and reversed a brief take-down by Coenen to be on top. Cyborg stood up and fell when Coenen tripped her by kicking her feet from the ground. Cyborg ended up on top again after another failed take-down bid by Coenen, then unloading punches for the TKO win.
After her first title defense, Jan Finney was later announced as the next contender for the title held by Cyborg. Cyborg and Finney fought at Strikeforce M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Werdum (2010). Finney landed the first strike and Cyborg hit her with the first of a barrage of punches. Finney collapsed and later tried for a take-down without success. Cyborg continued her attack with punches and some knees and was interrupted when Finney tried for a foot submission. The fight was stood up and Finney against collapse from the force of Cyborg's attacks. Cyborg attacked Finney on the ground until referee Kim Winslow interrupted. She ceased the action to deduct a point from Cyborg for multiple punches to the back of Finney's head. Cyborg continued landing punches, knees then defended another take-down attempt by Finney, pushed her to the ground to continue the attack. Finney started the second round with her most aggressive take-down offense on Cyborg without success. Cyborg resumed her striking dominance by hitting Finney with uppercuts and controlling her on the ground. Finney went for an unsuccessful leg-lock submission and Cyborg went back to punching and knees. The referee separated the fighters from the clinch, and Finney collapsed from a powerful knee to the body from Cyborg. Cyborg landed a few punches and the referee intervened to give Cyborg the technical knockout victory.
The shallowness of the Strikeforce (2006) women's featherweight division lead to a nearly 18-month absence from MMA competition for Cyborg. In December 2011, she fought Hiroko Yamanaka at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal (2011). Cyborg hit Yamanaka with right-hand punches, sending her to the ground. Yamanaka stood up and Cyborg pursued her against the cage to land more punches for the referee to end the bout at 16 seconds via KO. After the win Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker called Cyborg "the Mike Tyson of female MMA," and declared the promotion's plans to find new opponents for her. In January 2012, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) announced that Santos had tested positive for banned stanizol metalobites. She was suspended for a year, fined $2,500, her win over Yamanaka changed to a "No Contest", and Strikeforce relieved her of the Strikeforce Featherweight World title.
In her absence, Ronda Rousey rose to success defeating Miesha Tate for the Strikeforce Bantamweight (135lbs) World title, then defending it against Sarah Kaufman in under a minute using her well-known arm bar. Talk of a Cyborg vs. Rousey bout was fueled by fans and the press, with both women verbally sparring in the media. Cyborg mentioned the difficulties of cutting to bantamweight while Rousey, as the bantamweight champion, refused to return to the Featherweight division. Tito Ortiz became Justino's manager who later negotiated her release from Ultimate Fighting Championship after her contract was transferred from Strikeforce when it closed in January 2013. In February 2013, Cristiane Justino signed with the all-women Invicta Fighting Championships (Invicta FC) promotion. She made her first appearance with them at Invicta FC 5, where she defeated Fiona Muxlow by technical knockout in the first round. Justino was matched up against previous Strikeforce opponent Marloes Coenenat Invicta FC 6: Cyborg vs. Coenen II (2013) to crown the inaugural Invicta FC Featherweight World Champion. Justino overpowered Coenen, whom had increased her strength from their first fight. While landing powerful punches and slams, Justino was patient, and often disengaged when the fight went to the ground, neutralizing Coenen's formidable submission skills. The bout was declared a TKO after four minutes in round 4 with Justino attacking from the full mount position.Strikeforce's first and final featherweight champion. - Clayton Guida was born on 8 December 1981 in Round Lake, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Assassination of a High School President (2008), The Ultimate Workout: Five Rounds with Clay Guida (2009) and UFC on Fox (2011).Strikeforce's first lightweight champion.
- Melendez, a Mexican-American, is from Santa Ana, California, and wrestled during high school. Melendez always enjoyed combat sports and competition, but did not start training in MMA until after college when he was introduced to the sport by his good friend and MMA fighter Jake Shields. Melendez attended San Francisco State University and was studying in liberal arts, he anticipated becoming a teacher but did not finish his college education and get a degree, on account of training for MMA and working outside of college. He has stated that someday he plans on finishing his college education.Strikeforce's second, fourth and final lightweight champion.
- Josh Thomson was born on 21 September 1978 in San Jose, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Fist of the Dragon (2014), Death Mist and Victory by Submission (2017).Strikeforce's third lightweight champion.
- Nick Diaz was born on 2 August 1983 in Stockton, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Darkness of Man (2024), Ballers (2015) and Countdown to UFC (2011).Strikeforce's first welterweight champion.
- Marquardt was born in Lander, Wyoming and was raised in Denver, Colorado. His late father was a Lutheran pastor and also worked in construction. Marquardt's father was also a former Marine who fought in the Vietnam War, Marquardt's mother was a nurse and a manager at an attorney's office, and Marquardt is one of five siblings. Because of his father's work he and his family moved around frequently to places including Chicago, Illinois, and Indiana. His parents divorced when he was eight years old, and the young Marquardt moved to Colorado. When he was 15 years old, he began studying the disciplines of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, and kenpo. He was very active in sports, including basketball and soccer, at Wheat Ridge High School and also began taking freestyle wrestling and BJJ lessons when he was 18 years old under the instruction of Ricardo Murgel.Strikeforce's second welterweight champion.
- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
Frank Shamrock is an American former professional mixed martial artist. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship and retired a four-time defending undefeated champion. Shamrock was the No. 1 ranked pound for pound UFC fighter in the world during his reign as the UFC Middleweight Champion. Shamrock has won numerous titles in other martial arts organizations, including the interim King of Pancrase title, the WEC Light Heavyweight Championship and the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. Shamrock is widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, as well as one of the first complete mixed martial artists, adapting his game from a grounded style of fighting to a more complete, well-rounded, and versatile style that included always improving striking to go along with his skilled ground game.Strikeforce's first middleweight champion.- Actor
- Producer
- Stunts
Cung Le made his first appearance on the professional M.M.A. stage in 2006, and shortly after won the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship in 2008, setting high standards through his powerful kicks, skillful strikes, and well-timed take-downs. This U.S.-Viet Namese champion, actor, producer and action director is a household name in many parts of East Asia and is equally adored in Hollywood. He has starred in many major movies such as 'Puncture Wounds', 'Dragon Eyes', 'The Man With the Iron Fists', 'Pandorum' and Oscar-nominated 'The Grandmaster'. Born in Saigon, Viet Nam and arrived in the U.S. at three years old, this world-class fighter has graced the covers of many major martial arts publications such as Inside Kung Fu, Black Belt, Martial Arts Illustrated; and has made headlines and appearances in numerous main-stream outlets all over the world. Cung Le's latest high-profile project was coaching and mentoring fighters on the reality T.V. show: 'The Ultimate Fighter: China' and preparing them for the March 1st match in Macao where the winner earned a six-figure U.F.C. contract. This is the dream title that will catapult any fighter's status into stardom. Typically, the role of mentor and coach is reserved for the president of U.F.C. - Dana White. For the first time, he has appointed someone else - Cung Le - to take his position this season. This speaks volumes about Cung Le's martial arts skill and his ability to attract a world audience. Behind the scenes, Cung Le is an extremely down-to-earth, warm and fun-loving person with a positive view on life. He enjoys spending quality time and on vacation with his wife, taking his sons out to celebrate their academic and mixed martial arts successes at Five Guys Burgers, playing with his two dogs, embracing injuries with a light-hearted attitude, and training daily to stay in shape. He has been promoting his own amateur mixed martial arts event, Born to Fight, since 2001. He also attends martial arts events, works on various publicity projects, contributes positively to society through his "Train for a Cause with Cung Le" events, and stays true to himself by always expressing his candid points of view.Strikeforce's second middleweight champion.- In his early years, Shields was home-schooled and raised in Mountain Ranch, a remote of part of California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. As the child of hippie parents, Jake had long hair which made him a frequent target of other kids which lead to fights. With his older brothers, Shields took up caving, mountain biking and snowboarding. At age 9, Shields started competing in sports and took up wrestling, just as his older brothers had. While attending Calaveras High School, shields competed in the Amateur Athletic Union National Freestyle Championships and later qualified for the U.S.A/Fila Nationals & World Team Trials in different divisions. Shields became a two time All American at Cuesta College.
In September 1999, while attending Cuesta College, Shields began MMA training at SLO Kickboxing Academy after meeting its owner, Chuck Liddell, who encouraged him to try the sport. A month later, it was due to an injured teammate which leads to Shields, a natural welterweight, competing at middleweight for his first professional MMA fight. Shields was as a spectator at a California's Cobra Fighting Federation (CCFF) event, when he offered to fill a vacant spot. Shields had not previously considered MMA to support himself financially, but as something achieve fitness and to learn fighting. His first MMA bout was a success, as he defeated Paul Harrison by TKO in round one. In his second bout, also in CCFF, he won again by way of unanimous decision. Shields suffered defeat for the first time in his third bout at the doings of Marty Armendarez by technical knockout in 'International Fighting Championships (Film, Video and Audio Stock)'. Two months later Shields got a victory over Shannon Ritch by a choke submission. Shields' return to IFC was unsuccessful as the first time. He lost unanimously to Phillip Miller. About this time Shields earned a wrestling scholarship to attend San Francisco State University. In 2001 he relocated to San Luis Obispo to attend the university and then joined Cesar Gracie's gym which conveniently near his home. His time at Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu is credited for his grappling skills which lead him to compete in numerous notable grappling tournaments such as the Pan American, Grapplers Quest, Pan Am Submission and Abu Dhabi Combat Club in between MMA competition. (Shields holds grappling competition victories over Jon Fitch, Vinny Magalhaes and Diego Sanchez). He won unanimously over Tracy Hess at Gladiator Challenge's "Gladiator Challenge 3" event. At Gladiator Challenge 6 he submitted Jeremy Jackson by rear-naked choke after two minutes. That same year he attended university was when Shields decided on a career as a MMA fighter. He moved down in weight to compete as a welterweight at Gladiator Challenge 6, defeating Robert Ferguson by decision. Shields' winning streak was ended by Ray Cooper in the Warriors Quest promotion, as he lost by majority decision. It was one of the few occasions in the early part of his career where Shields left his home state of California for a fight. Despite the loss to Cooper, Shields was offered his biggest MMA fight at that point and travel to Japan to fight top ranking Hayato Sakurai in SHOOTO. With thirteen days to prepare, Shields believed the late notice was a sign he was brought in to lose to one of the promotion's top fighters. Shields won by using his wrestling to control Sakurai on the ground for much of the fight. The unexciting manner in which he triumphed brought criticism of his fighting style-the first of similar sentiments to come years later. In his next SHOOTO bout, he won unanimously over Milton Vieira, and had similar successful results when he fought Akira Kikuchi in his third SHOOTO fight. In his only Pancrase appearance, Shields fought Kazuo Misaki to a draw. In his most decisive bout as a middleweight, he submitted Ray Cooper by rear-naked choke in the first round, winning the vacant SHOOTO Middleweight championships. The event was promoted by SHOOTO Americas, an offshoot of SHOOTO. The first challenger for the title was Akira Kikuchi whom Shields previously defeated in 2003. Kikuchi won their second encounter by unanimous decision, becoming the new SHOOTO middleweight champion. After the loss to Kikuchi, an injury kept Shields out of competition for eleven months before he next fought and got the decision win over Toby Imada at Kage Kombat. Shields entered a Grand Prix to inaugurate a welterweight champion at Rumble on the Rock 8 as part of a tournament qualifying match. He defeated Dave Menne in a quarterfinal bout to advance. At Rumble on the Rock 9, he surpassed Yushin Okami then Carlos Condit in victories by unanimous victories to become the Rumble on the Rock welterweight title. Shields never defended the Rumble on the Rock welterweight title, and next fought in Full Contact Promotions thereafter, beating Steve Berger by technical knockout in round two. In early 2007,Shields fought Ray Steinbeiss in the BodogFight (2006) promotion. Shields obtained an early take-down on Steinbeiss, landed punches from a full mount before pulling guard and getting the guillotine choke submission almost 90 seconds in the bout. At K-1 Hero's Dynamite!! USA event in June 2007, he took on Ido Pariente. He took down Pariente early, then landed strikes before securing a choke submission within two minutes. Around this time Shields agreed to fight Frank Trigg whom at the time was announcing for Pride Fighting Championships (2006). Trigg,who has been frequently critical of Shields, reneged and publicly scorned the idea that any promotion would care enough to have a bout between them. Shields signed with a 3-fight contract "Elite XC" (2007), and fought in September 2007 at Uprising (2007) against Renato Verissimo. Verissimo begun with strikes before getting Shields to the ground. Shields stood up and got a take-down on Verissimoo before landing strikes from the top and winning by technical knockout at the 4-minute mark. Mike Pyle was the next opponent of Shields, whom he fought at Renegade (2007). Pyle connected with a knee strike and took Shields down to the ground. Shields reversed the take-down which allowed the fight to resume as a stand up. Shields landed a left jab and Pyle successfully sprawled to defend the take-down attempt. Shields tried another take-down which worked, as Pyle quickly stood up and was taken down again. Shields controlled the ground action as he landed punches from the top before obtaining a rear-naked choke victory. Shields next competed against Nick Thompson to inaugurate the Elite XC (2007) welterweight champion at Episode #1.2 (2008). Named "Unfinished Business," it was the second EliteXC event televised on CBS television. Shields quickly took Thompson to the ground and mounted him to obtain a one-handed guillotine choke submission within a minute in the fight to become welterweight champion. Paul Daley was the first challenger for the welterweight at Episode #1.3 (2008), "Heat". Known for his powerful punches, Daley started the bout with plenty of them, as Shields attempted to take him down he sprawled. Shields got the take-down and landed punches on Daley from the full mount. Shields set up an arm-bar on Daley but abandoned it. Daley reversed Shields and ended up on top where he launched a ground and pound offensive with elbows which Shields survived. In the second round, Daley missed a head kick then landed another. Shields went for the take-down and Daley prevented it by sprawling. Shields tried a heel hook submission. As Daley fought of the heel hook attempt Shields took him down and landed strikes from the top. Shields adjusted his body and Daley's arm several times before securing an arm-bar and submitting Daley for the victory. "Heat" was the third and final Elite XC (2007) event to be aired on CBS television. Later that month, the promotion closed permanently due to severe financial losses, while Shields and several other fighters remained under contract and could not compete in other fight promotions.
Shields' immediate future remained uncertain until March 2009, when Strikeforce (2006), under the leadership of CEO Scott Coker, purchased the contracts of former "Elite XC" (2007) fighters, including that of Shields. Joe Riggs was going to be Shields' first opponent in Strikeforce , however plans were changed, and in June 2009 Shields moved up to the middleweight division to face Robbie Lawler at a catch-weight maximum 182 pounds in the main event at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields (2009). Lawler was the aggressor and attacked with punches and avoided the take-down tries by Shields. Shields connected with kicks before getting a hold of Lawler's neck for the guillotine choke submission. After Cung Le vacated the Strikeforce middleweight championship that September, Shields and Jason Mayhem Miller were name as the competitors for the vacant title. Shields and Miller fought that November at CBS Strikeforce M-1 Global Saturday Night Fights (2009). In the Strikeforce (2006) middleweight championship bout, Shields put Miller to the ground and controlled him for most of the 1st round before Miller had his own take downs. Miller cut Shields in the 2nd round with strikes and took him to ground before Shields reversed and attempted a submission leg-lock. Near the end of the round Miller controlled Shields on the ground. In the early part of the 3rd round, Miller obtained a take-down before Shields quickly stood up and took down Miller. Shields attacked from the top and Miller eventually "monkey roll" and escaped from the bottom and stood up. Miller landed a few strikes before getting taken to the ground by Shields twice more. Miller escaped and took Shield's back, securing a rare-naked choke on Shields with a few seconds left in the round. Shields held on and survived the submission attempt to make it to the 4th round. Miller's punches connected and Shields took the fight to the ground twice and controlled Miller for the rest for the round. In the 5th and final round, Shields traded strikes with Miller before getting the take-down and again controlling Miller on the ground. Shields landed strikes and attempted submissions which Miller escaped. Shields took down Miller, who quickly stood up only to get wrestled to the ground again. Miller escaped from the ground a final time before fight ended. Jake Shields won unanimously on the judge's score cards, becoming the new Strikeforce (2006) middleweight champion. The bout drew criticism for mainly happening on the ground with Shields in control but some felt not winning in a decisive manner.
Shields would defend the middleweight championship against the newly signed Dan Henderson in the main event at CBS Strikeforce Saturday Night Fights (2010). It would be Strikeforce's second televised card on CBS. Before the bout, the crowd was audibly on Henderson's side along with fight analyst Frank Shamrock, a detractor of Shields. A right hand from Henderson sends Shields to the ground early and he survived by putting Henderson on the defensive with a right leg lock. Henderson escaped the hold and created distance which made the referee force a stand up. Henderson connected with another right hand, hurting Shields again and sending him to the ground. Still hurt, Shields kept falling down as Henderson kept landing strikes including a few uppercuts. Near the end of the round Shields got a single leg take-down. Shields went on the offensive the second round by taking down Henderson and made attempts a rear naked choke. Henderson reverses and ended up on time, but Shields escapes and goes on and landed punches, including hammer fists. Shields continued to control Henderson and the round ended with him landing some punches. Early in the third round during a stand up, Jake landed jabs and got a take-down. Henderson quickly gets up, while Shields landed more punches and gets another take-down and ended up on top. Shields controlled Henderson on the ground and a one-handed guillotine choke from the top which failed as Henderson escaped from it. Shields remained on top and kept landing more strikes in volume, but not severe enough to stop the fight. Shields attempts an arm bar on Henderson who gets off his back while fighting the submission as the round ended. In the fifth and final round, Shields easily evaded the kicks and punches of a weary-looking Henderson. Shields again wrestled him to the ground. Henderson quickly got up and was again taken down by Shields who maintained side control and tried an arm triangle choke submission. Fully mounted, Shields attempted a straight arm-bar submission but could not secure it as Henderson resisted. Shields continued the ground and pound attack, tried another arm before transitioning to a knee bar submission which Henderson survived until the fight ended. Shields defended the Strikeforce middleweight title by unanimous decision from the judges. As he was interviewed by Gus Johnson, Jason Miller (XVI)', who had competed earlier on the card, interrupted the interview to ask Shields about a rematch. Shields first shoved him and his Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu training partners-'Nick Diaz(II)', Gilbert Melendez, and Nate Diaz-joined in and attacked Miller. The ensuing chaos became known as the "Strikeforce Brawl" and some questioned if the incident would hurt the still emerging sport. Johnson resumed his interview with Shields, who apologized for what happened. Much was made about the fact that Henderson, the newcomer to the promotion, was heavily promoted over Shields, the reigning middleweight champion. The bout was the last contracted fight for Shields, and Dana White, UFC's President, publicly played up the perceived tension between Shields and Strikeforce to campaign for Shields to sign with UFC, along with his announced plans to drive up Shields' value. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker stated his intent to not get in a bidding war for Shields. After an exclusive negotiating period ended, neither Shields nor Strikeforce could agree on the terms of a new contract. Shields was released from all his contractual obligations near the end of June, and he later negotiated a deal with Ultimate Fighting Championship (2000).Strikeforce's third middleweight champion. - Ronaldo Souza "Jacare" dos Santos is a successful competitor in grappling and Mixed Martial Arts. Souza was born in Vila Velha, Brazil, where he spent much of his early life. At age 15 he witnessed a friend's violent death and was sent to live with his brother in Manaus. Souza played soccer for fun until he later got the chance to learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) at the gym of Henrique Machado, a coach and black belt in BJJ and Judo. Souza was skeptical of grappling until he was defeated in a sparring match, inspiring him to learn the art. He adopted the nickname "Jacare" which is the English translation of Portuguese for "Alligator" due to his strength and aggressiveness. He became a member of the newly formed Sensei Fighting Sports Association. Because of limited academy resources to fund pupils in competitions, Jacare competed under different banners. After many successes in state level grappling competitions, in 2003 he won his first world title in grappling at the World Championships Brown Belt Division. It was the same year he first fought in MMA, in Brazil's Jungle Fights promotion where he was in the main event against veteran Jorge Patino. He defended many take-down attempts by Patino until being taken and controlled on the ground. Both fighters ended up outside the ring which interrupted the action. After they were stood up, referee Paulo Filho issued a yellow card against Patino for an illegal strike. The fighters resumed action and exchanged punches until Patino connected with two right hands which dazed Jacare, knocking him out. Jacare returned to grappling in 2004, where he placed second in his weight division and won first place (gold) in the Open Weight division after defeating Roger Gracie despite an injured arm. Jacare won his second MMA match when he fought French kick-boxer Victor Babkir. Babkir landed a right kick to Jacare's left leg and was quickly taken down and controlled from the side. Jacare achieved full mount and unloaded punches on Babkir who submitted to the strikes. He only competed in grappling in 2005, and won in his weight class at Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC), while losing in the Absolute Division to previous opponent, Roger Gracie. He would later win two gold medals at the World Jiu Jitsu Championships.
In almost two years between bouts, Jacare's third opponent in MMA was Alexander Shlemenko . Jacare got an early take-down of Shlemenko then hit him with a barrage of punches from full mount. While Shlemenko covered his face, Jacare sunk in an arm-triangle choke which made Shlemenko unconscious. Jacare fought Alexey Prokofiev in the first event promoted by Fury Fighting Championship. Just as the bell rung Jacare took Prokofiev to the ground and landed punches. While in full mount Jacare set up a triangle choke position and ended up on his back while applying the pressure to Prokofiev. With his opponent in the hold, Jacare attacked with punches and returned to full mount. With the triangle choke maintained, Jacare attacked with more punches until Prokofiev gave up.
In 2004 Jacare won the Pan Ams when he beat Braulio Estima. He later won the most prestigious gold medal in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the Mundial Absolute (Open Weight) Division. In the finals he defeated Roger Gracie despite injury due to an arm-bar. The situation with his arm forced Jacare out of competing in his weight class at the same event, resulting in a silver medal. Jacare fought in Gracie Fighting Championships and beat Bill Vucick into submission with punches. He fought and beat Jose Gomes by first round arm-bar in Amazon Challenge. A few weeks later he submitted Wendell Santos with punches early in the first round in the promotion Hero's The Jungle. Jacare fought Haim Gozali on Jungle Fights' seventh card in Slovenia. After exchanging strikes, Jacare slammed his opponent to the ground and tried to get an arm-triangle choke submission. Gozali successfully alleviated the pressure of the choke by grabbing the back of his right knee. Jacare rolled his opponent's body to get control of his back and applied a rear-naked choke submission to get the win. Jacare and Bill Vicucik fought at the Gracie Fighting Championships' "Evolution" event in 2007. Jacare quickly took Vicucik down, landed punches and elbows from side control. He fully mounted Vicucik to continue hitting with punches which resulted in Vicucik tapping the mat to concede defeat.
Jacare first competed in the Japanese promotion, Dream, entering the middleweight tournament at Dream. 2: Middleweight GP 2008 First Round (2008). In the opening round, he faced Ian Murphy and ended up on his back after missing a jumping right knee to Murphy's head. Murphy caught Jacare and slammed him to the ground. Jacare quickly escaped from the bottom using his BJJ skills to briefly stand up and was taken down again. On the ground he landed many legal knee strikes to the head and tried submitting Murphy by arm-bar. Jacare continued control and transitioned to Murphy's back to land several punches before securing a rear-naked choke submission. Jacare moved on in the tournament to meet 'Jason Miller (XVI)' in a quarterfinal bout at Dream. 4: Middleweight GP 2008 Second Round (2008). Jacare took Miller to the ground often and attacked with submission which Miller escaped. Miller out-struck Jacare when both fighters were on their feet. Jacare won via unanimous decision over two rounds. Croation fighter Zelg Galesic was Jacare's opponent in the semi-finals at Dream. 6: Middleweight GP 2008 Finals (2008). Jacare avoided a head-kick by Galesic and grabbed a hold of his body and slammed him to the ground. Galesic was active from the bottom by landing punches while Jacare moved to stronger positions. Jacare lost control when Galesic pushed him off and reversed position from the bottom. Just as soon as the reversal happened, Jacare secured an arm-bar submission to win. The victory moved him to the main event to later fight Gegard Mousasi in the tournament finals on the same card for the Dream Middleweight Grand Prix World Championship. Jacare took control of the fight early by attempting single-leg take-downs, then slamming Mousasi to the ground and controlling the action. Mousasi defended and Jacare land punches from the top. A right up-kick from Mousasi knocked out Jacare, resulting in his second MMA career loss.
In the main event of Dream. 9: Featherweight GP 2009 Second Round (2009), Jacare re-matched Jason Mayhem Miller for the Dream Middleweight championship vacated by Gegard Mousasi. There was a mutual exchange of strikes between the fighters until Jacare took Miller to the canvas. Miller quickly stood up. Miller caught a left kick by Jacare, pushed him to the ground and landed and illegal right kick to the head. The bout was stopped and Miller penalized with a yellow card (monetary fine). The bout resumed and Jacare later took Miller to the ground. Referee Yuji Shimada ceased the action for a second time due to Jacare's worsening head cut from the earlier foul, and declared a "No Contest". Jacare fought and outpointed Robert Drysdale to be Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Superfight Champion in grappling. Jacare moved to the American promotion Strikeforce (2006), and got a first opponent in someone he had defeated in grappling competition: Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland. When they met at Strikeforce: Evolution (2009) Jacare landed more strikes against Lindland on the feet and avoided being taken down. Lindland took Jacare to the ground during the second attempt. Jacare responded with submission holds, including an arm-bar then transitioned to another hold. Jacare landed several strikes in the position. Lindland escaped to his back where he attempted to triangle choke Jacare. Jacare controlled Lindland from top position where he secured an arm-triangle submission win.
During Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery (2010), Jacare controlled Joey Villasenor against the cage and on ground after a few take-downs for much of the first and second rounds. Villasenor defended well in the first half of round three, keeping the fight on the feet and out-pointing Jacare with strikes. Jacare was successfully getting in the fight to the ground for the remaining half of the round, and won unanimously on the judges' scorecards. Jacare fought Tim Kennedy at Strikeforce: Houston (2010) for the middleweight championship vacated by Jake Shields. In a bout mostly contested on the feet as a result of each defending well against the other's take-down attempts, Jacare won the unanimous decision to become Strikeforce Middleweight World Champion. Jacare fought Robbie Lawler at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg (2011) to defend the title. In round three, Jacare took the hard-punching Lawler to the ground and submitted him by rear-naked choke to retain the championship. Jacare's second title defense was booked at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov (2011), with Luke Rockhold challenging him. Jacare and Rockhold fought for all 5 rounds of the championship bout. Rockhold won unanimously from the judges and became the new champion.
Following the loss to Rockhold, Jacare competed in ADCC and lost to Braulio Estima. He and retired from grappling competition following that defeat. At Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey (2012) to score a round 3 arm-triangle victory over Bristol Marunde. He scored his quickest victory in his next fight at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman (2012): knocking out Derek Brunson with punches to win in forty-one seconds. Jacare was mentioned in a possible championship rematch with Luke Rockhold, but Lorenz Larkin was offered the opportunity on a card scheduled for November 2012. A wrist injury made Rockhold cancel the bout and the entire card was eventually canceled. Jacare was matched up against Larkin for a later event, however Larkin was injured in training. This which lead to Ed Herman replacing him against Jacare on the final Strikeforce card, Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine (2013). An aggressive Souza exchanged strikes with Herman and clinched with him against the fence then took him to the ground. Jacare complained to referee Mark Carter after Herman illegally kicked him in the face while he was grounded. Herman was warned and the bout restarted on the feet. Souza landed a right front kick to Herman's face, and soon ran in for a double-leg slam on Herman. Souza quickly attacked Herman's right arm, pulling it in the opposite direction with pressure to win by submission, completing his Strikeforce career with 7 wins and a loss.Strikeforce's fourth middleweight champion. - Luke Rockhold was born on 17 October 1984 in Santa Cruz County, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Cagefighter (2020), UFC 200 Greatest Fighters of All Time (2016) and Countdown to UFC (2011).Strikeforce's fifth and final middleweight champion.
- Bobby Southworth is one of the most veterans of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters, beginning his professional career in 1999 long before the sport experienced popularity in the United States. Southworth was born in Madison, Wisconsin and spent his formative years in Santa Cruz, California where he played basketball and did surfing. He was adopted by pacifist parents as a child, and started martial arts at age 25 after attending a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu seminar with a friend. Southworth found out about MMA at age 26 when a friend showed him a tape of UFC 1: The Beginning (1993), and he became fascinated with Royce Gracie. Southworth started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) under the tutelage of Cesar Gracie, whose gym's location was near Southworth's home. He then spent some time training at a Ralph Gracie school, and later earned a black belt from Dave Camarillo. Southworth said he became aware that MMA was evolving beyond BJJ and wanted to work on his striking, which lead him to Javier Mendez at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose. Southworth also met and became friends with 'Crazy' Bob Cook who would become his manager. Southworth started competing in Northern California Gold Gloves boxing competitions and later help found a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program at AKA, becoming its head instructor. Southworth expanded his instructing to kickboxing and boxing, and later joined Mendez and Alex Khanbanian in opening American Kickboxing Academy Sunnyvale.
Southworth had his first MMA bout at age 29 against veteran opponent Jason Godsey in the New Grounds promotion in late May 1999. Southworth loss by a choke submission in the first round, and four days after he got his first win defeating Bob Ostovich by TKO in the first round of Icon Sport's "SuperBrawl 12." Southworth took a year off from fighting then returned against Tobey Oberdine at "Warrior Challenge 14" in International Fighting Championship (IFC) to win by a rear-naked choke submission. Southworth earned his second submission victory by beating Ivan Sequet with strikes at "Bushido 1". In March 2001,he fought his most high profile bout at that point when he took on Vitor Belfort during Japan's Pride Fighting Championship 13's "Collision Course". Belfort was the aggressor with punches and kicks before taking Southworth to the ground. Southworth fought back to his feet and was quickly taken down by Belfort with a single-leg. During the transition to stand up, Belfort took control of Southworth's back and submitted him late in the first round by rear-naked choke. That following July Southworth defended the IFC title for the first time when he fought Floyd Sword. He won by technical knockout at the end of round three and won the IFC USA Light Heavyweight Championship. In his only bout in 2002, Southworth had his quickest loss getting knocked out by David Pa'aluhi in 16 seconds. He competed in Japan for the second time in his career by fighting Bryan Pardoe for the X-1 promotion in 2003. He won by technical knockout soon in the second round. Southworth returned to IFC for first bout in 2003 to defend the IFC title against Brian Vanderwalle on the "Big Valley Brawl" card. Southworth defended the title by way of an arm-bar after four minutes in round one.
In 2004 Southworth was on the path to share wide recognition when was chosen to be among the original cast of The Ultimate Fighter (2005). (The program was taped in Fall 2004 and aired in Spring 2005. The bouts were considered exhibition bouts and not included on the fighters' professional records.) Southworth was selected to join Chuck Liddell's team of light-heavyweight and middleweight fighters opposing Randy Couture and his team. During the show, Southworth struggled to cut weight and had to be motivated by ally Josh Koscheck and their coach Liddell. Southworth and Koscheck teamed up at different times to take on the sometimes unpopular Chris Leben in the house. One incident had Southworth laughing and watching while Koscheck used a hose to spray water on Leben who was sleeping on the lawn. Southworth fought Lodune Sincaid and won by knockout to advance to the second round. He fought Stephan Bonnar and lost a split decision which eliminated him from the competition. An irate Southworth voiced his unhappiness with the decision, and that lead to a confrontation with UFC President Dana White. Southworth was kept around as a possible replacement for Forrest Griffin, who had a medical situation. Griffin was cleared to fight, and Southworth next competed against Sam Hoger on Ultimate Finale (2005), losing by unanimous decision. Southworth competed the next year in 2006 for the promotion Strikeforce (2006), which held its first MMA card in March 2006. (Strikeforce (2006) was a kickboxing promotion when its CEO Scott Coker founded it in 1994.) Southworth was booked in a catch-weight bout against James Irvin. When Southworth pushed Irvin against the unlocked door both of them fell outside the cage.The bout was ruled a "no contest" after 17 seconds due to a foot injury suffered by Irvin. Southworth later said he felt he should have won because Irvin's injury happened as a result of his actions inside the cage. His account contradicted Irvin's of how the injury happened.
Southworth was booked in his second Strikeforce bout on its "Triple Threat" card against Vernon White in a match to crown a champion in the light-heavyweight division. Utilizing take-downs and ground control over five rounds, Southworth unanimously won in the scoring to become the inaugural Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion. On the promotion's first card at the Playboy Mansion, Southworth fought Bill Mahood in a non-championship bout. Mahood verbally submitted after a minute due to an injured rib. In another bout where the title was not at risk, Southworth fought Anthony Ruiz, who was a late replacement on the card at "4 Enter, 1 Survives". Southworth lead the first round by taking Ruiz to the ground and controlled his opponent, before Ruiz took him down later. Southworth got another takedown near the end of the round. Early in the second round Southworth was sent to his back when Ruiz hit him with a punching combination which cut him above his left eye. Referee Marcos Rosales intervened to have a cut above Southworth's left eye looked at by a doctor. The bout was stopped and Ruiz was declared the winner by technical knockout at 52 seconds in round two. In defeating Southworth, Ruiz earned an opportunity to challenge him for the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson (2008).
Southworth and Ruiz fight was characterized by a battle for dominant positions on the ground, after they took turns taking each other down. Some fans in attendance voiced their derision with the slow pace of the bout, although Southworth did threaten Ruiz with bout-ending triangle choke and kimura submissions. The fight ended with Southworth defending the title from a unanimous decision by the three judges. In the post-fight press conference, Southworth said his performance was affected by some of his ribs and a toe being injured during training two weeks before the bout.
Newly signed Renato Sobral (Babalu) was touted as the next challenger for the championship held by Southworth. A title fight planned for September 2008 at the promotion's second Playboy Mansion event was cancelled because of problems Southworth experienced with his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and meniscus while training. Anthony Ruiz was booked to replace Southworth against Sobral, until Sobral had his own knee issues which required surgery in August. Southworth and Sobral fought in November 2008 at Strikeforce: Destruction (2008). Sobral quickly pushed Southworth in the cage, and Southworth reversed the position then took him to the ground and controlled the action. Babalu returned to his feet and the two battled for dominant positions against the cage. Babalu left elbow strikes cut above Southworth's right eye. With under 30 seconds remaining in the round, referee John McCarthy stopped the bout for a physician to inspect the leaky cut above Southworth's eye. The fight was allowed to continue and Southworth caught a right kick from Sobral then threw him to the ground and attacked from top. Following the advice from the cage-side physician, McCarthy stopped the bout and declared Sobral the winner and new champion by technical knockout at the end of the first round. Following the bout in a post-fight interview with Ron Kruck, Babalu was receptive to a rematch for the title. There was not a second bout between the two, and Southworth never again competed in Strikeforce, implying in a latter interview that he left because the promotion's offer were below expectations. In October 2009, Southworth unsuccessfully tried to join the cast of the 11th season of The Ultimate Fighter (2005) which focused on middleweight fighters. His first bout since losing the Strikeforce title happened in the Australian promotion XMMA (Extreme MMA) in 2010, where he defeated Aaron Boynes by technical knockout in the first round. Southworth stated that his infrequent fights have been due to the lack of opportunities presented to him. He moved to San Antonio to help open and become the head instructor for a new branch of American Kickboxing Academy: AKA Texas.Strikeforce's first light-heavyweight champion. - Renato Sobral was born on 7 September 1975 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is an actor, known for TNA iMPACT! Wrestling (2004), Kickboxer: Retaliation (2018) and EA Sports MMA (2010).Strikeforce's second light-heavyweight champion.
- Gegard Mousasi was born on 1 August 1985 in Tehran, Iran.Strikeforce's third light-heavyweight champion.
- A self-described "student of the game" of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and other fighting sports, Muhammad Lawal was an accomplished athlete before he professionally entered MMA in 2008. Lawal attended Oklahoma State University where he was member of the wrestling team. In 2002, he won the Division II championship, and the following year he became a Big 12 Champion and Division I All-American. Outspoken and flamboyant in his entrances under the "King Mo" persona, Lawal was presented with his first MMA fight when an injury forced Roger Gracie off the World Victory Road Sengoku 5 card in Tokyo, Japan. With two weeks notice, Lawal substituted for Gracie against the heavily favored veteran Travis Wiuff in a September 2008 Heavyweight bout. Lawal avoided most of the attacks from the much bigger Wiuff, while throwing punches. Lawal staggered Wiuff with a flying right punch by the second minute, then a double-leg take-down against the ropes, and landed several punches to win by technical knockout. Lawal next fought Fabio Silva at Sengoku 6. Silva landed a right low kick to Lawal's right leg and was soon taken down via double-leg. Lawal hit Silva with multiple punches at the edge of the ropes and controlled him. Silva returned to his feet and Lawal took down against the ropes by single-leg after some resistance. Lawal moved Silva to a corner post of the ring and continued the control from top. Lawal landed some legal knees to Silva's face on his way to standing up. Lawal moved away and avoided a right head kick then took Silva down for a third time before the round expired. Lawal held Silva's both legs, picked him up and threw him to the ground to resume top control, and later landed legal knees to the downed Silva who fought back to his feet. Lawal took him down by single-leg and retained control until the end of the second round. A more aggressive Silva went after Lawal at the start of the third round, and Lawal him with a uppercut and hook then took him down to a corner of the ring. Lawal hit him with several rights hands until the bout was stopped at forty-one seconds in the last round.
In January 2009, Lawal competed at "Sengoku no Ran 2009" against Yukiya Naito. Naito attacked him with leg kicks, while Lawal employed a strategy of moving forward with punches. A powerful right hand from Lawal to Naito's face made him wobble. Lawal continued his punching attack on the ground and ended with left punches to Naito's face until he collapsed on his stomach. Two months after he fought the Light Heavyweight King of Pancrease 'Ryo Kawamura' at Sengoku 7. The bout went the full fifteen minutes with all 3 rounds characterized by Lawal taking Kawamura to the mat with slams, numerous take-downs and controlling his opponent's back while landing punches. r Lawal won by unanimous decision and revealed that he had incurred a tear in his left ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) the week before while training with Dean Lister. Lawal cited the injury as a reason for not decisively finishing Kawamura with a rear-naked choke submission, which is commonly used with both legs to control the opponent's body. The left ACL surgery kept him out of action until his return fight five months later against Mark Kerr in the Heavyweight division at M-1 Global's "Breakthrough". Lawal caught Kerr's left leg and hoisted him up then threw him to the mat at the bout's start. Lawal attacked from Kerr's back with punches to the face, sending Kerr's mouthpiece across the canvas to win by knockout in 25 seconds. Lawal signed with Strikeforce (2006) because the promotion allows fighters to compete in other organizations. His first bout in the promotion took place at Strikeforce: Evolution (2009) where he moved up in weight to fight Mike Whitehead, whom he said insisted their bout happen at Heavyweight. Whitehead attacked Lawal with leg kicks and attempted to take him to the ground which Lawal defended. Lawal established a pattern of landing a counter left punch after Whitehead would throw a leg kick. After another left leg kick by Whitehead, Lawal connected with a right punch and followed Whitehead to the mat with a left punch then knocked him out with a succession of right punches. The California State Athletic Commission later fined Lawal $2000 of the $20,000 he earned from the bout for spilling drinks inside the cage while celebrating.
Lawal moved down a weight class to challenge Gegard Mousasi for Strikeforce's World Light Heavyweight Championship at CBS Strikeforce Saturday Night Fights (2010). Lawal controlled the fight with an early single-leg take-down in round 1 and attacked from the top. Mousasi gets up and exchange strikes with Lawal who gets a second take-down. Round 2 began with another take-down by Lawal who met opposition from a more active Mousasi who lands several hammer-fists from his back. The fight is stood up and Lawal gets another take-down and avoids Mousasi's submissions. Mousasi fought to the feet and takes his opponent back to attempt a rear-naked choke at round's end. Mousasi initiated punches, knees, and kicks at the start of the round 3, and Lawal exchanged punches then got a leg trip take-down to resume control on the ground near the fence for most of the round. Mousasi was again aggressive at the start of round 4, with punches and kicks. Lawal hit him with punches then took him to the ground. The fight was later stood by the referee John McCarthy and Mousasi landed some punches. Lawal got a single-leg take-down to control the action further. Lawal gets a double-leg take-down against the fence at the start of the 5th and final round following a brief exchange of punches. Mousasi landed an illegal up-kick from his back and was deducted a point by the referee. The fight was resumed with Lawal in top control. Mousasi returned to his feet to briefly control Lawal's back. Lawal shrugs him off and gets another take-down. They were stood up again and exchanged punches before Lawal secured a final take-down near round's end. Lawal unanimously won the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championships from all three judges who scored it 49 to 45 each.
Renato Sobral had defeated Robbie Lawler at Strikeforce: Los Angeles (2010) to earn the right to challenge Lawal for the title. Babalu declined to fight Lawal--his training partner and friend--who was booked to face the next contender: Rafael Cavalcante ("Feijao"). Feijao met Lawal for the title at Strikeforce: Houston (2010). Lawal took control in the first round by slamming Feijao to the ground. Feijao returned to his feet and avoided being taken down again. Lawal's secured another take-down in round two and landed strikes. Additional take-down attempts were defended by Feijao, and in round three he hurt Lawal with knees and elbows to win the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title. Lawal had surgery the following month due to a torn right ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and PCL (posterior cruciate ligament). He returned to MMA competition in September 2011 for Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov (2011) to fight the undefeated Roger Gracie. Lawal and Gracie were tentative in the opening minutes until Gracie connected with a jumping knee. Lawal hit Gracie with two overhand right punches then followed him to the ground with a third and fourth punch to win by technical knockout. In his next bout he faced another undefeated opponent in Lorenz Larkin on the card at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine (2012). In the first minute of the bout, Lawal caught Larkin's left leg and threw him to the ground after some resistance. He proceeded to control Larkin on the ground and landed strikes in between until the final minute when the fighters were stood up and Larkin landed left hooks near the round's end. Lawal again took Larkin to the ground via a single-leg early in the round then landed a succession of right punches to Larkin's head before the bout was stopped and declared a technical knockout. In the post fight interview with Mauro Ranallo, Lawal said he thought referee Kim Winslow allowed Larkin to receive too many strikes before intervening. He said her response was that she wanted to give Larkin enough time to defend himself.
Days following the bout with Larkin, Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) chief Keith Kizer revealed that Lawal had tested positive for the banned steroid Drostanolone. Lawal denied the accusations in an ESPN interview, saying he is careful of what he uses. Lawal had another ACL replacement surgery while awaiting further news from the NSAC. Following his release from the hospital, his knee had a life-threatening stap (staphylococcus) infection which resulted in five additional medical procedures during a 12-day hospital stay. He recovered from the severe situation and later met with members of the NSAC for a hearing on March 27, 2012. Lawal acknowledged the banned substance found in his body was from a once legally available over-the-counter supplement that had been removed from the market. The NSAC overturned his win over Larkin to a "No Contest", and levied financial penalties against him plus a nine month suspension. Lawal took issue with the questioning of a particular commission member, Pat Lundvall, and made negative comments about that her online later that day. Soon after Strikeforce (2006) CEO Scott Coker issued a statement that Lawal was released from his contract because of the comments. Lawal's manager Mike Kogan was informed of the action. After Lawal apologized, Strikeforce's parent company, Zuffa , kept open the possibility that he could work for them in the future. Lawal joined Julie Kedzie and Mauro Ranallo in doing commentary for the new all-women promotion, Invicta Fighting Championships, which held its first event on April 28, 2012. Lawal's future plans were revealed in an appearance with Dixie Carter and Bjorn Rebney on King Mo Reigns (2012). They announced that Lawal had signed a joint contract to appear in TNA iMPACT! Wrestling (2004) and return to MMA in Bellator Fighting Championships (2009) when he recovers. In January 2013, he advanced in the quarterfinal round of the Season 8 Light Heavyweight Tournament at Bellator MMA 86 (2013) for his first Bellator bout. He fought Przemyslaw Mysiala and demonstrated better punching which earned him a first technical knock-out win.Strikeforce's fourth light-heavyweight champion. - Rafael Cavalcante's path to Mixed Marital Arts was enabled by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira whose search for a training partner lead to the widely endorsed Cavalcante. When he was 10 years old, Cavalcante started Jiu Jitsu training in his country of origin, Brazil, and throughout his five years as veterinary student. Noguiera convinced Cavalcante's father to let him switch to a career in combat sports from veterinary medicine in Rio De Janiero. With Noguiera's training and financial support, Cavalcante trained regularly in Noguiera's gym with his brother, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira,Anderson Silva, and Andre Galvao. He later adopted the nickname "Feijao"-which means beans in his native Portuguese language. Feijao won his first bout in 2006, initially as a heavyweight, dispatching Eduardo Maiorino within five minutes by TKO at Pantanal Combat. Feijao next fought Miodrag Petkovic in Russia at World Free Fighting Challenge's "Europe vs. Brazil," winning by technical knockout in the second round. In his third fight that year, Feijao submitted Rubens Xavier by strikes in two and a half minutes at Minotauro Fights 5. In 2007, Feijao took a major step towards prominence by competing in the team-oriented IFL: International Fight League (2006). That February he fought and defeated Devin Cole by an early round 2 TKO at the IFL event in Atlanta. Marcio Cruz defeated Feijao by disqualification while fighting on another IFL card, this time in Las Vegas. In the third round, Feijao delivered illegal kicks to Cruz which resulted in his first loss. After this bout, Feijao next moved down in weight to competed as a permanent light-heavyweight at Street Certified (2008).He fought John Doyle and won by technical knockout in over two minutes.From the International Fight League, Feijao moved on to EliteXC, where he fought Wayne Cole at The Return of the King (2008). Feijao kicked inside of Cole's right leg, and Cole responded with punches to the face which was stopped by a clinch. Using under-hooks, Feijao pulled Cole to the ground. Cole, an accomplished Divsion II wrestler from Central Oklahoma, quickly scrambled to his feet. Feijao kept Cole against the cage to land knee strikes to the left and with punches. A Feijao knee connected to Cole's groin causing the referee to cease the action. When the fight resumed, Feijao opened up with kicks and knee strikes to Cole's which lead to a clinch and takedown attempt. Feijao held Cold against the cage for a few seconds before releasing his hold and landing punches to the face followed by knees in the clinch. Cole held Feijao's left leg to attempt another takedown but Feijao held his balance and landed more punches and knees to the head. Cole fell to his knees and Feijao attacked from his back with punches strikes until the referee stopped the fight by technical knockout. Travis Galbraith had seven days to prepare when he agreed to fight Feijao on EliteXC's "Unfinished Business" (Episode #1.2 (2008)) card. At the opening, Feijao landed a left inside kick then clinched, which Galbraith reversed against the cage. Galbraith landed knees to Feijao's leg and a few to his face. Feijao escaped and Galbraith closed the distance before another clinch and both fighters exchanged knee strikes. Galbraith attempted a single-leg takedown then pushed Feijao against the cage. It only lasted a few seconds as Feijao hip tossed Galbraith to the mat. Galbraith quickly got up and tried another single-leg takedown before again landing a few strikes on Feijao in the clinch against the cage. Feijao pushed Galbraith away and landed standing and jumping knee strikes to his opponent's face followed by punches. Feijao clinched with Galbraith and hit him with more knees which caused him fall on his back. Feijao followed up with ground and pound for the TKO win.
The victory over Galbraith elevated Feijao to light-heavyweight title contender status. Justin Eilers was considered an opponent. Eilers had lost the inaugural EliteXC heavyweight title fight to Antonio Silva, and decided to move down to the light-heavyweight division. EliteXC officials booked Feijao in a fight with Cyrille Diabate to crown the first ElitXC light-heavyweight champion. Diabete later withdrew from the scheduled November bout in Reno, Nevada. Feijao remained on the card, waiting to face an opponent who had yet to be named. The event did not transpire as a result of the promotion's closure in October 2008 because of financial pressures. In early 2009, Feijao's contract, among other EliteXC fighters, were purchased by Strikeforce (2006). Feijao was slated to meet then light-heavyweight champion Renato Sobral in his first Strikeforce bout at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields (2009). Sobral cancelled for personal reasons and Jared Hamman was named as his replacement. Hamman had to withdraw after suffering an injury, and Mike Kyle became Feijao's newest opponent. In an upset loss in the view of many, Kyle Feijao's by hurting him with punches late in the second round for the referee to declare a technical knockout. Fejjao believed the changed in opponents affected his fight plan, in addition to weight troubles prior to the fight. The loss to Kyle derailed the momentum of Feijao, a highly touted student of "Minotauro" Nogueira and Anderson Silva. At Strikeforce Challengers 5 (2009) Aaron Rosa was his opponent. Feijao neutralized the punches of Rosa by clinching with him against the cage. Feijao implemented an inside leg trip on Rosa then landed punches as Rosa stood up. The rest of the round was occasion exchange of strikes between the two with Feijao mostly holding Rosa against the cage. The second round begun with distance between the two, which Feijao again closed when Rosa started to land strikes. Feijao changed the direction of the fight by hitting Rosa with an overhand right punch, a flying knee, followed by an elbow then took him to the ground. Feijao controlled his opponent and connected with punches on the ground until he landed an elbow-illegal while on the ground in Strikeforce-and the referee intervened. After a warning, the fight was restarted on the feet and Feijao immediately sent Rosa to the ground with a big a right hand. Feijao followed up and landing punches to the downed Rosa and the referee ended the bout by technical knockout. Feijao met an aggressive foe in Antwain Britt at Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery (2010). Britt, physically larger, had Feijao on the defensive. Feijao swiftly reversed Britt in a clinch against the cage, and they resumed action and Feijao landed two knees then lost his balance after missing a right knee. He quickly got up, and after a momentary lull in action, Britt resumed his aggression with more punches then controlled Feijao against the cage. Britt landed more strikes and staggered Feijao with a right uppercut. It preempted attempts by Feijao to initiate any strikes from a Muay Thai clinch, as one of Feijao's mentors, Anderson Silva, could be heard shouting instructions from the corner. Britt pursued again, and Feijao managed to connect with knees in a clinch. As the fighters competed for position against the cage, the referee separated them. Feijao exploited the break land a head kick then with punches which hurt Britt. Feijao followed Britt to the ground with more punches and ended the bout by knockout. Before Strikeforce: Los Angeles (2010) in which Renato Sobral won a decision over Robbie Lawler, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker had announced that the winner would be a challenger for the light-heavyweight championship. Sobral, a former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion, declined the title opportunity against his friend and training partner King Mo. Instead, Sobral campaigned for a rematch with Dan Henderson to avenge a majority decision loss in Japan's Rings promotion 10 years before. Feijao was granted the title fight with Lawal at Strikeforce: Houston (2010). Lawal had defeated Gegard Mousasi for the championship at CBS Strikeforce Saturday Night Fights (2010). Preparing for Lawal, Feijao was aware of his opponent's wrestling credentials. Early in round one, Lawal got a hold of Cavalcante and slammed him to the ground. Cavalacante worked his way back to get the fight standing. Cavalcante used jabs and knees to keep Lawal at distance and prevented further takedowns. In the second round, Cavalcante pushed the fight by landing strikes on Lawal, who then took Cavalcante to the ground where he landed strikes.While standing. Cavalcante defended against additional takedown attempts by Lawal. At the start of the 3rd round, Cavalcante began landing punches, knees and elbows which sent Lawal collapsing backward. Hurt, Lawal tried taking down Cavalcante who landed several elbows to the side of Lawal's head. Lawal collapsed and the fight was stopped after 1:14 by technical knockout, making Feijao the new Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion.Strikeforce's fifth light-heavyweight champion. - Actor
- Stunts
Dan Henderson was born on 24 August 1970 in Apple Valley, California, USA. He is an actor, known for No Rules (2005), Dragon Eyes (2012) and Breakout (2016).Strikeforce's sixth and final light-heavyweight champion.- Born in Hounslow, England, Alistair Cees Overeem spent most of his life in Holland. Along with his older brother, Valentijn Overeem, Alistair was brought by his mother to Holland at age 6 after she and their father divorced. Alistair's interest in combat sports began at 15, when Valentijn took him to a gym to learn self-defense.
Overeem's first time in combat sports competition happened in a 1997 kick-boxing bout, under K-1 rules. His first professional kick-boxing bout was in March 1999 with a decision win over Paul Hordijk. Another first happened that year: he fought in a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) bout that October against Ricardo Fyeet, winning by a first round submission. His second MMA fight happened with Japan's Rings organization. Although he lost the decision to Yuriy Kochkine, he was offered a Rings contract.
In his second Rings fight, he defeated Chris Watts by TKO. Overeem had several fights in the Dutch promotion 2 Hot 2 Handle. Later in his first fight with Pride Fighting Championships (2006), he defeated Yusuke Imamura by TKO within a minute. Overeem would experience two more victories in Pride, before a knock loss to Chuck Liddell in 2003. Overeem recovered from the defeat with victories in 2 Hot 2 Handle and Pride, but would get submitted by Maurício Rua in his third bout during the 2005 Pride light-heavyweight Grand Prix.
Overeem's first fight for Strikeforce (2006) happened at the 2006 event named "Revenge," where he won a unanimous decision over Vitor Belfort, an opponent whom he had previously defeated in Pride. It was his last win before Overeem would endure a career setback--later attributed to "private circumstance"--by decisively losing to three successive opponents in Pride: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Ricardo Arona, and Maurício Rua. Although he had intended to start his career at light-heavyweight then become a heavyweight, it was these losses that Overeem permanently moved to heavyweight. He said it was due to difficulties in cutting and maintaining weight as a light heavyweight fighter. However, his massive weight and muscle gain lead to speculation among some fans that it was the results of using banned substances. Furthermore, the speculation was compounded by his lengthy absence from the American-based Strikeforce (2006),with allegations by that he was avoiding American athletic commissions which conducts stringent testing of fighters not present in Japan and Europe.
In 2007, Overeem returned to competition as a heavyweight in two mixed martial arts bouts held by K-1 with a win then a loss--submitting Michael Knapp then getting knocked out by Sergei Kharitonov. Despite the loss, Overeem was invited for a second Strikeforce (2006) fight, putting him against Paul Buentello at the 2007 event "Four Men Enter, One Man Survives" to crown its first heavyweight champion. Overeem won the Strikeforce heavyweight championship after submitting Buentello by knee strikes in the second round. Due to the non-exclusivity of Strikeforce's contracts--and the dearth of opponents in its heavyweight division--Overeem fought in the Japanese organization Dream, which has a business relationship with Strikeforce (2006).
In Dream fights held in 2008, Overeem defeated Tae-Hyun Lee, Mark Hunt and fought Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic to a "No Contest" as a result of illegal groin strikes by Overeem. The winner may have faced Fedor Emelianenko however the fight's outcome removed it from consideration. That year Overeem fought in Ultimate Glory with a submission victory against Gary Goodridge. A month later in December 2008, Overeem fought Badr Hari in a K-1 kick-boxing fight.
A rivalry had developed between Hari and Overeem after Overeem's Dream 6 fight with Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic. Hari, who was in the audience, entered the ring thereafter and challenged Overeem to a kick-boxing fight, which Overeem refused. Instead, Overeem wanted to fight Hari under MMA rules, which Hari declined. That December at the 2008 K-1 World Grand Prix Final, Hari was disqualified for illegally attacking Remy Bonjasky on the ground in a kick-boxing fight, making Bonjasky the tournament champion. It was Overeem who then challenged Hari to a mixed martial arts fight, however, Hari wanted a kick-boxing bout. Overeem decided he would face Hari first in kick-boxing, if Hari would agree to a later MMA fight, which Hari accepted. They fought later that month at Dynamite 2008!! in Saitama, Japan, where Overeem earned his biggest K-1 kick-boxing victory at the time by knocking out Hari in first round. In March 2009, Overeem lost a K-1 decision to Remy Bonjasky.
After losing to Bonjasky, Overeem withdrew from a scheduled MMA title fight against Fabricio Werdum at the 2009 event Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg (2009), due to a hand injury sustained in an altercation at a club. This furthered his absence from Strikeforce and invited further criticisms--with suggestions that company founder and CEO Scott Coker should crown a new Strikeforce (2006) heavyweight champion.
Overeem returned to competition in September 2009 as a kick-boxer in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 tournament. Despite his decision loss to Remy Bonjasky earlier in the year, he was selected in a fan vote to compete in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final 16 in South Korea. He won the decision over the legendary Peter Aerts, also of Holland. The following month he had a second MMA appearance in Ultimate Glory where he submitted Tony Sylvester. A few days later at Dream 12, he submitted James Thompson. In December he resumed the K-1 competition and knocked out Ewerton Teixeira to meet Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic again in the semifinals. Hari won the rematch by a first round TKO, ending Overeem's prospects of winning that year's K-1 World Grand Prix Final.
A few weeks later, Overeem returned to MMA, and fought at "K-1/Dynamite!! Power of Courage 2009" against Kazuyuki Fujita. He won by knock out in the first round. After Fedor Emelianenko signed with Strikeforce and defeated Brett Rogers at CBS Strikeforce M-1 Global Saturday Night Fights (2009) in November 2009, he was expected to be Overeem's first title challenger. However a renegotiation of Emelianenko's contract by his M-1 Global management company put a stop to speculations of a title fight with Overeem.
In the ensuing months, Strikeforce (2006) made a controversial decision and declared Brett Rogers-- after losing his last fight to Emelianenko--the contender for the title held by Overeem. A month before fighting Rogers, Overeem competed at the the K-1 World Grand Prix event in Yokohama, knocking out Dzevad Poturak in round one. At Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery (2010),Overeem dominated Rogers to win by technical knockout in the first round. Soon after, Overeem was in attendance at Strikeforce M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Werdum (2010), where the bout between Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum would determine Overeem's next title challenger. Overeem looked forward to a victory by Emelianenko, whom he had publicly challenged several times. After what was considered a significant submission upset of Emelianenko by Werdum, uncertainty loomed after Werdum's elbow surgery removed him from competition for the remainder of 2010.
Further complicating matters were Werdum's suggestion he was more interested in a rematch with Emelianenko than a title fight with Overeem, whom he defeated by submission in a 2006 Pride fight. Meanwhile, Emelianenko--who had one fight left with Strikeforce--entered into further contract negotiations, leaving his return date uncertain. After nothing became of a proposed Dream bout between Overeem and Ricco Rodriguez, Overeem committed himself to compete in the K-1 World Grand Prix kick-boxing tournament.
In October, he defeated Ben Edwards at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Final 16 in South Korea to advance to the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix tournament at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan. In a competitive first fight, Overeem won a decision over Tyrone Spong. Overeem then got by Gökhan Saki in the first round due to injury. Within 67 seconds of the final bout, Overeem hurt legendary K-1 fighter Peter Aerts leading to a fight stoppage and being declared the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion. Overeem made combat sports history by holding major championships in kick-boxing and mixed martial arts. Overeem successes would continue as he remained in Japan for his second MMA fight that year. At "K-1 Dynamite!! Power of Courage 2010," Overeem won Dream's interim heavyweight championship by knocking out Todd Duffee in 19 seconds.
In June 2011, Alistair Overeem returned to Strikeforce as a competitor in its Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament. In a quarter-final bout, Overeem fought Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum (2011). Overeem won by unanimous decision, advanced, and was scheduled for a later meeting against Antonio Silva in a semi-final bout. Overeem was replaced by Daniel Cormier after being released from his contract by Zuffa. Zuffa, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), had purchased Strikeforce in March 2011. Zuffa took the action due to a dispute with Overeem's management team, Golden Glory. After separating from Golden Glory, Overeem signed a contract with UFC that same year. In his UFC debut, Overeem fought Brock Lesnar at UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem (2011). Overeem defeated Lesnar in the first round as a result of a kick followed up by punches.Strikeforce's first and final heavyweight champion.