The 8 Best Strikeforce Title Fights

For years, Strikeforce has been known for using creative match-making to put on exciting fights. With a thin roster, the business strategy was one of necessity, and it produced some memorable fights.

The idea that Strikeforce will not be around much longer is a very real one. So let's take a look back on some of those memorable title fights and reminisce on the MMA promotion that never quite achieved greatness but did provide fans with some great entertainment.

Here are the eight best Strikeforce title fights of all time.

Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey, March 3, 2012

Heading into her women’s bantamweight championship fight against Meisha Tate, Ronda Rousey was pretty much only known as a former Olympic judoka who was damn good at armbars. But she also had a look and a charisma about her that could thrust her to the next level. After the fight, it couldn’t have been clearer—a star was born.

Rousey dominated the grappling, putting on, unsurprisingly, an armbar clinic against the much more experienced Tate.

It’s kind of cool when you know exactly what a fighter is going to do. It’s like they’re laying the blueprint out on a table detaining their every move, and then daring their opponent to stop them. Tate put forth a spirited effort, and she made a good battle out of it, but the judo-centric grappling prowess of Rousey was just too much.

Should Strikeforce fold up shop, what the future holds for Rousey is uncertain, but even Dana White has admitted she's a "rock star." Hopefully. the UFC will find a place for women's MMA on the big stage.

Gina Carano propelled women's MMA into popularity. Ronda Rousey now has the torch, and she could be the one to propel it into the mainstream.

Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le, March 29, 2008

Before Strikeforce beefed up their roster with a plethora of top heavyweights, the promotion was centered around one guy: MMA legend Frank Shamrock.

Sure, by the time Shamrock met Cung Le to defend his Strikeforce middleweight championship, he was already 35 years old, had a professional career that spanned 14 years and had a pair of knees being held together by rubber bands and chewing gum. But anyone who has been around the sport for a while knows Frank Shamrock was the real deal. One of the first truly well-rounded fighters in the sport, Shamrock was a pioneer.

So when the flashy Le took to the cage and battered Shamrock with kung fu movie kicks, it wasn’t much of a surprise. Always the showman, Shamrock embraced the stand-up battle and made a fight out of it—shocking the audience by getting the better of many exchanges. It wasn’t until the third round when Le snapped Shamrock’s forearm with a nasty kick, and the fight was stopped.

Anytime Cung Le steps into the cage, win or lose, you know you're in for a treat, and this fight was no different.

Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg, January 29, 2011

Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos is a name, and a physical specimen who would command fear in any normal human being. He's half human, half tattoos and machine parts. Luckily for fight fans, Nick Diaz is no normal human being.

When these two warriors met for Diaz's welterweight belt, they brought the 4th of July to San Jose six months early. They stood center cage, Cyborg battering Diaz with leg kicks, Diaz firing back with his trademark volume.

The second round started off much the same as the first, with both fighters looking to brawl, but as soon as the fight hit the mat, Diaz was able to secure a fight-ending armbar.

The outcome wasn't exactly shocking, but in keeping with company format, the fight was about as exciting as it gets.

Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier, May 19, 2012

Capping off the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix over a year after it began—in addition to the fact that the heavyweight division is going to be gutted—may have rendered this title a little less distinguished than it would have otherwise been, but that didn't stop Cormier and Barnett from fighting like it was the greatest title in the world.

These guys put on a show, electing to stand and bang it out for the majority of the fight. It was Barnett's experience versus Cormier's stunning hand speed, and the speed won. Cormier dominated the stand-up, busting Barnett's face up with some very crisp striking. The former UFC champion wouldn't go down, though, and battled through adversity, constantly pushing forward to make this a memorable fight.

Cormier was just too fast and too strong, and when it came down to the wrestling, he was just too skilled, easily planting Barnett on the mat and using solid positional control to avoid any trouble and deliver some good punishment.

Whatever happens with the heavyweight division, both fighters should be brought over to the UFC.

Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov, September 10, 2011

Jacare was the favorite going in, but Luke Rockhold was a highly touted prospect. It was just thought that Jacare’s other-worldly BJJ would be too much. It wasn’t. 

Rockhold controlled the action by stuffing Jacare’s takedowns and pushing the striking. He used some excellent kicks to keep Jacare’s power at bay. Jacare did manage to land some solid shots, but they were single shots, and to Rockhold’s combinations—pretty much all of which were finished off with kicks—Jacare’s single-shot attack came up short on thee judges’ scorecards.  

This was Rockhold’s coming-out party. He followed it up with an easy victory over Keith Jardine, and it will be a crying shame if we don’t get to see Rockhold in the UFC…soon.

Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier, May 19, 2012

Their first two fights were great. This one was downright awesome.

Josh Thompson dispelled any myths that he is no longer a top-shelf lightweight by not only hanging with Gil Melendez, but by coming alive in the championship rounds to make it an incredibly close fight, one that could just as easily have gone his way.

As in their previous fights, this one was a fast-paced affair that saw both combatants utilize a mix of striking, wrestling and superb conditioning to masterful effect.

The fans booed when the split decision was read in Melendez's favor, but in such closely contested fights, anything can happen. Rounds 2 and 3 were Melendez's; Rounds 4 and 5 belonged to Thompson. The first round was intensely close. Pat Miletich had it dead even.

Melendez may have won the fight, but the real winners were the fans, even if they couldn't see it at the time.

Strikeforce: Faijao vs. Henderson, March 5, 2011

Coming off his big knockout win over King Mo, Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante was looking like a force to be reckoned with at light-heavyweight. But then, like so many before him, he ran into a brick wall who goes by the name of Dan Henderson.  

Out-sized, and at 40 years old, brazenly challenging Father Time, Henderson still had enough to defeat the much larger Brazilian. He was stronger in the clinch, and when it comes to striking, Henderson isn’t fazed by technical prowess. His right hand is the stuff of legends, and he throws it without regard for life and limb.

Feijao got enough licks in to make it interesting, but for the most part, this was vintage Dan Henderson, doing what he does—tossing bigger guys around with his Olympic-level hips, and then knocking their blocks off with his vicious power, in this case via third-round TKO.

Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley, April 9, 2011

“This fight isn’t going to the ground” is a phrase we hear a lot in MMA. The announcers like to hype up the viewers for a good old-fashioned schoolyard slobber knocker, because hey, who the heck doesn’t love one of those?

Oftentimes, though, it’s just talk.

But when Nick Diaz and Paul Daley met for the Strikeforce welterweight championship, it was as close to a forgone conclusion as exists in the world that it was to be a stand-up battle. And the combatants did not disappoint.

They went out there and put on one of the best fights of 2011. It lasted only a round, but in that round fans were treated to hardcore MMA. Daley came so close to pulling it off, too. He dropped Nick with a solid shot, but Nick’s famous chin held up. He was able to get up and knock Paul Daley out with only three seconds remaining on the clock.

It was the type of thrilling fight that defines the Strikeforce brand.