Strikeforce Results: Top 3 Performances of Saturday Night

Instead of a bang, Strikeforce went out with a whimper on Saturday night as the fledgling promotion put on its final show.

"Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine" felt more like a varsity vs. junior varsity event.

The card was packed with UFC-bound names, but the matchmaking was completely random and unimpressive. It's a bitter ending for Strikeforce, which looked more like the adopted child Zuffa never wanted.

Injuries and a lackluster roster played a big role in the disappointing fight card. Unlike the UFC, Strikeforce couldn't pull together the resources to save the injury-plagued finale.

Here were the top three performances of the night.

Dion Staring put up more resistance than expected against Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion Daniel Cormier.

The loopy southpaw from the Netherlands shrugged off a few of Cormier's takedown attempts and found openings to scramble back to his feet when on the ground.

It certainly wasn't an easy out for Cormier, who had to put in the work for a second-round TKO stoppage. Despite Staring's gutsy performance, it was still a lopsided victory for Cormier, who put his freakish athleticism and world-class wrestling on full display.

With the win, Cormier no longer has to be the big fish in a small pond. He could make his UFC debut as early as April against former heavyweight champ Frank Mir.

Any questions about Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza were put to bed in his first-round submission win over Ed Herman on Saturday night.

This was one of the few matchups that actually made sense on the fight card.

Herman may not be an upper-echelon contender, but he is a respected UFC middleweight. Jacare, who was dominant on all levels, proved he is ready to move on to greener pastures and face stiffer opposition.

It's easy to forget that Herman was on a bit of a roll in the UFC before losing to Jacare. He was 3-0-1 in his last four fights.

Once again, Nate Marquardt managed to fold in the spotlight in a surprising decision loss to Tarec Saffiedine.

It was an impressive performance from Saffiedine, who utilized a steady dose of leg kicks and left Marquardt's lead leg a throbbing mess.

The victory comes on the heels of Marquardt's incredible welterweight debut against former Strikeforce champ Tyron Woodley.

It wasn't the most exciting fight, but Saffiedine's performance will likely punch his ticket into the UFC. As for Marquardt, he was released from the promotion back in June 2011.

It'll be interesting to see if the UFC gives him a second chance.