Strikeforce (mixed martial arts)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts, kickboxing promotion |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Defunct | 2013 |
| Fate | Purchased by Zuffa LLC, dissolved and merged into UFC |
| Headquarters | San Jose, California , United States |
Area served | United States, international (Canada, UK, Japan, Brazil, Latin America, Caribbean) |
Key people | Scott Coker (CEO) |
| Products | Mixed martial arts and kickboxing events |
| Parent | Zuffa LLC (from 2011) |
Strikeforce was a United States-based organization specializing in mixed martial arts and kickboxing, headquartered in San Jose, California. It operated from 1985 until 2013 under the leadership of CEO Scott Coker.
Beginning November 7, 2009, its live competitions were broadcast on CBS and later on Showtime within the United States. Globally, the events were televised on networks such as Super Channel in Canada, Primetime in the United Kingdom, SKY PerfecTV! in Japan, HBO Plus in Brazil, Space across Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the American Forces Network.
In early 2011, Strikeforce was purchased by Zuffa LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Subsequently, Strikeforce was dissolved and its roster of fighters was absorbed into the UFC lineup.
History
Initially founded as a kickboxing entity, Strikeforce transitioned into MMA with its inaugural event titled Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie held on March 10, 2006, at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. This event was notable for being California's first officially sanctioned MMA competition and set a North American attendance benchmark with 18,265 spectators—a record later broken by UFC 129. In its early years, Strikeforce functioned primarily as a regional promotion but attracted high-caliber athletes due to its location in California. Its television debut came with Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni, a co-promoted event alongside EliteXC, headlined by Frank Shamrock.
February 2008 saw Strikeforce's first event beyond California's borders—Strikeforce: At The Dome at the Tacoma Dome in Washington state—which also marked its initial cable broadcast through the HDNet Fights programming block. From 2009 onwards, Strikeforce expanded its reach to 15 states nationwide, including staging five events in Las Vegas, Nevada during 2011 and 2012. Despite broadening its geographic footprint, it consistently hosted multiple annual shows at HP Pavilion, supported financially by the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, who were the arena's primary tenant.
In March 2008, Strikeforce entered into a partnership with NBC to produce a weekly series titled Strikeforce on NBC, featuring highlights and fighter profiles that debuted on April 12. The following year in February 2009, it acquired assets from the defunct promotion EliteXC, including contracts for prominent fighters such as Nick Diaz, Jake Shields, and Robbie Lawler. This acquisition included EliteXC’s Showtime broadcast agreement for up to sixteen events per year and secured an option to air up to four events annually on CBS. Alongside flagship Showtime shows, Strikeforce introduced ShoMMA: Strikeforce Challengers, a platform designed to spotlight rising talent.
In August 2009, CEO Scott Coker announced strategic partnerships with Japanese organization Dream and Russian outfit M-1 Global, facilitating co-promoted events and fighter exchanges aimed at enhancing competitive matchups across both U.S. and Japanese markets. Fighters such as Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and Gegard Mousasi appeared under Strikeforce during this collaboration until it concluded in 2011.
On August 15, 2009, Strikeforce events became accessible online through Showtime’s website under "Strikeforce: All Access," featuring interactive viewing options including multiple camera perspectives—among them an exclusive referee-mounted "cage cam"—as well as pause and instant replay capabilities. This initiative represented the first live streaming service available outside the United States and significantly advanced fan engagement through digital innovation.
Fedor Emelianenko's Entry
On August 3, 2009, former Pride champion and reigning WAMMA Heavyweight titleholder Fedor Emelianenko inked a three-fight deal with Strikeforce, with his team M-1 Global co-promoting the events. He made his Strikeforce debut on November 7, 2009, at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers, which was the organization's inaugural nationally broadcast event on CBS. Emelianenko secured a second-round knockout victory over Brett Rogers, attracting close to 5.5 million viewers and significantly enhancing the promotion's ratings.
In his next appearance at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum, Emelianenko suffered his first defeat in a decade, submitting to Fabrício Werdum. Competing in the Strikeforce Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament, he was defeated again by Antônio Silva due to a doctor stoppage caused by severe swelling around his right eye. His last fight under the Strikeforce banner was a heavyweight superfight against light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson, where Emelianenko was knocked out in the first round.
Although concluding with three consecutive losses, Emelianenko consistently drew audiences exceeding 500,000 viewers per fight, ranking among the top-rated broadcasts in Strikeforce's Showtime history. After this period, he departed from the promotion to pursue opportunities abroad.
Acquisition by Zuffa LLC
On March 12, 2011, Dana White revealed that Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the UFC, had taken ownership of Strikeforce. White clarified that Strikeforce would continue to operate autonomously with Scott Coker remaining as CEO. Coker confirmed plans for Fedor Emelianenko’s return during a summer event and upheld the co-promotion arrangement with M-1 Global. Following the takeover, several prominent Strikeforce fighters signed with the UFC, including Jason Miller, Nick Diaz, Dan Henderson, Alistair Overeem, Luke Rockhold, and Cung Le.
Under Zuffa's management, Strikeforce reinstated previously banned elbow strikes to the head of grounded opponents, discontinued all men’s weight divisions below lightweight, and eliminated amateur undercard contests. The promotion extended its Showtime contract through 2012 but eventually merged its heavyweight division—except for Grand Prix finalists—into the UFC and ceased its Challengers series.
The final Strikeforce event took place on January 12, 2013, titled Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine. Afterward, the organization was dissolved; fighter contracts were either terminated or absorbed by the UFC roster. Noteworthy former competitors included Nick Diaz, Daniel Cormier, Josh Barnett, Ronda Rousey, and Luke Rockhold. Scott Coker later assumed the role of president at Bellator MMA in June 2014.
Several ex-Strikeforce athletes went on to become UFC champions. By 2015, following Luke Rockhold’s capture of the UFC Middleweight title, fighters formerly affiliated with Strikeforce simultaneously held UFC championships across Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, Middleweight, and Welterweight divisions.
Rules
At the time of its closure, Strikeforce adhered to the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts and employed a hexagonal cage design rather than the UFC’s octagon (The Octagon). Standard bouts consisted of three rounds lasting five minutes each; title fights were scheduled for five five-minute rounds with one-minute intervals between rounds. Prior to acquisition by Zuffa, elbow strikes to a grounded opponent’s head were prohibited.
Before June 2009, women’s matches were contested over three rounds of three minutes each—shorter than men’s five-minute rounds. On June 16, 2009, Strikeforce received authorization from both Washington and California State Athletic Commissions to extend all women’s fights to five-minute rounds, including championship contests spanning five rounds.
Weight categories
| Division | Maximum weight limit | |
|---|---|---|
| Prior to 2009 | Post-2009 | |
| Bantamweight | 130 lb (59.0 kg) | 135 lb (61.2 kg) |
| Featherweight | 145 lb (65.8 kg) | 145 lb (65.8 kg) |
| Lightweight | 160 lb (72.6 kg) | 155 lb (70.3 kg) |
| Welterweight | 175 lb (79.4 kg) | 170 lb (77.1 kg) |
| Middleweight | 190 lb (86.2 kg) | 185 lb (83.9 kg) |
| Light Heavyweight | 205 lb (93.0 kg) | 205 lb (93.0 kg) |
| Heavyweight | 'No upper limit' | 'Up to' 265 lb (120.2 kg) |
Judging standards
Strikeforce implemented the 10-point must system for scoring, with a panel of three judges evaluating each round. The victor of a round was awarded ten points, while the opponent received nine or fewer points. If a round was judged evenly, both fighters were assigned ten points. In New Jersey, the lowest score permitted per round was seven; other locations generally used eight as the minimum.
Rules of engagement
- Officials could issue verbal cautions and stand fighters up when a ground deadlock occurred—this is referred to as the stand-up rule in Nevada.
- Following any interruptions, bouts resumed from the exact position where they had been halted.
- Grabbing the cage was penalized with warnings; repeated offenses could result in fouls.
- Pre-fight showmanship was permitted to boost audience excitement; however, abusive language during competition was strictly forbidden.
Strikeforce event history
Up to Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine held on January 12, 2013, Strikeforce organized a total of 63 events, which included 20 installments within its Challengers series.
Strikeforce Grand Prix tournaments
Between 2011 and 2012, Strikeforce conducted men's heavyweight tournament series. Additionally, it hosted single-night tournaments in men's middleweight (November 2007) and women's bantamweight (August 2010) divisions, with Daniel Cormier, Jorge Santiago, and Miesha Tate emerging as champions respectively.
Last titleholders
| Division (Men's) | Weight ceiling | Titleholder |
|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | 265 lb (120 kg; 18.9 st) | ' Netherlands' Alistair Overeem |
| ' Light Heavyweight | ' 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st) | ' USA' Dan Henderson |
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| Division (Men's) | Weight ceiling | Titleholder |
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| Men's division | Upper weight limit | Champion |
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| Men's division | Upper weight limit | Champion |
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| Men's division | Upper weight limit | Champion |
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| Men's division | Upper weight limit | Champion |
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| Men's division | Upper weight limit | Champion |
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| Men's division | Upper weight limit | Champion |
|---|---|---|
| ' Heavyweight | ' 265 lb (120 kg; 18.9 st) | ' Netherlands Alistair Overeem |
| ' Light Heavyweight | ' 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st) | ' United States Dan Henderson |
| ' Middleweight | ' 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st) | ' United States Luke Rockhold |
| ' Welterweight | ' 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) | ' Belgium Tarec Saffiedine |
| ' Lightweight | ' 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) | ' United States Gilbert Melendez |
| ' Maximum weight | ' Current champion | |
| ' Featherweight | ' 145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st) | ' Template:Country data BrazilTemplate:Namespace detect showall Cris Cyborg |
| ' Bantamweight | ' 135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st) | ' United States Ronda Rousey |
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Strikeforce statistics
| Record category | Athlete | Count |
|---|---|---|
| ' Most fights | United States Josh Thomson | 13 |
| ' Most victories | United States Gilbert Melendez | 11 |
| ' Most finishes | United States Cung Le / Luke Rockhold | 7 |
| ' Highest number of knockouts | United States Cung Le | 7 |
| ' Most submissions | United States Luke Rockhold | 5 |
| ' Most title defenses | United States Gilbert Melendez | 6 (including 1 interim) |
| ' Longest consecutive title defenses | United States Gilbert Melendez | 4 |
| ' Most championship reigns | United States Gilbert Melendez | 2 |
| ' Most wins in championship bouts | United States Gilbert Melendez | 9 (including 2 interim) |
Video games
The 2010 release EA Sports MMA incorporated Strikeforce athletes and branding alongside imaginary MMA promotions. This title remains the only video game to feature Strikeforce before Electronic Arts shifted its focus exclusively to the UFC series.
Action figures
Strikeforce-themed action figures, including those of fighters Cung Le and Gina Carano, were manufactured by Round 5. The Cung Le figure was first unveiled at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, followed by a limited edition version showcasing alternate shorts.