A look at the current Strikeforce champions, their road to the championship and the challenges that await them.
Current Strikeforce Title Holders
Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion – Allistar Overeem
Dutchman Allistar Overeem captured the Strikeforce Heavyweight championship after defeating Paul Buentello with a second-round submission at Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives in 2007. Overeem returned for his second bout after winning the title, which also happened to be his first title defense against Brett Rogers, at Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery. The champion successfully defended his title with a first round TKO over Rogers. Overeem is scheduled to face number-one contender, Fabricio Werdum in championship bout next.
Light Heavyweight Champion – Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal
Unbeaten in his mixed martial arts career with a record of 7-0, King Mo became the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion after defeating Gegard Mousasi at Strikeforce: Nashville via unanimous decision. King Mo had his first MMA fight at Sengoku, where he was victorious with a first-round TKO over Travis Wiuff. Strikeforce: Houston will host King Mo and his first title defense when he meets Rafael Cavalcante.
Middleweight Champion - Vacant
The Strikeforce Middleweight title was last held by Jake Shields, who was recently released from his Strikeforce contract in July 2010, after ongoing renewal negotiations. It was announced in July 2010 that Shields had signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker announced plans for a tournament to be held for the middleweight title; however, those plans have been scrapped and replaced with a championship bout between Tim Kennedy and Jacare Souza at Strikeforce: Houston.
Welterweight Champion – Nick Diaz
Diaz became Strikeforce Welterweight champion with a first round TKO over Marius Zaeomskis at Strikeforce: Miami. Diaz, a former WEC Welterweight champion and UFC fighter, has remained unbeaten in the promotion; the last loss recorded for Diaz was at EliteXC: Renegade, where he faced K.J Noons in a championship bout for the EliteXC Lightweight title and lost via TKO.
Lightweight Champion – Gilbert Melendez
Melendez first captured the Strikeforce Lightweight championship at Strikeforce: Revenge with a split decision victory over Clay Guida. In his second title defense he dropped the unanimous decision to Josh Thompson at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thompson. After Thompson suffered an injury, Melendez meet Rodrigo Damm in a bout for the Interim Lightweight championship and walked away with a second-round KO over Damm, making him the new Interim Lightweight champion. At Strikeforce: Evolution, Melendez and Thompson met for the second time to unify the Interim and Lightweight championships. After five rounds Melendez picked up the unanimous decision win, making him the new Strikeforce Lightweight champion. Melendez successfully defended his title at Strikeforce: Nashville with a unanimous decision over Shinya Aoki.
Strikeforce Women's Champions
Women’s Featherweight Champion – Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos
Cyborg made her USA debut at EliteXC: Unfinished Business and has been dominating the women’s division ever since. Cyborg became the first women’s Featherweight champion after defeating Gina Carano at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg with a first-round TKO. Since then, Cyborg has had two successful title defenses over Marloes Coenen and Jan Finnery.
Women’s Bantamweight Champion - Sarah Kaufmann
Sarah Kaufmann won her Bantamweight championship at ShoMMA 6: Kaufman vs. Hashi, with a unanimous decision over Hashi. In her first title defense at ShoMMA 9: Del Rosario vs. Mahe, Kaufmann defended her title with a third round power slam KO over Roxanne Modafferi.
Mellissa Scotland - Mellissa Scotland is a freelance writer residing in Toronto, ON Canada. Mellissa currently works within the Canadian media industry. ...
Join the Conversation