Sherdog’s Top 10: Greatest Strikeforce Fighters

3. Daniel Cormier

This is now the fourth Sherdog Top 10 list Cormier has appeared on, more than any other fighter, as he also finished as the eighth greatest heavyweight, second greatest light heavyweight, and eighth greatest pound-for-pound male fighter ever. His amazing wrestling and brutal top control, with which he could either pound out or submit an opponent, and shockingly good cardio were too much for most opponents, but Cormier's striking got better and better over his career, evolving into a very dangerous weapon as well, which was already evident by the end of his time in Strikeforce. Beyond this, Cormier was one of the smartest fighters the sport has ever seen, executing intricate gameplans perfectly, allowing him to beat many opponents who had athletic or physical advantages over him. While he was never officially crowned Strikeforce heavyweight champion, Cormier was a perfect 8-0 in the promotion. He was Strikeforce in many ways, as his MMA debut occurred at Strikeforce Challengers 3 in 2009 and he appeared in the co-main event of the very last Strikeforce card, in January 2013. Along the way, he won a dominant decision over Jeff Monson, then only a few years removed from challenging for the UFC heavyweight title, and knocked out Antonio Silva in the first round. It's hard to believe now, but Silva was actually the favorite in that fight, as he had just finished Fedor Emelianenko in a giant upset in his last bout. Cormier then dominated former UFC champion Josh Barnett over five rounds, including an iconic slam, to be crowned Strikeforce's heavyweight tournament champion, but not its lineal belt holder. With a second-round stoppage of Dion Staring serving as his farewell, Cormier would continue expanding his legend in the UFC.

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