Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson: The 20 Best Fighters in Strikeforce Today

In just about two weeks, two legends of the sport will throw down in Chicago.

Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko will be taking "Dangerous" Dan Henderson in a heavyweight bout.

Fedor is currently on a two fight losing streak, while Dan Henderson is on a two fight winning streak, including a victory in a fight for the light heavyweight title.

These are two of the top fighters on the Strikeforce roster today.

Many know about how Mayhem Miller was taken from Strikeforce to coach on The Ultimate Fighter, and many fans know that Nick Diaz is also now a member of the UFC, and will be fighting Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137.

This leaves some to wonder, who are the best fighters left in Strikeforce today?

Read on to find out.

Honorable Mentions

Gina Carano- (7-1)- one time title challenger in the 145 pound division. Has been out of action since August of 2009.

Chad Griggs- (11-1)- current No. 1 reserve for the World Heavyweight Grand Prix, victories over Valentijn Overeem, Gianpierro Villante, and Bobby Lashley.

Sarah Kaufman- (13-1)- former women's 135 pound champion, notable victory over Miesha Tate.

Miesha Tate- (11-2)- current No. 1 contender to the 135 pound championship, notable victories over Hitomi Akano, Zoila Gurgel and Jan Finney.

Gilbert Melendez

Gilbert Melendez (19-2) is the current Strikeforce lightweight champion.

Melendez is a top lightweight in the world, with some websites ranking him as high as No. 1.

In his last fight, he TKO'd Tatsuya Kawajiri at 3:14 of the first round using punches and elbows.

Melendez has notable victories over Shinya Aoki, Josh Thomson, and Clay Guida.

His next fight is yet to be announced.

Paul Daley

Paul Daley (27-10-2) is a current Strikeforce welterweight and one-time title challenger.

Daley's last fight saw him take on Nick Diaz for the welterweight title, and in one of the most entertaining rounds of the year, Daley was TKO'd with three seconds remaining in the first round.

Daley has notable victories over Martin Kampmann, Dustin Hazelett, and Scott Smith.

Daley's next fight will be against Tyron Woodley, possibly for the vacant welterweight title.

Tyron Woodley

Tyron Woodley (8-0) is a current Strikeforce welterweight.

Woodley is arguably the best prospect on the Strikeforce roster, and his undefeated record helps prove that.

Woodley is 6-0 in Strikeforce, with wins coming over Andre Galvo, Tarec Saffiedine and others.

Woodley's next fight will be against Paul Daley, possibly for the vacant welterweight championship.

Ronaldo Souza

Ronaldo Souza (14-2 [1 NC]) is the current Strikeforce middleweight champion.

Souza is a consensus top 10 middleweight, and many can't wait to see him test the waters of the UFC.

In Souza's last fight, he defended his title against Robbie Lawler when he choked him out with a rear-naked choke in the third round.

Souza has notable victories over Robbie Lawler, Tim Kennedy, Matt Lindland, and Jason Miller.

Souza's next fight will be against Luke Rockhold on September 10th at Strikeforce 36.

Robbie Lawler

Robbie Lawler (18-7-1) is a current Strikeforce middleweight and a former Pro-Elite champion.

Lawler has alternated wins and losses in his past 6 fights, but that doesn't mean he isn't one of Strikeforce's top fighters.

Lawler has notable victories over Matt Lindland, Melvin Manhoef, Frank Trigg, Murilo Rua, and Chris Lytle.

His next fight is set to be against Tim Kennedy at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson.

Tim Kennedy

Tim Kennedy (13-3) is a current Strikeforce middleweight, and one-time title challenger.

In Kennedy's last fight, he submitted Melvin Manhoef with a rear-naked choke in the first round.

Kennedy has notable victories over Manhoef, Trevor Prangley, and Jason Miller.

His next fight will be against Robbie Lawler at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson.

Dan Henderson

Dan Henderson (27-8) is the current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and a legend of MMA.

Henderson is 2-1 in Strikeforce, with the one loss coming to Jake Shields for the middleweight championship.

In Henderson's last fight, he won the LHW title when he knocked out Rafael Cavalcante 50 seconds into the third round.

Henderson's next fight will be the headlining fight against Fedor Emelianenko at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson.

Rafael Cavalcante

Rafael Cavalcante (10-3) is a current Strikeforce LHW and former champion.

Cavalcante won the title at Strikeforce: Houston, when he knocked out Muhammed Lawal in the third round.

He then lost the belt in his first defense to Dan Henderson.

Cavalcante has notable victories over Lawal and Antwain Britt.

His next fight is yet to be announced.

Gegard Mousasi

Gegard Mousasi (30-3-2) is a former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, and current DREAM light heavyweight champion.

Mousasi is one of the best young fighters in the sport, as he is only 25, and is already very accomplished.

In Mousasi's last fight, he fought to a majority draw against Keith Jardine. Mousasi was deducted a point for an illegal upkick.

Mousasi has notable victories over Jake O'Brien, Sokoudjou, Renato Sobral, Ronaldo Souza, Melvin Manhoef, Evangelista Santos, and Hector Lombard. I wasn't lying. He's good.

He currently has two fights scheduled, the first is at DREAM 17 against Hiroshi Izumi for the LHW championship, and the second is at Strikeforce 36 against Mike Kyle.

Muhammed Lawal

Muhammed Lawal (7-1) is a former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, who has also competed at heavyweight.

Lawal won the title when he defeated Gegard Mousasi by unanimous decision at Strikeforce: Nashville, and he promptly lost it in his first defense to Rafael Cavalcante.

Lawal has notable victories over Mousasi, Mark Kerr and Travis Wiuff.

His next fight will be against Roger Gracie at Strikeforce 36.

Roger Gracie

Roger Gracie (4-0) is a current Strikeforce light heavyweight, and one of the best BJJ practitioners in the world.

In Gracie's last fight, he submitted Trevor Prangley in the first round with a rear-naked choke.

Gracie's other notable victories include Kevin Randleman, Yuki Kondo and Ron Waterman.

In Gracie's next fight, he will be taking Muhammed Lawal in an attempt to break into the upper tier of the division.

Renato Sobral

Renato Sobral (36-9) is a former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and former UFC light heavyweight.

In Sobral's last fight, he was knocked out in under two minutes when he fought Dan Henderson for the No. 1 contender spot in the light heavyweight division.

Sobral has notable victories over Robbie Lawler, Sokoudjou, Chael Sonnen, Travis Wiuff, Cyrille Diabate, Jeremy Horn, Shogun Rua, Trevor Prangley and Maurice Smith.

Sobral lost to Dan Henderson on December 4th of 2010, and there has been no mention of his next fight since.

Alistair Overeem

Alistair Overeem (35-11 [1 NC]) is the current Strikeforce heavyweight champion, and the current K-1 World Grand Prix champion.

In Overeem's last fight, he won a unanimous decision over Fabricio Werdum in what was a very strange fight.

Overeem has other notable victories over Todd Duffee, Brett Rogers, Vitor Belfort (twice), Sergei Kharitonov, Igor Vovchanchyn.

Overeem's next fight will be against Antonio Silva sometime in the fall.

Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Emelianenko (31-3 [1 NC]) is the former Pride heavyweight champion and a legend of the sport.

Fedor hasn't been the same fighter over the past two fights, as he was submitted by Fabricio Werdum and then he was TKO'd (doctor stoppage) by Antonio Silva.

Fedor has notable victories over Brett Rogers, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, Matt Lindland, Mark Coleman, Mirko Cro Cop, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Kevin Randleman, and Ricardo Arona.

Fedor's next fight will headline the upcoming Strikeforce card, Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson.

Josh Barnett

Josh Barnett (30-5) is a current Strikeforce heavyweight and former UFC heavyweight champion.

In Barnett's last fight, he fought Brett Rogers, and pretty easily submitted him in the second round, as part of the Strikeforce World Heavyweight Grand Prix.

Barnett has notable victories over Rogers, Gilbert Yvel, Pedro Rizzo, Jeff Monson, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Randy Couture, and Dan Severn.

Barnett's next fight will be against Sergei Kharitonov at an event in the fall.

Sergei Kharitonov

Sergei Kharitonov (18-4) is a current Strikeforce heavyweight, and a participant in the Heavyweight Grand Prix.

In Kharitonov's last fight, he advanced to the next round of the Heavyweight Grand Prix by knocking out Andrei Arlovski in the first round back in February.

He has notable victories over Arlovski, Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Pedro Rizzo, and Murilo Rua.

His next fight will be against Josh Barnett sometime in the fall.

Antonio Silva

Antonio Silva (16-2) is a current Strikeforce heavyweight and a participant in the Heavyweight Grand Prix.

In his last fight, he handed Fedor Emelianenko a TKO loss via doctor stoppage after the second round.

Silva has notable victories over Fedor, Andrei Arlovski, and Ricco Rodriguez.

His next fight will be against Alistair Overeem sometime in the fall.

Fabricio Werdum

Fabricio Werdum (14-5-1) is a current Strikeforce heavyweight and a participant in the Heavyweight Grand Prix.

In Werdum's last fight, he lost a unanimous decision to Alistair Overeem in a very strange fight. It consisted of Werdum diving for guard, failing, and then begging Overeem to come down anyway.

Werdum has notable victories over Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Silva, Brandon Vera, Gabriel Gonzaga and Alistair Overeem.

His next fight has yet to be announced.

Cyborg Santos

Cris Santos (10-1) is the current Strikeforce women's middleweight champion.

In Santos' last fight, she KO'd Jan Finney with a knee to the body at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum.

Her notable victories include Finney, Marloes Coenen, and Gina Carano.

Her next fight has yet to be announced.

Marloes Coenen

Marloes Coenen (19-4) is the current Strikeforce women's welterweight champion.

In her last fight, she submitted late replacement, Liz Carmouche via triangle choke in the fourth round.

She has notable victories over Carmouche, Sarah Kaufman, and Roxanne Modafferi.

Her next fight has yet to be announced.

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