While the UFC may have been absent from last night's action, Strikeforce and Bellator provided fight fans with a full night of action.

Strikeforce hosted the semifinal round of the heavyweight grand prix in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

The event was headlined by Josh Barnett (31-5) and Sergei Kharitonov (18-5) to determine who would move onto the finals. Kharitonov landed a handful of strikes, but was ultimately no match for Barnett, who took the action to the ground and poured on strikes before locking on a fight-ending head and arm choke.

With the victory, Barnett advances to the final round of the tournament and extends his win streak to nine that dates back to 2008.

In the lead-up to the main event former Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier (9-0) stepped in on short notice against Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva (16-3).

Cormier landed a low kick and avoided a Silva flurry around the 4:35 mark, and 21 seconds later, the former Olympian landed a crushing right hand that sent Silva crashing to the canvas.

Silva quickly recovered and attempted to lock up guard, but Cormier was having none of it as he postured up, landed a few right hands and returned standing. Cormier followed up with two left hands and a right that staggered Silva and forced the Brazilian to attempt a takedown that was unsuccessful.

Who wins the Strikeforce GP?

Submit Vote vote to see results

A kick from Silva was caught by Cormier, and the AKA-trained heavyweight sent the more experienced Silva to his back once again, but decided against following him to the mat. Cormier landed a right uppercut during a four-punch combination that dropped Silva. He then followed up with two devastating hammer fists that finished the fight.

Both Barnett and Cormier were impressive in claiming first-round victories, but Cormier's absolute domination of Silva, who is ranked much higher than Kharitonov, is the more impressive of the two.

Going into the finals, Barnett has the vast edge in experience with 25 more fights under his belt than Cormier. However, if Cormier's injured right hand turns out to be minor, the quickly-rising heavyweight will serve a stern test for Barnett and could once again score an upset victory.

For additional information, follow Joshua Carey on Twitter