10 Strikeforce Fighters Who Would Make a Huge Splash in the UFC

By this time, everybody knows that Zuffa, the company that owns the UFC, also owns Strikeforce.

The UFC has slowly started to bring some of the top fighters over from Strikeforce, including Alistair Overeem, Mayhem Miller and Nick Diaz.

Lets take a look at 10 other fighters who will make a splash if and when they come to the UFC.

Fabricio Werdum

Fabricio Werdum had a previous stint in the UFC, and left the organization after getting knocked out—in brutal fashion—by Junior dos Santos.

In his time away from the Octagon, Werdum has gone 3-1, with a notable win over Fedor Emelianenko.

It has been heavily rumored that Werdum has already signed a contract with the UFC, and will face Brendan Schaub in his return.

Tim Kennedy

Tim Kennedy is a middleweight with a professional record of 14-3, with notable victories over Robbie Lawler, Melvin Manhoef and Mayhem Miller.

Kennedy is also a one-time challenger to the middleweight title, as he dropped a unanimous decision to Ronaldo Souza at Strikeforce: Houston.

Kennedy was going to fight for the title once again in January, but an injury forced him out.

Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier is currently a finalist in the Strikeforce World Heavyweight Grand Prix, and he has a perfect professional record of 9-0, with notable victories over Jeff Monson and Antonio Silva.

Cormier is one of the most decorated wrestlers in MMA, as he was even supposed to be the captain of the 2008 Olympic wrestling team, until he was forced out due to kidney trouble.

Cormier will face off against the next man on this list in the finals of the Heavyweight Grand Prix.

Josh Barnett

Josh Barnett, also known as "The Warmaster," is another fighter who has had a previous run in the UFC.

Barnett fought in the UFC from 2000 until 2002, including a victory over Randy Couture for the heavyweight title.

Barnett has remained at the top of his game, and is currently on an eight-fight winning streak with seven finishes in a row.

Gilbert Melendez

Gilbert Melendez is the current Strikeforce lightweight champion, and is considered by some to be the No. 1 lightweight in the world, and is considered by most to be a top five lightweight.

Melendez has a record of 19-2, and has notable victories over Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Clay Guida.

Melendez will fight Jorge Masvidal on Dec. 17, and with a win, he will likely make his way to the UFC.

Luke Rockhold

Luke Rockhold is the current Strikeforce middleweight champion, and is considered by many to be a top 10 middleweight in the world.

Rockhold won the title when he defeated Ronaldo Souza via unanimous decision in a back-and-forth battle that was entertaining for all.

Rockhold will now defend his title in January against Keith Jardine.

Ronaldo Souza

Ronaldo Souza is the former Strikeforce middleweight champion, and although he lost his title to Rockhold, he is still one of the most dangerous middleweights in the world today.

Souza trains with such fighters as Anderson Silva and the Nogueira brothers, so he will be back and better than ever.

Souza does not have his next fight announced.

Gegard Mousasi

Gegard Mousasi is one of the youngest fighters in the sport, but he is also one of the most experienced.

At only 26 years of age, Mousasi already has a record of 31-3-2, and has held belts in several organizations, in both middleweight and light heavyweight.

Hopefully, we can see Mousasi fight Jon Jones at some point in the future.

Muhammed Lawal

And here we have one of three people to defeat Gegard Mousasi, Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal.

Lawal is 8-1 in his career, and his only loss came at the hands of Rafael Cavalcante via third-round knockout. When he lost that fight, he also lost the light heavyweight title.

Lawal has already made some enemies in the UFC, as he and Rampage Jackson had been going back and forth at each other in the media.

A fight between those two would be outstanding.

The Women

It's not one single person that would make the biggest splash in the UFC, but it is two whole divisions that would.

If the UFC ever brings in women's divisions, Strikeforce holds some of the top talent in the world, and those fighters would undoubtedly bring new attention to the UFC.

If there's any group of people to make a big impact in the UFC, it's the ladies like Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey and Cristiane Santos.

Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow me on twitter @tmt2393.