It was in 2011 that the UFC's parent company Zuffa, LLC purchased their chief MMA rival Strikeforce, acquiring a plethora of talent that would influence their championship landscape five years later.
Eight fighters who got their start in the California-based promotion would go on to acquire UFC gold, including mainstream superstar Ronda Rousey. That's a stunning stat when you remember that Dana White once mockingly nicknamed the opposition "Strikefarce."
This past Saturday, Tyron Woodley defeated Robbie Lawler to become the UFC welterweight champion. He's just the latest Strikeforce export to ascend to the mountaintop.
Tyron Woodley
"The Chosen One" has come a long way since being knocked out by Nate Marquardt in his lone shot at Strikeforce gold on July 14, 2012.
At the time, Woodley was an undefeated blue-chip MMA prospect who simply ran into an opponent with far more experience than him. In his next fight, Woodley made an explosive UFC debut with a 36-second knockout win over Jay Hieron.
He won four of his next six to set up a meeting with Lawler at UFC 201. In his second chance at a world title, Woodley did not let the moment slip away. He finished the fight in the first round, becoming only the second man ever to knock Lawler out.
Ronda Rousey
Shortly after Zuffa acquired Strikeforce, they signed a little known Olympic judoka with two professional MMA bouts on her resume who would soon become one of the most famous female athletes in the world.
All the ingredients were there for Ronda Rousey to succeed, from her brash persona to her thrilling in-cage performances. But with the UFC not even having a women's division at the time how far could she possibly go?
In her final appearance for Strikeforce in August 2012, Rousey would submit Sarah Kaufman in 54 seconds to defend her women's bantamweight title. Over 500,000 viewers tuned in, an incredible number for an event headlined by two female fighters.
The rest is history as Rousey later transitioned to the UFC where she would go on a dominant championship run while generating millions for the promotion.
Daniel Cormier
In Strikeforce, Daniel Cormier was a pudgy, undersized Olympic wrestler who stormed his way to the promotion's Heavyweight Grand Prix crown with wins over veterans Jeff Monson, Antonio Silva, and Josh Barnett.
His success carried over to the UFC where he won two more fights as a heavyweight before dropping down to the 205-pound division. There, he unsuccessfully challenged Jon Jones for the light heavyweight championship, only to get another shot when legal problems led to Jones being stripped of the title.
Cormier submitted Anthony Johnson at UFC 187 last May to capture the vacant title. With Jones potentially facing a two-year ban for a doping violation, "DC" reigns as the man to beat in the light heavyweight division.
Fabricio Werdum
"Vai Cavalo" was reborn in Strikeforce.
Fabricio Werdum's first UFC run ended in abrupt fashion after he was knocked out by future world champ Junior dos Santos. He would sign with Strikeforce in 2009 and go 3-1 with the promotion.
One of those three wins just happened to be a submission of Fedor Emelianenko, a heavyweight legend who had never been truly defeated in 34 MMA contests.
The victory propelled Werdum back into the contender's circle and he went on a tear in his second stint with the UFC, winning six straight fights capped off by a submission of Cain Velasquez that earned him a title belt.
Luke Rockhold
Luke Rockhold is the definition of a homegrown talent.
A completely unknown 23-year-old when he was signed by Strikeforce in 2008, Rockhold made short work of his first six opponents before winning a unanimous decision over Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza to become the promotion's middleweight champion.
His first fight with the UFC ended with him on the receiving end of a Vitor Belfort spin kick, but he rebounded with five straight wins including a title fight win over Chris Weidman.
Miesha Tate
Even if she lives in Rousey's shadow for the rest of her career, Miesha Tate has plenty to be proud of. She was one of the faces of Strikeforce's vital women's bantamweight division, an attraction that few other promotions could match.
Tate won a four-woman tournament for the right to face Marloes Coenen on July 30, 2011 and proceeded to submit the jiu-jitsu to capture the Strikeforce championship.
Tate would lose the title to Rousey in her first defense, then lose her first two fights in the UFC (including a Rousey rematch). She won her next four to put herself back in contention, then achieved her dream of becoming a UFC champion with a submission win over Holly Holm.
Robbie Lawler
White described Robbie Lawler as a gift to himself when he re-signed the former UFC fighter back in 2013. Lawler had compiled a losing record in eight Strikeforce appearances, so the return was met with little fanfare.
The signing proved to a gift not just for White, but for Lawler as well as the brawler authored an unlikely career renaissance winning eight of nine fights, a welterweight title, and the hearts of fight fanatics everywhere with classic battles against Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit.
Amanda Nunes
Amanda "The Lioness" Nunes took a detour through Invicta FC prior to signing with the UFC, but it was Strikeforce that brought the Brazilian beast over to the United States.
Nunes showed her reputation as a fierce finisher was legit when she arrived in Nashville, Tenn. in 2011 and demolished Julia Budd in 14 seconds.
Fast-forward to UFC 200 this past July, an evening that ended with Nunes wearing the UFC women's bantamweight championship after a first-round submission of Tate in the main event.
