THE REF by Glass Jaw

Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship

🇺🇸Strikeforce. A San Jose kickboxing promoter that switched to MMA in 2006 and became the UFC's main American rival. Fedor lost for the first time in nearly ten years in its cage.

EST. NOV 16, 2007 · 1 REIGN · 2 TITLE FIGHTS · 1 CHAMPION

Strikeforce crowned its first heavyweight champion in November 2007. Alistair Overeem won it and held it for almost four years with one defense.

The 2011 to 2012 Heavyweight Grand Prix did not carry the belt. Daniel Cormier won it as a replacement entrant.

BELT RETIRED JAN 12, 2013LAST CHAMPION🇳🇱Alistair OvereemBought by the UFC on March 12, 2011.
MOST DEFENSES1Alistair OvereemNO. 1
MOST REIGNS1Nobody has won it twice
LONGEST REIGN3 YRS 8 MOSAlistair OvereemNO. 1SHORTEST REIGN3 YRS 8 MOSAlistair OvereemNO. 1

EVERY REIGN, BY DEFENSES

1 REIGN · 2 TITLE FIGHTS · SINCE NOV 16, 2007
NO. 1 · Alistair Overeem · NOV 16, 2007

ROLL OF CHAMPIONS

Newest first. Open a reign for its defenses.

BELT VACANT · JUL 29, 2011Strikeforce, by then owned by Zuffa, cut Overeem from his contract in a dispute with his management. Wikipedia calls it vacated. The belt was never fought for again.
NO.NO. 1CHAMPION🇳🇱Alistair Overeem"The Reem"WONNOV 16, 2007TOOK IT FROMPaul Buentello (NEW BELT)HOWTKO R2 3:42DEFENSES1HELD3 YRS 8 MOSENDEDSTRIPPED

HOW IT STARTED · NOV 16, 2007

WON THE NEW BELT OVER Paul BuentelloStrikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man SurvivesSTRIKEFORCENOV 16, 2007TKO (submission to knees to the body) · R2 3:42

San Jose, California, USA

For the inaugural belt.

THE DEFENSES

DATERESULTOPPONENTHOWEVENTPROMOTION
MAY 15, 2010W🇺🇸Brett RogersTKO (punches) · R1 3:40Strikeforce: Heavy ArtilleryOvereem's first defense, two and a half years after he won the belt.STRIKEFORCE

HOW IT ENDED · JUL 29, 2011

STRIPPED.

  • Held the Strikeforce belt, the Dream interim heavyweight belt and the K-1 World Grand Prix title at the same time.
  • His 2011 Grand Prix win over Fabricio Werdum was a three round tournament bout, not a title defense.

SOURCES: en.wikipedia.org, sherdog.com

WHERE THE BELT WENT

Vacant from July 2011, when Strikeforce cut Alistair Overeem, and never fought for again. Strikeforce's heavyweights moved to the UFC before the promotion closed.

Zuffa bought Strikeforce on March 12, 2011 and ran it as a separate brand until its last show, Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine, on January 12, 2013.

Follow the belt through the line ▶

SOURCES

SHOW ALL 10 SOURCES
  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Strikeforce_champions
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strikeforce_(mixed_martial_arts)
  3. https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Report-Overeem-Released-by-Strikeforce-34375
  4. https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Alistair-Overeem-461
  5. http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/03/12/zuffa-purchases-strikeforce/
  6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strikeforce:_Marquardt_vs._Saffiedine
  7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strikeforce:_Four_Men_Enter,_One_Man_Survives
  8. https://www.sherdog.com/events/Strikeforce-Four-Men-Enter-One-Man-Survives-5848
  9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strikeforce:_Heavy_Artillery
  10. https://www.sherdog.com/events/Strikeforce-Heavy-Artillery-12924

EVERY BELT IN THE DIVISION