Strikeforce sprouted up in 2006 as an alternate MMA organization to UFC. In their first event which pitted Frank Shamrock vs. Cesar Gracie the show drew an attendance of 18,000 which at the time was an amazing number when MMA was just first becoming a sport that was still earning respect from the mainstream.
Strikeforce has primarily been stocked with Northern California based fighters from the American Kickboxing Academy and Cesar Gracie fight teams. AKA has had fighters such as Mo Lawal, Paul Buentello, Josh Thomson, Mike Kyle, Trevor Prangley and so on fight in Strikeforce while Cesar Gracie's has had Nick Diaz, Gilbert Melendez, Jake Shields and so on.
Strikeforce after awhile was able to secure a TV deal with Showtime after EliteXC the former MMA organization on that station went belly up. Since then Strikeforce was eventually purchased by Zuffa the parent company of UFC.
