Strikeforce ‘Barnett vs. Cormier’ Draws 5,413 Spectators for $226,005 Live Gate

The California State Athletic Commission notified Sherdog.com of the figures on Thursday. Daniel Cormier outpointed Josh Barnett in the evening’s titular headliner to capture the Zuffa-owned promotion’s heavyweight grand prix title.

Lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez also emerged victorious on Saturday night, taking a hard-fought split decision from challenger Josh Thomson to retain his title in their rubber match. The evening’s main draw aired on Showtime, while the preliminary proceedings were contested on Showtime Extreme.

Cormier put forth a masterful performance in the evening’s main event, continually using his sharp kickboxing and wrestling to outpoint the highly-regarded former UFC champion. Both men reportedly sustained broken hands in the bout’s opening frame but delivered an exciting five rounds nonetheless. The highlight of the bout came in round three, when Cormier executed a spectacular slam on “The Warmaster,” hoisting Barnett with a high-crotch and dumping him to the mat en route to a unanimous nod from the cage-side judges.