Of the 42 contracts acquired by Strikeforce two notable names not on the list, according to Five Ounces of Pain, is (former?) EliteXC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Silva and Middleweight Murilo 'Ninja' Rua. The two fighters will remain under the control of ProElite.

Though a great fighter it should come as no surprise that Antonio Silva did not get picked up by Strikeforce. After testing positive for banned substances after beating Justin Eilers to become the EliteXC Heavyweight Champion Silva was suspended for one year. Silva, still under suspension in the US, went around that suspension and fought at the January 4th Sengoku event held in Japan.It's now a possibility that he gets his fighting license revoked in the US and he may not be able to fight in the US ever again.

Rua meanwhile:

Having earned $35,000 for his knockout loss to Benji Radach this past October during EliteXC’s “Heat” event, Rua’s contract was also deemed to be too pricey. Despite having become the first-ever EliteXC middleweight champion following a second round TKO over Joey Villasenor during a combined Strikeforce and EliteXC event in July of 2007, Rua is just 2-2 in his last four bouts.