Mere hours after the cancellation of the top contender’s bout between Sarah Kaufman and Takayo Hashi, a medical issue has forced Erin Toughill to withdraw from her title eliminator bout against Marloes Coenen, which was set to be a part of the Strikeforce: “Fedor vs Rogers” card on November 7th.

Details surrounding Toughill’s withdrawal have not been released, but the cause is said to be due to an “undisclosed medical condition.” There has been no word as to whether Coenen will still compete on the card, but the lack of top challengers makes her participation unlikely.

Toughill (10-2-1) was set to battle Coenen to determine the #1 contender for Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos’s Strikeforce Women’s Lightweight Championship. She defeated Coenen in the pair’s first meeting in the semi-finals of the SmackGIRL World Remix Tournament in 2004.

Coenen (19-3-0) was originally brought in as an alternate at Strikeforce: “Carano vs Cyborg” in August in case Santos or fellow main event participant Gina Carano missed weight. At the post-fight press conference, Coenen was announced as the first title challenger for Santos’s newly-won title, but injury forced Santos out of their proposed meeting.

With no other top challengers in the 145-pound division, Strikeforce may opt to reschedule the contender’s bout between Coenen and Toughill, but they may also reinstate Coenen as the number one contender and set up a showdown with Santos in the next two months.

Either way, the loss of yet another top women’s bout will significantly hinder Strikeforce’s efforts to promote their women’s division as the year nears an end.