Dutch standout and former 145-pound title challenger Marloes “Rumina” Coenen will be invited to take part in the upcoming Strikeforce women’s tournament at 135 pounds. Strikeforce Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz confirmed the news with MMARising.com today and an official tournament announcement will follow in the next two weeks.
A report earlier this month had stated that Coenen would challenge Sarah Kaufman for the Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight (135-Pound) Championship in July, but that honour went to Roxanne Modafferi.
Coenen (17-4-0) made a name for herself competing in Japan and Europe for over nine years before making her long-awaited Strikeforce debut on November 7th. She avenged one of her then-three career losses by submitting late replacement Modafferi in the first round at Strikeforce: “Fedor vs Rogers.” The win set up a Strikeforce Women’s Middleweight (145-Pound) Championship bout with Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos in January, but Coenen came up short and was ultimately stopped in the third round. Following the bout, reports suggested that Coenen may drop down to 135 pounds.
With the 145-pound ranks still relatively thin – particularly in Strikeforce at the present time – Coenen may now find new matchups in the lower weight class. As first reported by MMARising.com on May 25th, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has stated that his promotion will move forward with a 135-pound women’s tournament that will begin “no later than August 15th.” An official announcement from Strikeforce will be made within the next two weeks, according to Afromowitz. Plans for a women’s tournament at 145 pounds are off the table for now.
No participants have been officially announced for the Strikeforce 135-pound bracket, though Upcoming Glory Tournament Champion Maiju Kulaja is likely to take part. As well, the Freestyle Cage Fighting Women’s Bantamweight Grand Prix wraps up tonight at FCF 43 in Shawnee, Oklahoma, as Shayna Baszler faces Adrienna Jenkins. The victor will either be slotted into the Strikeforce tournament or challenge the winner of the Kaufman vs Modafferi title bout in the interim.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)
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