In an update from yesterday, it now appears that Marloes “Rumina” Coenen will no longer compete at Ultimate Glory 12 on October 16th in Amsterdam. Coenen’s participation was first announced in July and reaffirmed this Wednesday, but Coenen stated today that her fight has been cancelled.
Golden Glory trainer Martijn de Jong stated on Wednesday that Coenen had been scheduled to compete on this Saturday’s Strikeforce: Houston card, but Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker maintained that that was not actually the case. Coenen’s next fight will likely now be against Sarah Kaufman.
As first reported last night, Strikeforce had planned to put together a rematch between Coenen and Cindy “Battlecat” Dandois at some point this Fall, but the fight failed to materialise. Coenen was instead named the number one contender for Kaufman’s 135-pound title. In reponse to de Jong’s claims, Coker stated that there were never any plans to feature the Coenen-Dandois rematch on the Houston card and that no fight was ever “cancelled.” De Jong said that Coenen would still fight at Glory 12, but in the span of two days, that appears to have changed.
Quick changes and confusion are nothing new for Coenen this year, as reports involving her career and future have changed seemingly by the day. First set to remain at 145 pounds, and then later to be part of the Strikeforce 135-pound women’s tournament, Coenen was eventually removed from the tournament lineup and named number one contender instead. It was announced that she would compete at both 135 and 145 pounds, but she has yet to fight at 135 and questions remain as to whether she can safely make the weight. She will now have at least six weeks to prepare.
No date has been officially set for Coenen’s title bid against Kaufman, but the cancellation of her fight at Glory 12 may be an indication that a timetable for her Strikeforce return is being established. Further updates on the ongoing situation will follow. In the interim, it appears that Coenen will not compete prior to the title fight. She has not fought since losing to Strikeforce Women’s Middleweight (145-Pound) Champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos on January 30th.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)