On March 5th, Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Champion and Golden Glory standout Marloes Coenen rallied to submit Liz Carmouche in round four. One week later, she and trainer Martijn de Jong were shocked to learn that Strikeforce had been purchased by UFC parent company Zuffa, LLC.
Like many others, Coenen and de Jong are waiting to see what will come of the acquisition of Strikeforce, and both remain cautiously optimistic about what the future may hold. They share their thoughts on the sale and future plans, as well as the growing rivalry between Coenen and Miesha Tate.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced plans for a quartet of quality fights for UFC 132 on July 2nd in Las Vegas, Nevada. Among them is a welterweight rematch between former two-division UFC champion “The Prodigy” B.J. Penn and Jon Fitch. The pair fought to a Draw last month.
Once-beaten Irish standout Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly will step back into the cage on April 24th. The Bellator veteran has agreed to face Germany’s Sheila “Bulldog” Gaff at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 41 in North London, England in a featured matchup to be contested at 125 pounds.
Despite the recent earthquake and tsunami disasters in Japan, Pancrase pushed ahead with its “Impressive Tour 2” event on Sunday night in Osaka. Strikeforce veteran and former Smackgirl Middleweight Champion Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano submitted Chisa Yonezawa in a featured bout.
This weekend featured a pair of women’s bouts showcasing four prospects at 125 pounds in two very different areas of the world. Rising star Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak picked up her third victory as a professional and eleventh overall by defeating Amber “A.J.” McAvoy at Wright Fights 2 in Missouri.
Leading amateur promotion Tuff-N-Uff held its third event of 2011 Saturday night at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event, Edmond “The Albanian Assassin” Xhelili avenged his lone loss by defeating Jason Richey for the Tuff-N-Uff Middleweight Championship.
The mixed martial arts industry has undergone a drastic change today with the announcement that Ultimate Fighting Championship parent company, Zuffa, LLC, has purchased the UFC’s biggest competitor, Strikeforce. UFC President Dana White first announced the news to MMAFighting.com.
Shark Fights 14 took place tonight at the Fair Park Coliseum in Lubbock, Texas. The HDNet-televised event was headlined by a middleweight battle between UFC veterans Matt “Suave” Horwich and Danillo “Indio” Villefort, and served as the first of many Shark Fights events that will air on the network.