Seven days after she faces Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight (135-Pound) Champion Sarah Kaufman in California, Marloes “Rumina” Coenen will battle Lena Buytendijk at Ultimate Glory 12 in Amsterdam. The October 16th fight was officially announced by Golden Glory trainer Martijn de Jong today.
Coenen will carry a huge edge in experience into the bout with Buytendijk, who was submitted by Sheila Gaff in her pro debut in March, but it remains to be seen what condition Coenen will be in following the fight with Kaufman on October 9th. Injuries could potentially cancel the Glory 12 bout.
Coenen (17-4-0) faced Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos for the Strikeforce Women’s Middleweight (145-Pound) Championship in January, but was stopped in the third round and has not competed since then. She was initially scheduled to take part in the inaugural one-night Strikeforce women’s tournament at 135 pounds, but was instead named the number one contender to Kaufman’s title. Coenen has not fought in the 135-pound division before and may struggle with the weight cut. However, she remains focused on facing not only Kaufman for the title but also Buytendijk just seven days later.
Buytendijk (0-1-0) was part of the Upcoming Glory tournament in March, where the winners of the 135- and 145-pound brackets received guaranteed contracts with Strikeforce. However, she was submitted by Sheila “The German Tank” Gaff in the first round and failed to advance on. Buytendijk will enter the fight with Coenen at a massive disadvantage in terms of experience. However, should Coenen suffer injuries or be at any less than 100% after her fight with Kaufman, Buytendijk could potentially take advantage and score a major upset; just as MMA debutant Cindy “Battlecat” Dandois did in her bout with Coenen in early 2009.
Ultimate Glory 12 takes place on October 16th at Passenger Terminal Amsterdam in Amsterdam, Holland. The event features the first round of the FTP Glory Kickboxing & MMA World Series. The semi-finals will take place in February, with the finals to follow in April.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)