Following a shocking upset loss in May, Marloes “Rumina” Coenen looks to get back into featherweight title contention when she steps back into the cage on November 4th at Bellator 163: “McGeary vs Davis” in Uncasville, Connecticut. Coenen takes on unbeaten Brazilian Talita “Treta” Nogueira.
Bellator officials announced the fight on Friday. Coenen was expected to compete for the inaugural Bellator Women’s Featherweight Championship at Bellator 155, but was instead submitted by short-notice replacement foe Alexis “Sneaky Zebra” Dufresne. Nogueira has won all six of her pro bouts.
Coenen (23-7-0) signed with Bellator two years ago after a stint with Invicta Fighting Championships that included an unsuccessful bid for the promotion’s featherweight title. Her Bellator debut ended in a third-round submission victory over Annalisa “No Fear” Bucci at Bellator 130, and Coenen followed that up by forcing Arlene “Angerfist” Blencowe to tap out to an armbar at Bellator 141. Coenen was then slated to face Julia “The Jewel” Budd for the inaugural 145-pound women’s title, but Budd suffered an injury and Coenen ultimately succumbed to a first-round triangle armbar from an overweight Dufresne.
Nogueira (6-0-0) also joined the Bellator roster in 2014, but she has yet to make her debut for the promotion and has not competed since earning a first-round submission victory in late 2013. Nogueira was originally expected to face Budd at Bellator 133, but she was forced to withdraw from the fight after suffering an injury. Now fully recovered, Nogueira steps into the Bellator cage for the first time in hopes of handing Coenen her second straight upset defeat. All six of Nogueira’s pro MMA wins have come inside the distance, with three ending in the first round.
Bellator 163: “McGeary vs Davis” takes place on November 4th at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event is headlined by a Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship bout between Liam McGeary and Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis, and also featured a preliminary-card flyweight bout between Sarah “Soulja” Payant and Hannah Regina Merullo.
(Photo Credit: Bellator)
Rooting for Marloes, but Talita, styllistically, is a far worse matchup than Alexis Dufresne.