On July 30th, Dutch standout Marloes Coenen suffered the first submission defeat of her storied mixed martial arts career. A mere four days later, the former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion received notice that her tenure with Strikeforce had come to an abrupt and shocking end.
As she processed her thoughts, Coenen was overwhelmed by supportive messages from fans who questioned her release and looked forward to her return to action. Coenen believes that her future in MMA remains bright and welcomes the responsibility of being a leader and role model in the sport.
Former top contender Mike “Quick” Swick has been forced to withdraw from his UFC 134 bout with Erick “Indio” Silva after tearing the ACL and MCL in his knee during training. The embattled welterweight has been sidelined for 18 months due to illness and injuries, and has dropped back-to-back fights.
Former rivals Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri and Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen will square off for a second time at DREAM.17 on September 24th in Saitama, Japan. Kawajiri will make his featherweight debut in the fight after Hansen, a former DREAM Lightweight Champion, dropped down in weight last year.
Just days after Alistair Overeem was abruptly released from his Strikeforce contract, three of the former champion’s Golden Glory teammates have also been cut. Overeem’s brother, Valentijn, along with UFC fighter John Olav Einemo and ex-Strikeforce champ Marloes Coenen were all released.
The women took centre stage in a busy month of MMA in July, and Miesha “Takedown” Tate capped off the month by winning the Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Championship from veteran Marloes “Rumina” Coenen. Tate takes over the top spot at 135 and cracks the top five pound-for-pound.
Miesha “Takedown” Tate added yet another title belt to her collection tonight with a fourth-round submission of Marloes “Rumina” Coenen at Strikeforce: “Fedor vs Henderson” in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The win earned Tate the newly-renamed Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Championship.
Strikeforce returned to the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois tonight for one of its biggest events at Strikeforce: “Fedor vs Henderson.” The card was headlined by a heavyweight bout between “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko and Strikeforce 205-pound champ Dan “Hendo” Henderson.
Olympic silver medallist Sara McMann put her standout wrestling skills to good use this evening, as she outwrestled former rival Tonya Evinger to a clear-cut Unanimous Decision victory at Titan Fighting Championship 19 in Kansas City, Kansas. The win was unquestionably her biggest to date.