Dutch fighter going for Strikeforce gold

Dutch fighter Marloes "Rumina" Coenen will step into the cage once again as she faces undefeated fighter and Strikeforce Welterweight champion Sarah Kaufman.

Coenen, whose record is currently at 17 wins and four losses, is looking to end Kaufman’s undefeated streak and take her championship at Strikeforce: San Jose, which takes place October 9.  Her last fight was against Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cristane Santos, which ended with Santos winning by TKO in the third round.

Although she had sustained injuries in the fight with Santos, Coenen’s said  in a Strikeforce conference call, she had learned a lot from her loss to Santos.

“I stepped in and I was convinced I could KO her and it didn’t work,” Coenen said.  “Everything has healed and I have proven to myself that I can take a punch, and in a weird way, it feels really good.”

Although her fight with Kaufman is at a lower weight class, Coenen said that dropping weight will not be an issue.  She said her trainers are working with her to drop the weight.

“I have two experts who are coaching me and have created a diet plan, and are telling me when to eat, how to eat and when to take vitamins and I will be on weight,” Coenen said.

Born and raised in the Netherlands, Coenen started training in martial arts at the age of 14.  She trained with Shooto Holland under trainer and mixed martial arts veteran Martijn de Jong, according to her website.  Coenen won her first amateur bout in 20 seconds and debuted professionally in 2000, against Yuuki Kondo.  The fight ended with Coenen winning by submission two and a half minutes into the first round.

Some of Coenen’s accomplishments include winning the 2000 ReMix World Cup and earning victories  in different MMA promotions around the world. 

Since debuting in Strikeforce, Coenen has one half of her fights.  She avenged her loss against Roxanne Modaeffri, who previously beat her in the K-GRACE tournament finals.

Coenen currently trains with Team Golden Glory.  In addition to fighting, Coenen is wanting to study in Communications Sciences in Amsterdam.

Coenen, who is known for her striking and ground game, said her training regiment is the same, while only a small percentage is dedicated to her sparring with someone at Kaufman‘s size.

We have a special wrestling coach, and we work on wrestling techniques, and I train with a lot of guys who are smaller,” Coenen said.

Coenen also said that while she is expecting every possible scenario, she thinks the majority of the fight will be a standup and striking game.

“Sarah is a striker and I like to dish out as well,“ Coenen said. 

In the same conference call, Kaufman said that while Coenen is moving down from 145 lbs to 135 lbs, her training has not been any different.

“It doesn’t matter who they fought before, and where they just came from and I though Marloes looked really good in the fight with Cyborg,” Kaufman said.  “My training has been just as intense and I am expecting just as tough of a fight as I’ve ever had.”

Whether or not she defeats Kaufman, Coenen is scheduled to compete at the Ultimate Glory 12 event seven days after Strikeforce: San Jose. 

Links:

Transcript of Strikeforce conference call

Strikeforce: San Jose preview

Team Golden Glory