Vlog: Marloes Coenen Shoots TV Show In Japan

Women’s MMA superstar Marloes Coenen ventures to Japan and shoots a popular, fight-themed TV show there. In the show, Coenen fights a Japanese actor.
Coenen’s trainer, Martijn de Jong of Golden Glory, also appears in this video blog.

Vlog: Marloes Coenen Discusses “Double Standard” In MMA, New TV Show In Japan and Life After Strikeforce

In her first video blog for Full Contact Fighter, former Strikeforce Women’s 135 Pound Champion Marloes Coenen opens up about what she feels is a double standard in the sport of MMA and talks about why she didn’t wait for Zuffa, the parent company of UFC and Strikeforce, to take her back following her dismissal from Strikeforce this summer.

The 30-year-old Coenen, who owns a stellar 19-5 career record in MMA with 14 of her wins having come by way of submission, discusses what she’s got in store for the MMA world, including her recent signing with North Carolina based Black Eye Promotions and her participation in a new TV show being filmed in Japan.

Coenen talks from Kansas, where she has been staying with a close friend and training with the East Kansas Wrestling Club.

Marloes Coenen vs. Liz Carmouche Nominated for Comeback of the Year

Fighters’ Only Magazine has nominated former Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen’s victory over Liz Carmouche for “Comeback of the Year”.
The match back in March saw Carmouche dominating Coenen, but Coenen was able to sink in a triangle choke in the fourth round for the come from behind win.
Voting has started, so go to http://www.onlineawards.co.uk to pick your favorites.

(You can watch the highlights via ShoSports below – 1:23 in.)

Mike Chiappetta: Former Strikeforce Champ Marloes Coenen Signs With Upstart Blackeye Promotions

Former Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion Marloes Coenen has signed a new deal, and it's not with her former promoter.

On Friday, the 30-year-old Coenen announced that she has signed a non-exclusive contract with Blackeye Promotions, a North Carolina-based upstart league that has been in existence for less than one year.

"I am very excited to have the opportunity to be part of Blackeye Promotions, as they have an honest passion for the sport and are genuinely committed to building a platform for women in MMA," Coenen said in a statement. "Equality for women in this sport is a cause close to my heart and important to the generations of women fighters that will compete after me. I am happy to be signed with a promotion that not only supports this quest for equality, but is dedicated and committed to making a difference."

Blackeye will produce their next event on October 1 in Fletcher, North Carolina, a show that will feature several women's matches, but Coenen is unlikely to debut until early 2012.

Coenen fought five times for Strikeforce over the last 18 months, going 3-2 during that time. She lost a featherweight title fight to Cris Cyborg in January 2010, but dropped down a division and captured the bantamweight belt by defeating Sarah Kaufman via armbar submission in October 2010. She then successfully defended the belt against Liz Carmouche before losing it to Miesha Tate on July 30.

Just days after that defeat, Coenen was cut after a rift developed between her Golden Glory management team and Strikeforce ownership group Zuffa over business practices.

Coenen is 19-5 overall.

Blackeye Promotions promoted its first show on November 19, 2010, and has produced a total of four events altogether, with its fifth event set for October 1. At least six women's fights have already been announced for that card, which is being promoted as a breast cancer benefit show

Marloes Coenen Among 3 Golden Glory Fighters Released

A week after Zuffa released Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem from his contract, three of Overeem's Golden Glory teammates have also been cut, including former women's champion Marloes Coenen.

Golden Glory's Martin de Jong wrote on Twitter that Coenen, heavyweight John Olav Einemo and Overeem's brother Valentijn Overeem were all released by Zuffa.

There's clear tension at the moment between Golden Glory and Zuffa, the parent company of both the UFC and Strikeforce. Although Zuffa can point to the fact that Coenen, Einemo and Valentijn Overeem were all coming off losses, cutting them all and also cutting Alistair Overeem suggests that Zuffa doesn't want to deal with Golden Glory (which functions as both a gym and a promoter) at all.

The decision to cut Coenen is also another sign of Zuffa's lack of interest in women's mixed martial arts. Coenen just lost the women's 135-pound title to Miesha Tate on Saturday night, and she's one of the best and most recognized female fighters in the world. Her departure hurts the women's division, but Zuffa may not much care about its women's division.

Despite the UFC saying it would be "business as usual" when Strikeforce was purchased, the company is seeing rapid turnover among some of its best fighters. Of the seven fighters who were Strikeforce champions when Zuffa purchased the company early this year, two (Overeem and Coenen) have been released, two more (Dan Henderson and Cris Cyborg) have had their contracts expire and may not return to Strikeforce, and one (Nick Diaz) has been brought over to the UFC.