Strikeforce Champ Marloes Coenen Promises A Spectacular 2011, A Converted Fan Agrees

2010 was a very interesting year for MMA, for several reasons. The sport continued to grow at an unparalleled rate, several challengers to the UFC continued to set themselves apart and grow both their fanbase and as a business, and the phrase “anything is possible in MMA” took on an entirely new meaning as countless come-from-behind victories were scored and several amazing and unexpected finishes took place. Women’s MMA continued to grow in 2010 despite having an up-and-down year, and according to newly-crowned strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Champion Marloes Coenen, she too experienced continued growth in an up-and-down year.

In a new interview with MMA Weekly, Coenen recently shared the following sentiments: “2010 was an emotional rollercoaster for me professionally and private… To cut a long story short; I am always very critical on my own performance, but I am happy… (I want to) consolidate my title, keep on training my women’s group, and fight all over the world… 2011 will be spectacular, cannot wait for it to start.”

As a converted Marloes Coenen fan, I’m approaching her with a renewed sense of interest and appreciation as she approaches 2011 and the ever-growing list of Strikeforce 135-pound women’s athletes. I was pretty critical of Coenen following her dramatic loss to Cristiane Santos, and I outright questioned several times the logic behind giving Coenen another title shot immediately after she had just lost one. In one of the rare cases where I actually enjoy being proven wrong, Coenen showed up in incredible shape and put on a fantastic performance when she wrestled the championship away from then-champion Sarah Kaufman.

Looking forward to 2011, I think the deciding factor in Coenen’s future performances will be her ability to channel the same fire and will that she displayed against both Kaufman and even against Santos. Coenen is a massive female with long arms, good punching power, and a spider-like ground game. She has all the tools to go on a dominant run as champion, and it should be very interesting to see how she progresses on a fight-by-fight basis.

In the here and now, Coenen is staring down the equally-talented Meisha Tate, who recently fought and won a one-night-only Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Tournament to crown the next championship contender. Tate fought twice in one night to win the tournament, and dominated both encounters, taking her undefeated streak to five straight fights. No schedule for Tate/Coenen has been announced, but it does look to be an interesting and competitive match between two highly-gifted female athletes.

Looking forward, I’m liking where Women’s MMA seems to be going in 2011. I’ve been an unabashed fan of Women’s MMA for quite some time now, in particular, Cristiane Santos continues to be one of my favorite fighters regardless of gender. MMA broke new ground in 2010, but so did Women’s MMA. With two championships in Strikeforce and a growing and diverse league in Bellator FC, I think Women’s MMA is on an incredible upswing and will have a banner year in 2011. It’ll be a year of substantial growth built on the shoulders of what should be several great fights.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of Coenen’s recent comments and the state of Women’s MMA in general?