A Closer Look At Strikeforce "Fedor vs. Henderson": Marloes Coenen vs. Meisha Tate

“A Closer Look At strikeforce: ‘Fedor vs. Henderson’” concludes its second day with a massive championship co-main event. My special series “A Closer Look” is designed to let readers know everything they need to know in order to both understand and get hyped up about the latest MMA super-card. This edition of “A Closer Look” has been focused on Strikeforce’s upcoming July 30 event. Part 1 of the series is available here, part 2 is here, part 3 is here, and part 4 can be seen right here. Now it’s time to focus on the Marloes Coenen/Meisha Tate fight that sees Coenen’s Women’s Welterweight Championship on the line.

Marloes Coenen has had an interesting career as one of the top female fighters in Strikeforce. Coenen is a rarity in women’s MMA: a world-class veteran. Coenen has fought over twenty times, has been fighting for over a decade, and has a highly respectable record of 19-4. Her large, long frame has resulted in her claiming fourteen of her nineteen wins by submission. And in recent years, thanks to the Golden Glory camp (which trains the likes of Alistair Overeem), Coenen has displayed some impressive striking ability.

Coenen made her Strikeforce debut in 2009 and won by first-round submission in barely over a minute. The win gave Coenen a title shot against Cristiane Santos… but Cristiane Santos being Cristiane Santos, Coenen was dismantled and brutalized for three straight rounds before “Cyborg” closed the deal and stopped Coenen with a TKO. Coenen then immediately dropped down to 135 and was immediately given a title shot, which was a bit controversial.

Ultimately, Coenen would win the title in her best overall performance in Strikeforce to date, displaying crisp striking and a very good submission game. Coenen then met a major setback in her first defense of her belt when she fought Liz Carmouche. For three rounds, Coenen was more or less at Carmouche’s mercy. But at the start of round four, Coenen was finally able to secure a submission and won the fight.

Carmouche’s opponent, Meisha Tate, is also widely regarded as one of the best female fighters in Strikeforce as well as one of the most attractive. Tate’s record of 11-2 boasts several major victories over tough competition. In what has so far been the crowning achievement of her career, Tate won a special one-night single-elimination 135-pound tournament at Strikeforce’s “Challengers 10” event. Tate wound up beating both Maiju Kujala and Hitomi Akano by Unanimous Decision. And since those two wins in August of 2010, Tate has sat on the sidelines waiting for her opportunity to challenge for a championship.

This is honestly a really tough fight to call, for several reasons. First and foremost, Marloes Coenen looked amazing when she won the title but looked pretty bad in her first defense. So one of the largest factors in this match-up is which Marloes shows up. Another major factor is Tate’s inactivity, it’s been almost a year since she stepped into the cage. And as I keep saying, ring rust is very real.

In the here and now, I will say this: I’m very glad that this fight takes the co-main event slot. I think it’s going to be a very entertaining scrap, and I think it’s going to send the message that women’s MMA is a viable option in any promotion. Hopefully, this fight lives up to all my expectations and becomes a reminder to the Zuffa brass that women’s MMA is here to stay.