marcelt
05-03-2011, 14:36
http://www.sportsnet.ca/gallery/2010/10/21/coenen_marloes_gal_640.jpg
(“I think we women really have to unite, keep coming up with really good fights and also be feminine outside of the ring as well.”)
We had the opportunity this week on The Bum Rush Radio Show (http://www.cagepotato.com/listen-to-the-bum-rush-radio-show-with-special-guest-strikeforce-womens-welterweight-champion-marloes-coenen/) to speak with Strikeforce welterweight champion Marloes Coenen (http://www.cagepotato.com/marloes-coenen-attractive-woman/) who is set to take on Liz Carmouche at Saturday night’s Feijao vs. Henderson event in Columbus, Ohio. As always, Marloes was an articulate class act, demonstrating why, besides her in-cage prowess, Strikeforce holds her in such high regard as a person, a fighter and a champion.
In the brief conversation we had with the Golden Glory-trained fighter, Coenen touched on a number of topics including original opponent Meisha Tate’s injury (http://www.cagepotato.com/injury-forces-tate-out-carmouche-in-against-coenen/) and miraculous recovery, (http://twitter.com/MieshaTate/status/41932070406066176) representing Women’s MMA with class, finishing fights, her relationship with her Golden Glory trainers and teammates and much more.
Here are Marloes’ thoughts…
On how the change in opponent from Tate to Carmouche affected her training:
“We do look at the opponent [when preparing for a fight], but I believe that MMA is a sport and though it sounds maybe a little bit simple, it’s always the same. You tweak [your training] a little bit to the opponent you’re fighting. Then we’ve also got a game plan, of course. I believe Liz’s stand-up is a little bit better than Misha’s. She’s a good wrestler, too. She’s won very impressively her five fights. I’m feeling good and it will be a good fight, I’m sure.”
On how becoming the Strikeforce women’s welterweight champion changed her life back home in Holland:
“In the Netherlands MMA isn’t that big, so the media did not pay that much attention to it. I got a little bit more media attention, but to be honest, my focus is on the U.S. so what’s happening in the Netherlands…I like it — I received an award the day before I flew to the U.S. The attention and the recognition is there in the martial arts scene and I’m very happy with that, but my focus is on the U.S. For me it’s important that people get to know me here — not only as a fighter, but also that they get to know me as a person as well.”
On what Gino Carano did for her career:
“I think people who started started paying attention to women’s MMA when Gina became so popular. In the beginning I heard people talking badly about her, but I’m really grateful to her because she was the one who made it big. I was in the game for a long time and thanks to her I’m now fighting in the U.S. If she wasn’t there, I don’t believe I would be here right now.”
On the importance of repping WMMA with class to attract a wider audience:
“What I can do, I do. I do my best [to help women's MMA grow] and I hope it’s enough. I think we women really have to unite, keep coming up with really good fights and also be feminine outside of the ring as well. When I’m in the cage I don’t look too good, but I believe it’s very important to be feminine outside of the cage. We saw it in Gina. To [hardcore] fans, it doesn’t matter if its a man or a woman who’s fighting in the cage, but to a casual fan it’s more about appearances, entertainment and everything around them. It’s very important. If you want to get that target group, then we really have to play the game. I do it in my own way. I always try to stay respectful and everything like that. I hope I can help [gain women's MMA more acceptance].”
On how she felt after her fight with Sarah Kaufman when the former champ accused her of holding a submission after the tap:
“I knew I didn’t do anything wrong. When I was in the cage [after the fight] I felt that the audience was booing me and I thought that they didn’t understand that I was just playing the game fairly. Later on I talked to a few people and they said, ‘No, they weren’t booing at you.’ They were booing, some people said, at the referee and some people said they were booing at Sarah for complaining. When I win, I do not want to go to the scorecards. I want to win by knockout or by tap out — nothing else. I don’t want to win a full play. In my opinion, if you have to play [the] full [fight], then you’re the weaker fighter in the cage. If you’re the best, then you win in a convincing way.”
On Tate’s injury and fighting sick and hurt:
“When I heard she was injured I really felt bad for her, but then I heard she was already back training and that next week she will be recovered. It sounds a little bit weird to me in my opinion, but it’s good for her to create a little bit of beef from her side because the fight will come and it will be a really hard fight for her. I’ve fought often when I was really sick and I still stepped into the ring or the cage. When you’re a fighter there are always injuries and there’s always stuff [wrong with you]. There are enough excuses not to step into the cage, but if you really want it, you will be in that cage. Sometimes you make the mistake of [fighting when] you’re too sick or too injured, but as a professional fighter you do have to deal with that and suck it up.”
On her desire to avenge her losses:
“I did it with Roxanne Modafferi because the first time I lost, in my opinion I didn’t lose. I was sick, too fighting that fight, but I didn’t tell that at the time because it sounded like an excuse, but I can now because I won against her the second time. The judges [of the first fight] were Japanese and they were from her gym and the referee was from her gym, but this is stuff you hear later on. With Cyborg, it was really a loss. She really beat me and it was one of the best fights I’ve ever had. I respect her a lot, but I’ve learned so much from that fight and I really want to fight her again. I want to fight a few times at 135 and then maybe another fight at 145 to get used to the weight and then I really want to meet her again in the cage.
On the possibility of fighting Carano one day:
“Oh yeah, I want to fight Gina as well! I’m up for it. Definitely. Anytime, anywhere.”
On the relationship she has with her Golden Glory (http://www.cagepotato.com/golden-glory-set-satellite-gym-california/) trainers and teammates:
“I’ve been training with Martijn [de Jong] since the age of 14. I’ve known him for 15 years and we’ve been together to Japan. If you have a bond with a person like that who steps with you into the cage and who is always cageside, it creates such a bond. That’s something you also take with you in daily life. He’s like family to me. It really feels like family. In the gym people come and go, but the hardcore base of Golden Glory [remains constant]. I’ve known Alistair for like 12 years. I do not see him that often. He was there for my last training camp at the Amersfoort gym. Golden Glory has more than one gym in the Netherlands. So he was there and he was giving me advice and helping me with stuff and [we work together] in a friendly way. I believe it creates a synergy when everybody backs each other up.”
On whether or not she takes negative online editorials about her training partners to heart:
“To be honest, I don’t [take what I read on the Internet about my teammates personally], because I know how good they are and I know how hard they work for it. I find that the people who talk very loud on the Internet and are negative, mostly, are very frustrated people and I don’t want to have anything to do with that. If somebody is really negative towards like Gokhan Saki (http://www.cagepotato.com/golden-glory-standout-ghokan-saki-make-mma-debut-2011/) — I’m such a big fan of him. If somebody were to say something negative about him it would say more about the person than it would say anything about Saki. I feel the same for Alistair. People do not realize how hard Alistair has been training all these years and what he has sacrificed. The same goes for Nieky Holtzken or Dion Staring or Sem Schilt or Siyar Bahadurzada. If a peer, colleague or fellow fighter said something about one of my teammates it would hit me hard, like, ‘He’s not good.’ I’d be like, ‘What? He’s not good?!’ but anonymous people on the Internet I don’t care about. Keyboard warriors.”
On fighting for Strikeforce:
“First of all, the people of Strikeforce are really genuine, nice people and I feel that they really welcome you. Second, if you’re a female fighter there’s only one organization you want to fight for and it’s Strikeforce. At the moment, they’re the leading organization worldwide [for women's MMA], so it’s quite simple. If you’re not with Strikeforce, you’re nowhere.”
On her career goals:
“I’ve got one goal; I want to stay the champion. That’s my first and foremost goal, then, if it’s possible, as the reigning champion at 135, I’d like to also fight at 145, but that’s up to Scott [Coker]. He’s the boss and he’s decides.”
On the possibility of some day concurrently holding the 135 and 145-pound Strikeforce straps:
“I would not speak it out loud, but there’s a reason I want to fight Cyborg (http://www.cagepotato.com/report-cyborg-considering-taking-her-talents-to-wwe/) again.”
(“I think we women really have to unite, keep coming up with really good fights and also be feminine outside of the ring as well.”)
We had the opportunity this week on The Bum Rush Radio Show (http://www.cagepotato.com/listen-to-the-bum-rush-radio-show-with-special-guest-strikeforce-womens-welterweight-champion-marloes-coenen/) to speak with Strikeforce welterweight champion Marloes Coenen (http://www.cagepotato.com/marloes-coenen-attractive-woman/) who is set to take on Liz Carmouche at Saturday night’s Feijao vs. Henderson event in Columbus, Ohio. As always, Marloes was an articulate class act, demonstrating why, besides her in-cage prowess, Strikeforce holds her in such high regard as a person, a fighter and a champion.
In the brief conversation we had with the Golden Glory-trained fighter, Coenen touched on a number of topics including original opponent Meisha Tate’s injury (http://www.cagepotato.com/injury-forces-tate-out-carmouche-in-against-coenen/) and miraculous recovery, (http://twitter.com/MieshaTate/status/41932070406066176) representing Women’s MMA with class, finishing fights, her relationship with her Golden Glory trainers and teammates and much more.
Here are Marloes’ thoughts…
On how the change in opponent from Tate to Carmouche affected her training:
“We do look at the opponent [when preparing for a fight], but I believe that MMA is a sport and though it sounds maybe a little bit simple, it’s always the same. You tweak [your training] a little bit to the opponent you’re fighting. Then we’ve also got a game plan, of course. I believe Liz’s stand-up is a little bit better than Misha’s. She’s a good wrestler, too. She’s won very impressively her five fights. I’m feeling good and it will be a good fight, I’m sure.”
On how becoming the Strikeforce women’s welterweight champion changed her life back home in Holland:
“In the Netherlands MMA isn’t that big, so the media did not pay that much attention to it. I got a little bit more media attention, but to be honest, my focus is on the U.S. so what’s happening in the Netherlands…I like it — I received an award the day before I flew to the U.S. The attention and the recognition is there in the martial arts scene and I’m very happy with that, but my focus is on the U.S. For me it’s important that people get to know me here — not only as a fighter, but also that they get to know me as a person as well.”
On what Gino Carano did for her career:
“I think people who started started paying attention to women’s MMA when Gina became so popular. In the beginning I heard people talking badly about her, but I’m really grateful to her because she was the one who made it big. I was in the game for a long time and thanks to her I’m now fighting in the U.S. If she wasn’t there, I don’t believe I would be here right now.”
On the importance of repping WMMA with class to attract a wider audience:
“What I can do, I do. I do my best [to help women's MMA grow] and I hope it’s enough. I think we women really have to unite, keep coming up with really good fights and also be feminine outside of the ring as well. When I’m in the cage I don’t look too good, but I believe it’s very important to be feminine outside of the cage. We saw it in Gina. To [hardcore] fans, it doesn’t matter if its a man or a woman who’s fighting in the cage, but to a casual fan it’s more about appearances, entertainment and everything around them. It’s very important. If you want to get that target group, then we really have to play the game. I do it in my own way. I always try to stay respectful and everything like that. I hope I can help [gain women's MMA more acceptance].”
On how she felt after her fight with Sarah Kaufman when the former champ accused her of holding a submission after the tap:
“I knew I didn’t do anything wrong. When I was in the cage [after the fight] I felt that the audience was booing me and I thought that they didn’t understand that I was just playing the game fairly. Later on I talked to a few people and they said, ‘No, they weren’t booing at you.’ They were booing, some people said, at the referee and some people said they were booing at Sarah for complaining. When I win, I do not want to go to the scorecards. I want to win by knockout or by tap out — nothing else. I don’t want to win a full play. In my opinion, if you have to play [the] full [fight], then you’re the weaker fighter in the cage. If you’re the best, then you win in a convincing way.”
On Tate’s injury and fighting sick and hurt:
“When I heard she was injured I really felt bad for her, but then I heard she was already back training and that next week she will be recovered. It sounds a little bit weird to me in my opinion, but it’s good for her to create a little bit of beef from her side because the fight will come and it will be a really hard fight for her. I’ve fought often when I was really sick and I still stepped into the ring or the cage. When you’re a fighter there are always injuries and there’s always stuff [wrong with you]. There are enough excuses not to step into the cage, but if you really want it, you will be in that cage. Sometimes you make the mistake of [fighting when] you’re too sick or too injured, but as a professional fighter you do have to deal with that and suck it up.”
On her desire to avenge her losses:
“I did it with Roxanne Modafferi because the first time I lost, in my opinion I didn’t lose. I was sick, too fighting that fight, but I didn’t tell that at the time because it sounded like an excuse, but I can now because I won against her the second time. The judges [of the first fight] were Japanese and they were from her gym and the referee was from her gym, but this is stuff you hear later on. With Cyborg, it was really a loss. She really beat me and it was one of the best fights I’ve ever had. I respect her a lot, but I’ve learned so much from that fight and I really want to fight her again. I want to fight a few times at 135 and then maybe another fight at 145 to get used to the weight and then I really want to meet her again in the cage.
On the possibility of fighting Carano one day:
“Oh yeah, I want to fight Gina as well! I’m up for it. Definitely. Anytime, anywhere.”
On the relationship she has with her Golden Glory (http://www.cagepotato.com/golden-glory-set-satellite-gym-california/) trainers and teammates:
“I’ve been training with Martijn [de Jong] since the age of 14. I’ve known him for 15 years and we’ve been together to Japan. If you have a bond with a person like that who steps with you into the cage and who is always cageside, it creates such a bond. That’s something you also take with you in daily life. He’s like family to me. It really feels like family. In the gym people come and go, but the hardcore base of Golden Glory [remains constant]. I’ve known Alistair for like 12 years. I do not see him that often. He was there for my last training camp at the Amersfoort gym. Golden Glory has more than one gym in the Netherlands. So he was there and he was giving me advice and helping me with stuff and [we work together] in a friendly way. I believe it creates a synergy when everybody backs each other up.”
On whether or not she takes negative online editorials about her training partners to heart:
“To be honest, I don’t [take what I read on the Internet about my teammates personally], because I know how good they are and I know how hard they work for it. I find that the people who talk very loud on the Internet and are negative, mostly, are very frustrated people and I don’t want to have anything to do with that. If somebody is really negative towards like Gokhan Saki (http://www.cagepotato.com/golden-glory-standout-ghokan-saki-make-mma-debut-2011/) — I’m such a big fan of him. If somebody were to say something negative about him it would say more about the person than it would say anything about Saki. I feel the same for Alistair. People do not realize how hard Alistair has been training all these years and what he has sacrificed. The same goes for Nieky Holtzken or Dion Staring or Sem Schilt or Siyar Bahadurzada. If a peer, colleague or fellow fighter said something about one of my teammates it would hit me hard, like, ‘He’s not good.’ I’d be like, ‘What? He’s not good?!’ but anonymous people on the Internet I don’t care about. Keyboard warriors.”
On fighting for Strikeforce:
“First of all, the people of Strikeforce are really genuine, nice people and I feel that they really welcome you. Second, if you’re a female fighter there’s only one organization you want to fight for and it’s Strikeforce. At the moment, they’re the leading organization worldwide [for women's MMA], so it’s quite simple. If you’re not with Strikeforce, you’re nowhere.”
On her career goals:
“I’ve got one goal; I want to stay the champion. That’s my first and foremost goal, then, if it’s possible, as the reigning champion at 135, I’d like to also fight at 145, but that’s up to Scott [Coker]. He’s the boss and he’s decides.”
On the possibility of some day concurrently holding the 135 and 145-pound Strikeforce straps:
“I would not speak it out loud, but there’s a reason I want to fight Cyborg (http://www.cagepotato.com/report-cyborg-considering-taking-her-talents-to-wwe/) again.”