Coach: Coenen, Einemo, Overeem Released by Zuffa
Only days after Strikeforce’s
abrupt dismissal of heavyweight champion Alistair
Overeem, three of the Dutchman’s teammates have also been
ousted from the Zuffa ranks.
“I am very disappointed to let you know that Marloes Coenen, John Einemo and Valentijn Overeem have been cut from Strikeforce [and the] UFC,” Golden Glory head coach Martijn de Jong wrote Wednesday on his personal Twitter account.
Perhaps the most shocking cut is Coenen (Pictured), who lost her
Strikeforce women’s 135-pound title to Miesha Tate
last Saturday in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Widely regarded as one of the world’s top female fighters, Coenen, 30, had compiled a 3-2 record in the Strikeforce cage since joining the promotion in 2009, finishing Sarah Kaufman, Liz Carmouche and Roxanne Modafferi by way of submission, while falling to Tate and current 145-pound champ Cristiane “Cyborg.” A 10-year veteran of the sport, Coenen holds an impressive 19-5 mark, with 14 wins via submission.
Heavyweight grappler Einemo, meanwhile, was a surprising addition to the UFC roster to begin with. The 35-year-old ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships titlist had not competed in MMA for more than four years when he was signed by the company in March. Einemo’s lone Octagon outing came at June’s UFC 131, where he came up on the losing end of the “Fight of the Night” against Dave Herman, who halted Einemo on second-round punches.
Valentijn Overeem, the elder sibling of Alistair, defeated Ray Sefo in his February Strikeforce debut to earn an alternate slot in the company’s 2011 heavyweight world grand prix. However, in his June bout on the undercard of his brother’s fight with Fabricio Werdum, the 34-year-old Dutch “Python” tapped out to punches from Chad Griggs after just two minutes.
“I am very disappointed to let you know that Marloes Coenen, John Einemo and Valentijn Overeem have been cut from Strikeforce [and the] UFC,” Golden Glory head coach Martijn de Jong wrote Wednesday on his personal Twitter account.
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Widely regarded as one of the world’s top female fighters, Coenen, 30, had compiled a 3-2 record in the Strikeforce cage since joining the promotion in 2009, finishing Sarah Kaufman, Liz Carmouche and Roxanne Modafferi by way of submission, while falling to Tate and current 145-pound champ Cristiane “Cyborg.” A 10-year veteran of the sport, Coenen holds an impressive 19-5 mark, with 14 wins via submission.
Heavyweight grappler Einemo, meanwhile, was a surprising addition to the UFC roster to begin with. The 35-year-old ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships titlist had not competed in MMA for more than four years when he was signed by the company in March. Einemo’s lone Octagon outing came at June’s UFC 131, where he came up on the losing end of the “Fight of the Night” against Dave Herman, who halted Einemo on second-round punches.
Valentijn Overeem, the elder sibling of Alistair, defeated Ray Sefo in his February Strikeforce debut to earn an alternate slot in the company’s 2011 heavyweight world grand prix. However, in his June bout on the undercard of his brother’s fight with Fabricio Werdum, the 34-year-old Dutch “Python” tapped out to punches from Chad Griggs after just two minutes.
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