It has to be very stressful to live your life as a “name” within the mixed martial arts industry. One night you are fighting in front of thousands of people live, with millions watching at home. The next you receive word that you’ve lost your job because you lost your fight, or for whatever reason. This happens very frequently within the MMA community. However, a recent release means more than many other releases in recent memory.
Former Strikeforce 135-pound women’s champion Marloes Coenen was released from her Strikeforce contract. The Golden Glory standout is one of four fighters that have been released from Zuffa contracts in a matter of weeks; Alistair Overeem, Valentijn Overeem, and John Einemo were also cut from the organization. At first this seemed like a business move on Zuffa’s part, however looking at it more closely, it seems more likely that a message was being sent to the fighters who are hoping to make their way into the UFC.
Coenen is a major name within the women’s MMA community. Her last two bouts against Miesha Tate and Liz Carmouche can easily be considered show stealers on each of her last two cards. In a career spanning 11 years she has amassed a 19-5 record while proving to be a slick submission specialist. Fourteen of her victories have come by tapout, and she has never lost twice in a row. Still, that resume could not keep her on the Zuffa roster for even a week after dropping the title.
Upon hearing about this release, two things immediately came to mind: The first was that Golden Glory fighters are going to face repercussions for Alistair playing hardball and wanting more time to heal before continuing the tournament. The second was that Coenen’s release is a sign that Zuffa does not even intend to consider bringing the women’s divisions into the UFC once Strikeforce is merged into the organization. Strikeforce currently holds some of the biggest names in women’s MMA, with Tate, Carmouche, Gina Carano, Sarah Kaufman and Cristiane Santos currently under contract. Why wouldn’t they want to keep Coenen, who fits in perfectly with that group of fighters?
From various reports it seems as if the releases were due to a lack of agreement between Zuffa and the Golden Glory management team.
According to UFC President Dana White, the releases were due to Golden Glory not accepting the way that fighter payments were dispersed. In an interview with MMA Junkie, White claims that the management team insisted that the prize money go to the group instead of the individual fighter and White stated “No, we’re not. We’re paying the fighters directly. We’re not going to do that.”
Since then the story has further ballooned with Coenen refuting White’s claims and publicly displaying pictures of a paystub on her Twitter account. She displayed a Strikeforce check that was issued directly to her after competing. Along with this sources also suggested that some Golden Glory fighters sign over their checks to the management team for various reasons.
Either way, both sides apparently could not come to a strong resolution and the group of fighters were removed from the Zuffa roster.
While this may not spell long-term danger for the women’s divisions, the UFC has clearly made up their mind on the future of those divisions within their organization. With the impending expansion of the organization, and the possibility of adding 125-pounders to the fold, the women’s divisions may have become collateral damage.
Hopefully this means that an organization such as Bellator will step in and provide a showcase for these fighters. While I do not fully agree that the women’s divisions are as lacking in depth as White likes to say, I believe that development of the personalities that are here, and further training of those coming up, are needed to set the course straight.
Coenen may be the first to suffer what may be considered a setback, but this can actually be turned into an opportunity for women’s mixed martial arts. What follows in the coming months will be key.
You said "Coenens release is a sign that Zuffa does not even intend to consider bringing the women's divisions into the UFC once Strikeforce is merged into the organization" however bringing the women's divisions into the UFC was never a consideration. White has always been very specific on that. The only hope for the women's divisions under Zuffa was if Strikeforce remained its own promotion under Zuffa. However, I've always been confident that Zuffa's goal in acquiring Strikeforce has been "UFC Live on Showtime!"
I'm absolutly NOT SURPRISD, about this Fight, This POINT OF VIEUW, between UFC/ZUFFA'S and GOLDEN GLORY.. and Ihink they are more reasons bell of thi for sure)