Strikeforce Miami: Cyborg Santos vs Marloes Coenen Preview

With the Super Bowl less than two weeks away, Strikeforce looks to steal some of the spotlight away with a card in Miami featuring the first title defense for Cris ‘Cyborg’ Santos against Golden Glory product Marloes Coenen. So what does this fight do for both women’s careers? Does a win benefit one or both of them? What does a loss to do?

What a loss means for both women:

Cyborg Santos - A loss for Cyborg would be mean Coenen was able to either withstand the onslaught on the feet and tag Cyborg with a stiff jab or Cyborg was exposed on the ground. A strategy we have not seen any of Cyborg’s opponents implement is an effective top game. Coenen definitely has the ground game to do this. A loss to Coenen though would just send Cyborg back to the gym to sharpen her skills. She would have to wait until the featherweight tournament is over to face any relevant competition. A second fight against Gina Carano is also possible but it would have to wait until the summer because of Carano’s movie commitment.

Marloes Coenen - A loss for Coenen would stall her U.S. career. She would also have to wait until the end of the tournament to have any suitable opponents. A future opponent for her could be Gina Carano. The fight could be a number one contender’s bout for either woman’s second shot at the title.

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What a win means for Marloes Coenen:

The Dutch product would be propelled into stardom with a win. She could become as marketable as Gina Carano is. She speaks English, which is something Cyborg is still learning to do and is another pretty face Strikeforce can market. She would share the same problem that Cyborg would have; a long layoff due to the tournament. Her time off though could be used to build her image to U.S. fans by doing appearances at future Strikeforce shows and a lot more media.

What a win means for Cyborg:

A win would add to the legend of Cyborg Santos. If she dominates Coenen, she could be seen on the same level as Anderson Silva: unbeatable. The next step for her would be waiting until the end of the featherweight tournament to see who rises to the occasion. It would be the first time Strikeforce has actually built up a challenger for the women’s title in their short history. A formidable challenger will make for another huge fight and allow Cyborg to build herself up to be the real face of women’s MMA.

With a lot of the line, both women stand to gain from a win. Unfortunately, a long layoff from fighting awaits both of them. This will ultimately benefit them in the end, because Strikeforce will have a legitimate title contender for either woman later this year.

Be sure to follow all of the Strikeforce Miami results as each fight becomes final on Saturday night here at Pro Fighting Fans!

By Anyaa Carter
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer