Could Santos’ failed test save the women’s 145 division?
“The 145-pound weight class, I don’t think it’s time to throw that out to the garbage,” Coker said. “I feel…
“The 145-pound weight class, I don’t think it’s time to throw that out to the garbage,” Coker said. “I feel we still have some great fighters at 145, and a lot of girls who maybe haven’t been around for a while are going to be motivated to come back because ‘Cyborg’ isn’t going to be there.
“I heard that [White] had said something to the fact of, ‘Well, with her out, what’s the division?’ But there are girls out there … we can bring in to fight at 145. If that’s not the case, I’m sure we’ll evaluate it and make a business decision. But I don’t think that determination has been made.”
One possibility? Gina Carano, whose fighting career has been put on hold due to her upcoming big-screen debut and starring role in the Steven Soderbergh-directed “Haywire,” which hits theaters on Jan. 20. Carano twice has been rumored to be coming back from a two-years-plus layoff, but the plans never materialized.
“I think Gina Carano is definitely someone who would like to fight again at some point,” Coker said.
Additionally, though she’s slotted to drop a weight class and fight champ Miesha Tate for her bantamweight title at a March 3 Strikeforce event, Olympian and undefeated top prospect Ronda Rousey could return to the featherweight division.
“Ronda, her original plan was to fight Miesha … take a couple fights, and come back up and fight at 145 because I think she’s a little more comfortable at 145,” Coker said. “So to say there won’t be any 145-pound weight class, I think that’s premature.”