Miesha Tate earned the right to challenge for the 135-pound Strikeforce women’s championship for when she came out the victor last August at a one-night four-woman tournament, beating Maiju Kujala and Hitomi Akano. However, Tate suffered a knee injury in preparation for her title bout with champion Marloes Coenen, and was replaced by Liz Carmouche, who ultimately succumbed to a triangle larte in a fight she was winning handly.

Now Coenen looks forward to fighting Miesha Tate, and ealier questioned the injury to MMA Weekly.

I’ll take Miesha on the next time. It is a little curious to me, though, that she is already in training again even before my fight and she’ll be okay and recovered in the week after my fight. I hope she ‘womans-up’ and fights me next time. I believe Liz’s stand-up is better than Tate’s. She is tough and looks like an honorable fighter.

I would like to fight a few times at 135 pounds first and then fight Cris (Cyborg) again.

I can beat her, but need more strength, and my technique has to be much better than hers to beat her. With the dieting for 135 pounds and then growing muscles and dieting for 145 pounds, it’ll be too much for my body at once, so I’ll take my time and will prepare well.