Marloes Coenen: I see some weaknesses in Cris Cyborg
“Her strength, of course, is her physique,” Coenen said. “She’s a real powerhouse. She’s really good at throwing combinations —…
“Her strength, of course, is her physique,” Coenen said. “She’s a real powerhouse. She’s really good at throwing combinations — she doesn’t just throw one kick and one punch. She tries to walk right through you. I see some weaknesses, but I’m going to keep those to myself until the 30th.”
“Most of my sparring partners are guys,” Coenen said. “There aren’t a lot of women in my gym. MMA hasn’t been as big in the Netherlands — people who are into martial arts are more into Thai boxing. But now with people like Gegard Mousasi and Alistair Overeem and Melvin Manhoef, we’re seeing more boys in the Netherlands getting into MMA. I’m hoping it happens with the girls now.”
“I’m here in the Netherlands and I don’t know if American MMA fans know who I am, although I do notice a lot of people want to be friends with me on Facebook now,” Coenen said. “But the truth is I try not to pay attention to that, I don’t read things about myself on the Internet, because it could be very distracting. I only want to focus on my fight.”
“I’m just an ordinary girl who was doing martial arts on the side, and the next thing I knew I was getting professional fights in Japan,” Coenen said. “So much has happened for this sport in nine years. Back then I couldn’t find fights and I worried that I wouldn’t be able to fulfill my MMA career and that I’d live to regret it. It felt to me like the only option I had. I knew I could get a career at a company or something but I didn’t want to do that. Now that I’m seeing the way this sport influences women I want as many women as possible to get into MMA — not to be a professional fighter, you don’t have to fight at all, but just to better yourself.”