Kaufman: Women’s MMA Stereotypes Weakening

Women’s mixed martial arts has come a long way since its inception, but it has not received as much mainstream exposure as male mixed martial arts has enjoyed. However, if Strikeforce women’s welterweight champion Sarah Kaufman has anything to say about it, that will not be the case for long.

“I think women’s MMA has gotten a little more recognition lately,” said Kaufman, who will defend her title against Marloes Coenen at Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Noons 2” on Saturday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. “After my last fight (a third-round slam knockout of Roxanne Modafferi in July), the knockout was on ESPN’s ‘Plays of the Week.’ I think women’s MMA just needs more exposure.

“There are a lot of stereotypes out there about boys doing things like fighting and girls doing girlie things, but the stereotypes are starting to change,” she added. “There are women out there now, like Marloes, who have been fighting for 10 years. I think it’s just a matter of time and getting more people to see women’s MMA is all.”

Strikeforce and Bellator Fighting Championships are two major promotions that have put an emphasis on women’s MMA, as Strikeforce has champions at 135 and 145 pounds in Kaufman and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos; Bellator is currently conducting a 115-pound women’s tournament that features Japanese superstar Megumi Fujii.

“Things are getting better with Bellator doing their tournament and Strikeforce having championships the way they do,” said Kaufman. “Things like that really help push it forward. Even though she’s doing acting now, having Gina Carano bring attention to women’s MMA helped, as well.”

Kaufman’s defense against Coenen will serve as her first main card appearance for Strikeforce after she notched four straight wins on the Strikeforce Challengers series. After the Modafferi win, Kaufman drew a lot of attention and some criticism for her remarks about how she should be fighting on bigger cards, but the champion felt she needed to voice her feelings.

“If you’re going to have a championship, you need to push it and make it have weight,” said Kaufman, who is unbeaten in 12 professional MMA bouts. “I feel like Strikeforce needs to push the championship. For me to have a title shot and then a title defense on a Challengers card sort of defies what the Challengers series is about since it’s supposed to be for up-and-coming fighters. Cyborg and all of the male champions are fighting on the main card of bigger events, and I feel like I should be doing the same thing. I think my last fight pushed that fact, and now I’ve earned my shot.”

Kaufman, who has nine knockouts among her 12 victories, owns wins over Alexis Davis, Shayna Baszler and Miesha Tate, who won a one-night tournament in August to earn a shot at the Strikeforce women’s welterweight title. The 25-year-old Kaufman trains out of the Zugec Ultimate Martial Arts camp in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

While Kaufman looks to defend her title and remain unbeaten, Coenen is coming off a third-round knockout loss at the hands of Santos in a 145-pound title fight back in January. Coenen has secured more than half (12) of her 17 wins by submission, and the 29-year-old Golden Glory rep has never lost back-to-back fights.

“I definitely respect Marloes as a fighter,” said Kaufman. “She carries herself well in how she fights and how she speaks. She fights hard, and it should be a good fight. With all of the good fights on the card, it has the potential to be an amazing show.”

Not often does a fighter get a title shot in wake off a loss, and Coenen has lost two of her last three fights. Kaufman believes Coenen’s lengthy career, as well as whom she has beaten, makes her a credible challenger.

“I think it was a shock for a lot of people that she got an immediate title shot,” said Kaufman, “but she’s got a lot of history in this sport. Yes, she’s never fought at 135 before, and that’s a bit surprising they went ahead and gave her a title shot, but I always want tough competition. I think it’s great for me to have super fights against high-level women.”

Kaufman expects a tough fight from Coenen but feels that she has the skills to hold on to her title.

“Marloes is known for a lot of different things,” said Kaufman. “She’s got a lot of submissions, but she has power in her hands and is pretty comfortable in most avenues. Usually, you have to prepare for one style, whether it be striking or grappling, more than another. I just have to be well-rounded and tighten up everything in my game. I do think my style will be a challenge for her because this is her first fight at 135 and she won’t be used to someone my size.”