First of all, I think Strikeforce really missed the boat in promoting this fight properly, but I'll get to that later today.
Marloes Coenen is coming into this fight after a successful Strikeforce debut against Roxanne Moddaferi, winning via submission in the first round and avenging an earlier loss on her record. She brings an overall record of (17-3) with 12 of those wins coming via submission and 3 via the TKO/KO variety. She's only been stopped once in her career, and that came against Erin Toughill back in 2004. Coenen is very good on the ground, but is versed in striking as well.
SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Miami
Cris "Cyborg" Santos is coming off the big TKO win over Gina Carano back in August, and has since been out of action with a shoulder injury. Santos brings an overall record of (8-1) with 6 of those wins coming via the TKO/KO variety. The lone loss in her career was a submission loss in her first professional fight. Santos will be the larger and more powerful of the two fighters. Her best asset is her aggression and KO power, but she's also a purple belt in BJJ.
I think Coenen's best chance of winning this fight is braving the early storm from Santos. The longer the fight goes the more it favors Coenen. While she's versed in striking, she shouldn't stand in the pocket against Cyborg the same way Carano attempted to. If she can somehow get Santos to the ground in an advantageous position, then that'll be her chance to pull out the win. Otherwise, it's doubtful that she wants to be on her back eating ground and pound from Santos. Cyborg's stamina could become a factor later in the fight, but I really don't expect it to make it there. I think Santos is just too big and powerful for Coenen and Cyborg will retain her title via TKO late in the first round or early in the second.
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