10 Questions With Marloes Coenen (1/7/2010)

[DarrickPatrick]

10 Questions With Marloes Coenen (by Darrick Patrick)

Marloes "Rumina" Coenen is a professional mixed martial artist who has appeared in organizations such as Strikeforce, M-1 Global, Beast Of The East, Ultimate Glory, K.O. Events, Shooto, K-GRACE, Smackgirl, Jd', ReMix, and Ladies Legends Pro Wrestling. At the time of this interview, her next scheduled match is a title attempt against current lightweight women's champion Cristiane "Cris Cyborg" Santos in Strikeforce at Strikeforce: Miami on January 30th, 2010.

Darrick: What was the journey that led you to professional mixed martial arts competition?

Marloes: I originally played tennis and volleyball at a young age. I had to learn how to defend myself though because I had to go to school by a bike through the woods. The only thing nearby was Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (the Karate school only did Kata). That was with Martijn de Jong who is still my current trainer. He became a MMA fighter and the head of Shooto Europe. At his first amateur event, I had my first Shooto fight. I was eighteen years old.

Darrick: Do you have any words of advice for other individuals looking to compete in MMA?

Marloes: Yes, especially for the women. Just do it. Find a relaxed instructor and set a goal that you will work out for at least two months. After the two months you can make an evaluation as to whether you want to continue or not, but do not quit before the two months are over.

Darrick: Your next scheduled fight is against Cristiane "Cris Cyborg" Santos on January 30th. What are your thoughts about this upcoming match?

Marloes: This is a big chance given to me by Scott Coker. Winning this fight would essentially make me the best female fighter in the world. To me though it is more the challenge of fighting a fighter like Cristiane that is most motivating for me. If it was at a small event and not for the title, I would still be just as enthusiastic.

Darrick: Do you feel as if there are any extra hurdles being a female in mixed martial arts or do you believe it to be basically the same struggle for both genders?

Marloes: It depends on what your goals are. If it's just to train and burn some calories while working on your fighting skills, then there should be no problems for women (if you have found a nice gym). However, if it is your goal to become a professional athlete than it is a different story. First of all, there were not that many girls doing mixed martial arts for a long time. In the Netherlands, there still aren't a lot of girls doing MMA. That doesn't help for pushing the level of skills up.

Secondly, there are the people who think women should not fight. They will not appreciate it, won't go to the events, and the promoter will be forced to not have a female fight on the card. To people who have that opinion, I would like to say that they should remember that MMA is a sport. And we are athletes. Just as a girl can play tennis, she can do MMA. Thanks to Scott Coker (who is a martial artist himself) and the popularity of Gina Carano, it's finally happening for women in MMA right now.

Darrick: Who are a few of the people in the sport that you highly respect?

Marloes: Fedor! I do not need to explain that. (Smiles) Rumina Sato for his mentality and fantastic fights in Shooto. Georges St-Pierre, whom I doubt is a human being or not. Megumi Fujii is a fantastic fighter. Ramon Dekkers is a retired Muay Thai fighter and you have to check out his highlights. An unknown fighter who I really like is Vincent Latoel because of his speed and aggression. Oh, and I cannot forget Jason Miller. I think his nickname should be "The Entertainer" instead of "Mayhem".

Darrick: What brings you the most fulfillment out of martial arts?

Marloes: Being healthy and having a goal in life.

Darrick: Outside of MMA, what are your other interests?

Marloes: I read a lot, from low culture gossip to high culture non-fiction. I have to be honest though too, I'm superficial. So, I also like shopping...and food. I like to eat! (Laughs)

Darrick: Tell us something about you that most people don't know.

Marloes: My cat's name is Rumina (Sato). The cat isn't too smart though, so it's kind of a mismatch.

Darrick: What is your oldest memory?

Marloes: I think it was my father teaching me how to ride a bike at the age of three. I live in Amsterdam, there are more bikes than people in this town.

Darrick: If you were stuck in a bomb shelter for the rest of your life, what three items would you take in with you besides food and water?

Marloes: Make-up. Lots of it. Also, all of the Hayao Miyazaki movies and a nice looking man. (Smiles)

FOR OTHER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS BY DARRICK PATRICK:

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=4974388&blogID=343519835

You can also check out Marloes Coenen in the following places:

Official Marloes Coenen Facebook Site:

http://www.facebook.com/marloes.coenen

Marloes Coenen on Fight Finder:

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Marloes-Coenen-4232

Marloes Coenen Photo Gallery at Sherdog.com:

http://www.sherdog.com/pictures/gallery/fighter/4232