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UFC, Strikeforce Cuts Golden Glory Fighters Marloes Coenen, Valentijn Overeem, Jon Olav Einemo

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The UFC and Strikeforce have cut three Golden Glory fighters: Marloes Coenen, Valentijn Overeeem, and Jon Olav Einemo.

Photo by  Forza LLC via Getty Images.
Photo by Forza LLC via Getty Images.

Zuffa LLC has cut former Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion Marloes Coenen, Strikeforce heavyweight Valentijn Overeem, and UFC heavyweight Jon Olav Einemo from the company's roster, according to reports released early Tuesday morning. All three fighters are members of Golden Glory fight camp. Martijn de Jong, the camp's head coach, announced the surprising development from his Twitter page.

Zuffa brass has yet to publicly confirm the releases, and as of this point no explanation has been given. While all three fighters are fresh off a loss, speculation is swirling that the move could be correlated to the company's recent dispute with Golden Glory's Alistair Overeem (35-11). Overeem was cut from the promotion late last week after refusing to participate in Strikeforce's scheduled September 10th event.

The move is most surprising for Coenen (19-5), who recently lost her bantamweight title to Miesha Tate at ‘Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson'. Despite the loss Coenen remained a top contender and one of the most recognizable faces in the burgeoning realm of women's mixed martial arts.

Valentijn Overeem (31-29), Alistair's older brother, is a former Pride fighter who made his debut under the Zuffa banner in February. He compiled a 1-1 record in his short time with Strikeforce, defeating Ray Sefo via neck crack and losing to Chad Griggs via submission (punches).

Einemo (6-2) lost his only bout for Zuffa in a thrilling back-and-forth brawl with Dave Herman that won UFC 131's Fight of the Night honors. It was the 35-year-old's first fight after a five-year layoff.