Sarah Kaufman Looking to Prove Her Worth in Strikeforce Spotlight

Sarah Kaufman hears the same questions over and over these days. It gets a little tiresome at times, but she knows she brought it on herself. She's the squeaky wheel who demanded some grease on live television.

"It was one of those things that needed to be said at the time," she told MMA Fighting this week. "If I was in the same situation again I would do it again, for sure."

By it, of course, she means the moment right after her knockout slam of Roxanne Modafferi in her last Strikeforce 135-pound title defense when she took to the mic and called for her employer to stop relegating her fights to the small-time Challengers cards and start giving her the respect a champion deserves.

"I think I deserve it," she said into the camera. "Put me on there."

Now that she's getting her wish in a televised title defense against Dutch fighter Marloes Coenen on the Showtime portion of Saturday night's Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II card, everyone wants to know what she thinks about it. It's almost as if the fight itself has become an afterthought, and what it represents is getting all the attention.

"Sometimes the questions tend to be a little repetitive, but maybe they might reach someone who hasn't heard them yet," she said. "I had a lot of support behind me and I really feel that I do deserve to be on the main card. This is [Strikeforce's] title and that's where all their other titles are. As an organization, I just think it took a little longer to get there. But with the fan support, I don't think [Strikeforce] can be too upset. It shows that people do want to see us fight."

This is just one of the ways that being a female MMA champion is completely different than being a male one. Nobody asks the men to speak for their entire gender. They don't need to, because their promotional viability is never in question.

For women, Kaufman said, it's a different ballgame. Which is the part of the reason why you see a lot more solidarity in the women's ranks than you do in the men's.

"I think most of the other female fighters were on board," Kaufman said. "It could have a lot to do with the fact that there have been other organizations willing to showcase the female fights, and they went under. To have a big platform is something that, as a collective unit, we've all had to get behind and really support and push. For the males, they don't have to do that. Other organizations, of course they have the males fighting. It's really because we're trying to earn that respect and create that buzz that has really kept everyone on the same page."

By drawing attention to her own plight – Saturday night will mark the first time that Kaufman, an undefeated champion in her fifth fight with Strikeforce, will be featured on a major Strikeforce card – Kaufman may have inadvertently made herself a spokesperson for women's MMA.

It's not exactly the role she may have envisioned for herself, but for better or worse it's the one she finds herself in.

"I think it's put on any woman's shoulders who's kind of been put forward a little bit," she said. "Of course I have to speak out a little bit and represent the females who are or want to be in the sport."

Now the question is, can she deliver?

Without a doubt, her highlight-reel finish of Modafferi played some role in Strikeforce's decision to feature her on a main card. The slam was featured on ESPN, exposing a whole new spectrum of sports fans to a glimpse of women's MMA, and it certainly helped make the point that the females can put on performances that are just as exciting as the men's.

But now with the spotlight on her, Kaufman has to do it again, this time against a savvy and experienced veteran in Coenen.

"Marloes, she has been fighting for ten years, so I'm sure she has the experience," said Kaufman. "She knows what works for her and what doesn't work for her. She's comfortable on the ground and she's comfortable standing, so she's got some options that she can choose from. That being said, I do present a different kind of opponent than she's faced before."

For one thing, Kaufman is a little lighter and quicker. This will be Coenen's first fight at 135 pounds, and also her first bout since the TKO loss in her 145-pound title fight with Cris "Cyborg" Santos last January. This fact alone has raised some eyebrows.

So does Kaufman think it's a little strange that Coenen should get a crack at her belt immediately after losing a fight for a different one?

"Um," she paused. "No comment."

And maybe that's playing it smart. Even when you're fighting to get your due respect, you've got to take it one battle at a time.