I've supported Scott Coker and Strikeforce for the wonderful things the company has done as of late, but I believe they dropped the ball on a recent missed talent who was interested in making a transition from boxing to MMA.

 

Coker had the chance to sign pro boxer Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton (5-1-1) to bolster the women's division in Strikeforce, but it simply never happened.

 

Strikeforce matchmaker Bob Cook declined to comment about the topic, when asked by CONCEDE via e-mail.

 

Most recently, Julaton won a 10-round decision against Kelsey Jeffries, winning the IBA super bantamweight championship along the way. Julaton's next foray into the ring will likely be at the next American Metal & Iron Fight Night at the Tank boxing event on Dec. 4, where she'll defend her title for the first time. Her opponent has not been announced.

 

Extremely popular in the San Francisco Bay Area, especially among the Filipino population, most of the fans at the Sept. 12 event were there to support Julaton. According to Angelo Reyes, Julaton's manager, they were able to get a large group of supporters to the fight on just three weeks notice. Using the Strikeforce PR machine juggernaut, the next Strikeforce event at the HP Pavilion could have several thousand Julaton supporters alone.

 

Last spring, Julaton began training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and submission wrestling at Jake Shields' Gracie Fighter gym in Berkeley, Calif., using her athleticism and natural talent to quickly learn the ropes.

 

Since a professional MMA debut is unlikely to take place any time soon, Julaton solely trains at the Kennel Boxing Gym in San Leandro, California. Julaton now trains under Nonito Donaire, Sr., a well known, experienced boxing coach, along with his son, Glenn Donaire, who has an amateur record of 52-8, with a pro record of 17-4-1. 

 

Strikeforce missed out on signing a young and beautiful talent that would have been a huge draw for the promotion's San Jose events. As long as she continues to see success in boxing, and Strikeforce doesn't show any interest, then it becomes even more unlikely she'll enter the Strikeforce cage.