Erin Toughill without Jan. 30 Fight, Seven Women Refuse To Face Her

Top-ranked female lightweight Erin Toughill is having a difficult time finding an opponent.

FiveOuncesofPain.com reported that seven women were contacted to meet Toughill in the ring at FCF (Freestyle Cage Fighting) 39 on Jan. 30, and all seven have turned down the fight.

It isn't uncommon for fighters to turn down fights on the local scene, especially when said bout is against a seasoned veteran of Toughill's caliber, but seven is just unreal.

This type of thing can be extremely frustrating for a fighter, but it's nothing new to Toughill, as she has had opponents back out at the last minute on several different occasions. There just aren't very many women willing to step into the ring with a seasoned veteran such as Toughill.

The beautiful brunette boasts a 10-2 overall record and hasn't lost a fight in six years, excluding a disqualification loss in a fight that she was winning up until that point.

Long before Gina Carano and Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos exploded onto the scene, Toughill was competing on small shows in the late '90s, paving the way for female fighters of the future.

Along with the experience, Toughill is every bit as sexy and technically talented as Carano is, and she is just as ruthless and devastating as "Cyborg", so it truly is mind-boggling why she doesn't receive the same amount of press.

She is signed to a Strikeforce contract and was set to make her debut against Marloes Coenen , whom she previously knocked out in 2004, in November 2009 but was forced to pull out due to an undisclosed medical condition.

Now Coenen will challenge Santos for the Strikeforce female 145-pound championship at Strikeforce: Miami on Jan. 30, and Toughill can certainly make a case to meet the winner in her long-awaited debut with the California-based organization.

This article was originally featured on fiveknuckles.com