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In between a lot of great shows from the UFC and World Series Of Fighting will be another must-see card from the Invicta FC promotion. The card will be headlined by a trio of title bouts as the flyweight, strawweight and bantamweight titles will all be on the line. Also, Felice Herrig makes her Invicta FC debut and a former Bellator champion will return to Invicta FC.
Kicking off the action is a flyweight division attraction as Nina “The Strina†Ansaroff (5-3-0) competes against Munah “The Perfect Storm†Holland (5-2-0). Ansaroff will make her Invicta FC debut in this fight and will do so while riding a four fight winning streak. Holland is returning to action after being away for over a year, her last fight was a loss to Michelle Ould at Bellator 74. Ansaroff has been on a big roll in her last few fights and that roll will continue when she defeats the recently inactive Holland in the opener.
A pair of bantamweights are duking it out next as Sarah “The Monster†D’Alelio (7-4-0) is in action against Tonya “Triple Threat†Evinger (11-6-0). D’Alelio has won three of five fights while in Invicta FC, most notably defeating Amanda Nunes at Invicta FC IV. Evinger will be making her Invicta FC debut, with her last fight being a win over the highly touted Carina Damm a little over a year ago. D’Alelio is a late replacement in this fight, but she has enough of a skill set to grind out a victory over Evinger.
More flyweight action is up next as Zoila “Warrior Princess†Gurgel (12-3-0) does battle against Vanessa Porto (15-6-0). Gurgel is a former Bellator Women’s Flyweight Champion, but she was upset in her Invicta FC debut against Jennifer Maia at Invicta FC V. Porto has won one of three under the Invicta FC banner, with that lone victory coming over Tara LaRosa at Invicta FC III. Gurgel was badly upset in her Invicta FC debut, but she will right the ship to defeat Porto and get back on track.
Featherweights will be stepping into the cage next as Julia “The Jewel†Budd (5-2-0) see’s action against Charmaine “Not So Sweet†Tweet (4-3-0). Budd is currently undefeated in Invicta FC competition, last defeating Mollie Estes by submission at Invicta FC V. Tweet will make her Invicta FC debut in this fight and she actually made her professional MMA debut against current UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey. Budd is a far stronger fighter than Tweet and that will show as Budd uses that strength to earn herself another victory.
Our first strawweight bout of the evening is next as Joanne “Jo Jo†Calderwood (7-0-0) stands across the cage from Katja “Killer Bunny†Kankaanpaa (8-0-1). Calderwood has already won three bouts in Invicta FC competition, last defeating Norma Rueda Center at Invicta FC VI. Kankaanpaa made her Invicta FC debut at Invicta FC V, defeating Juliana Carneiro Lima by unanimous decision. The winner of this fight could be very close to a title shot and it will be Calderwood getting that win and closer to a title shot.
Another strawweight division battle is set next as Felice “Lil’ Bulldog†Herrig (9-4-0) will be fighting Tecia “Tiny Tornado†Torres (3-0-0). Herrig will be making her Invicta FC debut in this fight and she is coming off of a successful run in the Bellator Fighting Championships. Torres has spent her entire pro career in the Invicta FC promotion, most notably defeating Rose Namajunas at Invicta FC VI. Herrig is a heavy favorite entering the bout, but it will be Torres pulling the upset to remain undefeated.
The vacant Invicta FC Bantamweight Title will be decided next as Lauren Murphy (7-0-0) battles Miriam “The Queen Of Mean†Nakamoto (2-0-1). Murphy earned an opportunity at the gold after achieving a pair of victories over Kaitlin Young and Sarah D’Alelio in Invicta FC competition. Nakamoto earned the opportunity to become the champion after she decimated Duda Yankovich at Invicta FC VI. Murphy has a huge experience edge over Nakamoto and that experience will be a factor as she become the first bantamweight champion.
Up next is an Invicta FC Strawweight Title fight as champion Carla “Cookie Monster†Esparza (9-2-0) defends against Claudia “Claudinho†Gadelha (11-0-0). Esparza will be making the first defense of her championship, which she won by defeating Bec Hyatt at Invicta FC IV. Gadelha made her promotional debut back at Invicta FC VI, defeating Ayaka Hamasaki by third round TKO. Gadelha was originally set to challenge for the gold at Invicta FC VI and she had to wait a little longer, but will capture the gold by defeating Esparza at Invicta FC VII.
Headlining this card is an Invicta FC Flyweight Title bout as champion Barb “Little Warrior†Honchak (8-2-0) defends the gold against Leslie “The Peacemaker†Smith (6-3-1). Honchak will be making the first defense of her championship, which she won by defeating Vanessa Porto at Invicta FC V. Smith earned an opportunity at the title when she defeated Jennifer Maia by unanimous decision at Invicta FC VI. Smith is a good fighter, but she does not have the skill set to take home the gold and it will be Honchak holding onto the gold.
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