Yana Kunitskaya

Featherweight Yana Kunitskaya Added to Invicta FC Roster

Kansas City, Mo. — Invicta Fighting Championships has added another new face to its featherweight division.

Russia’s Yana Kunitskaya (8-1) has signed with the promotion. The 26-year-old will return to professional competition following a three-year absence from the sport. Prior to that, “Foxy” reeled off six straight wins, including five, first-round knockouts.

Of her eight career wins, Kunitskaya has stopped six by way of strikes, including a 34-second stoppage of current Invicta fighter Cindy Dandois. He lone career loss came against another Invicta veteran, Maria Hougaard Djursaa, in 2010. The former Bushido FC champion also has professional kickboxing experience.

Look for Kunitskaya to make her promotional debut in 2016.

About Invicta FC:

Invicta Fighting Championships is a world championship, all-pro mixed martial arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible match-ups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport. For more information, visit InvictaFC.com, follow Invicta on Twitter (@InvictaFights) and like Invicta on Facebook (Facebook.com/InvictaFights).

Alida Gray

Alida Gray Steps In Against Angela Hill at Invicta FC 15

Kansas City, Mo. — Invicta Fighting Championships today announced a change to the fight card for Invicta FC 15, which will stream live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass on Saturday, Jan. 16, from The Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Knockout artist Alida Gray (4-2) will step in on short notice against Angela Hill (2-2) at the event. Gray was last in action at Invicta FC 10 last December where she fought top contender Alexa Grasso.

Gray replaces former atomweight Jodie Esquibel (5-1), who will no longer make her strawweight debut on the card.

Invicta FC 15 will be headlined by featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (14-1, 1 NC), who will put her belt on the line against Russian newcomer Daria Ibragimova (9-1). In the co-main event, the strawweight title will be up for grabs between champion Livia Renata Souza (8-0) and fellow unbeaten DeAnna Bennett (8-0).

The updated fight card for Invicta FC 15 can be found below:

Featherweight Title: Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (14-1, 1 NC) vs. Daria Ibragimova (9-1)
Strawweight Title: Livia Renata Souza (8-0) vs. DeAnna Bennett (8-0)
Bantamweight: Raquel Pa’aluhi (5-4) vs. Colleen Schneider (9-6)
Atomweight: Amber Brown (5-1) vs. Lisa Ellis (15-10)
Strawweight: Angela Hill (2-2) vs. Alida Gray (4-2)
Strawweight: Lacey Schuckman (11-8) vs. Mizuki Inoue (9-4)
Featherweight: Amanda Bell (3-3) vs. Ediane Gomes (10-4)
Flyweight: Christine Stanley (4-1) vs. Shannon Sinn (2-2)
Featherweight: Megan Anderson (4-2) vs. Amber Leibrock (1-0)

Tickets for Invicta FC 15 are on sale now and can be purchased at fightcluboc.tix.com.

About Invicta FC:

Invicta Fighting Championships is a world championship, all-pro mixed martial arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible match-ups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport. For more information, visit InvictaFC.com, follow Invicta on Twitter (@InvictaFights) and like Invicta on Facebook (Facebook.com/InvictaFights).

Pa'aluhi

Invicta FC 15: Cyborg vs. Ibragimova Full Fight Card

Kansas City, Mo. — The fight card for Invicta Fighting Championships 15 is complete.

Earlier this week, the promotion revealed it will visit The Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Jan. 16. The event will stream live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

In addition to the four fights announced earlier this week — including two title fights — Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp appeared on Invicta FC Radio to reveal four additional match-ups.

Joining the event will be strawweights Lacey Schuckman (11-8) and Mizuki Inoue (9-4), flyweights Christine Stanley (4-1) and Shannon Sinn (2-2), and a pair of featherweight contests featuring Amanda Bell (3-3) vs. Ediane Gomes (10-4) and Megan Anderson (4-2) vs. Amber Leibrock (1-0).

Finally, a bantamweight bout between Raquel Pa’aluhi (5-4) and Colleen Schneider (9-6) will round out the nine-fight event.

Invicta FC 15 will be headlined by featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (14-1, 1 NC), who will put her belt on the line against Russian newcomer Daria Ibragimova (9-1). In the co-main event, the strawweight title will be up for grabs between champion Livia Renata Souza (8-0) and fellow unbeaten DeAnna Bennett (8-0).

The full fight card for Invicta FC 15 can be found below:

Featherweight Title: Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (14-1, 1 NC) vs. Daria Ibragimova (9-1)
Strawweight Title: Livia Renata Souza (8-0) vs. DeAnna Bennett (8-0)
Bantamweight: Raquel Pa’aluhi (5-4) vs. Colleen Schneider (9-6)
Atomweight: Amber Brown (5-1) vs. Lisa Ellis (15-10)
Strawweight: Jodie Esquibel (5-1) vs. Angela Hill (2-2)
Strawweight: Lacey Schuckman (11-8) vs. Mizuki Inoue (9-4)
Featherweight: Amanda Bell (3-3) vs. Ediane Gomes (10-4)
Flyweight: Christine Stanley (4-1) vs. Shannon Sinn (2-2)
Featherweight: Megan Anderson (4-2) vs. Amber Leibrock (1-0)

Tickets for Invicta FC 15 are on sale now and can be purchased at fightcluboc.tix.com.

About Invicta FC:

Invicta Fighting Championships is a world championship, all-pro mixed martial arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible match-ups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport. For more information, visit InvictaFC.com, follow Invicta on Twitter (@InvictaFights) and like Invicta on Facebook (Facebook.com/InvictaFights).

Cris Cyborg Justino vs Faith Van Duin

Invicta FC 15 Set For Southern California on Jan. 16

Kansas City, Mo. — Invicta Fighting Championships is returning to California.

The promotion will visit The Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Jan. 16. The event will stream live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

Headlining the event will be featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (14-1, 1 NC), who will put her belt on the line against Russian newcomer Daria Ibragimova (9-1). Cyborg successfully defended her 145-pound title at Invicta FC 13 in July, stopping New Zealand’s Faith Van Duin in under a minute. Ibragimova will make her promotional debut riding a seven-fight winning streak. Seven of her nine career victories have come via submission and six of her wins have come inside the first round.

In the co-main event, the strawweight title will be up for grabs between champion Livia Renata Souza (8-0) and fellow unbeaten DeAnna Bennett (8-0). The Brazilian Souza captured the 115-pound title with a fourth-round finish of Katja Kankaanpää at Invicta FC 12. Seven of the 24-year-old’s wins have come via submission, including five in the first round. Utah’s Bennett has won four straight inside the Invicta cage. Since dropping to 115 pounds, she has topped Norma Rueda Center, as well as the aforementioned Kankaanpää, in her last two outings.

Also announced for the event will be another strawweight bout between recently signed UFC veteran Angela Hill (2-2) and veteran striker Jodie Esquibel (5-1). Esquibel will move up from atomweight riding a two-fight winning streak.

The current fight card for Invicta FC 15 can be found below:

Featherweight Title: Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (14-1, 1 NC) vs. Daria Ibragimova (9-1)
Strawweight Title: Livia Renata Souza (8-0) vs. DeAnna Bennett (8-0)
Atomweight: Amber Brown (5-1) vs. Lisa Ellis (15-10)
Strawweight: Jodie Esquibel (5-1) vs. Angela Hill (2-2)

Additional bouts for the event will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets for Invicta FC 15 go on sale starting today at 10 a.m. PT and can be purchased at fightcluboc.tix.com.

About Invicta FC:

Invicta Fighting Championships is a world championship, all-pro mixed martial arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible match-ups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport. For more information, visit InvictaFC.com, follow Invicta on Twitter (@InvictaFights) and like Invicta on Facebook (Facebook.com/InvictaFights).