Shino VanHoose

Invicta FC 15 Adds Katy Collins and Shino VanHoose

Kansas City, Mo. — The fight card for Invicta Fighting Championships 15 has undergone some last-minute changes.

The promotion has announced that flyweight Katy Collins (3-1) and atomweight Shino VanHoose (4-3) will step in as replacements for Shannon Sinn (2-2) and Lisa Ellis (15-10), respectively.

Collins, who fights out of Branson Fight Club in Missouri, will face off with fellow knockout artist Christine Stanley (4-1) after Sinn suffered an injury in training. “Red Dragon” has stopped all three of her wins in the first round via TKO.

Japan’s VanHoose will replace the UFC veteran Ellis, who was forced out due to illness. The 20-year-old will continue her run against tough competition as she takes on Amber Brown (5-1). Three of VanHoose’s four wins have come by submission, including a 51-second Ezekiel choke finish in her professional debut.

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 event will take place from 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.

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. Shino VanHoose (4-3)
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. Katy Collins (3-1)
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).

DariaIbragimova

Daria Ibragimova: Overcoming An Idol

What makes an idol? Respect? Admiration? Emulation?

In mixed martial arts, an idol is often a fighter that turns violence into art.

The combat-sports career of 31-year-old Russian Daria Ibragimova began as a teenager. She competed in sumo, sambo and wrestling. Those arts helped carry her to the world of mixed martial arts.

“In 15 years, I have formed a true love for the arts. I knew it was for me,” she declared. “[The arts] complement and add variety in technique.”

Like so many of her countrymen and women, Ibragimova possesses a Master of Sports in sambo, as well as one in freestyle wrestling. However, it’s her sumo background where she has achieved the most success.

“Sumo [is my favorite],” said Ibragimova. “I’m Master of Sports International Class and 2015 Sumo World Champion. [Like MMA] it is necessary to beat the opponent and everything happens fast as I like.”

Through 10 career fights, Ibragimova has secured nine wins. Seven of those victories have come via submission and six have been in the first round. That resume earned Ibragimova a spot on the Invicta FC roster. From the moment she signed with the promotion, the grappling ace began asking for a chance to challenge the very woman she looked up to in the sport: Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino.

“She has long been an idol for me,” said Ibragimova. “She completes her fights early, and I love to do everything quickly.”

On Jan. 16 in Costa Mesa, Calif., Ibragimova will get the opportunity to dethrone her idol. She’ll face the Brazilian in the main event with the featherweight championship on the line.

“I wanted to fight Cyborg,” explained the Russian fighter. “This is my long-cherished dream. I wanted it and our team went for it. This is the logical continuation of my sports path.”

Although Ibragimova’s background is largely in the grappling arts, she does have professional boxing experience. As she prepares to face a devastating striker like Cyborg, she may need to have faith in her stand-up skills to compete with the champion.

“I believe in it, but it is not my goal,” she said of her striking. “I think my strength is on the ground.”

Invicta FC 15 will be Ibragimova’s first fight in North America, but she’s unfazed by the task at hand. If anything, the Russian is supremely confident heading into the title affair.

“I’m not nervous. I’m sure this will be a fight to remember,” claimed the challenger. “My dream will come true in a few minutes; it will only be one round.”

And how exactly does Ibragimova envision conquering her longtime idol so quickly in the cage?

“My fights are always spectacular and brutal,” she proclaimed. “Winning is the meaning of life.

“I would like to leave her strangled body on the canvas!”

If Ibragimova’s prediction holds true on Jan. 16, she may find herself as the idol that others are looking to overcome.

Daria would like to thank her manager Yuriy Kyselov and all of team YK Promotion.