Kansas City, Mo. — Invicta Fighting Championships 22 has added five new bouts.
The night’s co-main event will feature atomweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki (14-1) moving up a weight class to take on former strawweight champion Livia Renata Souza (9-1). Hamasaki will enter the contest having won five straight fights, including back-to-back title defenses against Jinh Yu Frey and Amber Brown. Souza will compete for the first time since her Invicta FC 17 battle with Angela Hill.
Also at strawweight, former title challenger DeAnna Bennett (8-2) takes on Jodie Esquibel (5-2). The pair were originally slated to collide at Invicta FC 21, but the bout had to be rescheduled. Bennett will return for the first time since Invicta FC 16, where she engaged in a back-and-forth battle with veteran Roxanne Modafferi. Esquibel headlined Invicta FC 18 in July against Mexico’s Alexa Grasso.
Recent atomweight title challenger Jinh Yu Frey (5-2) battles undefeated Brazilian newcomer Janaisa Morandin (9-0). Frey came up short in her quest for gold at Invicta FC 19 after doctors stopped her bout due to a cut. Morandin has reeled off nine straight wins in her home country, including five by way of strikes.
Finally, two additional strawweight match-ups are slated for the event. Iceland’s Sunna Rannveig Davidsdottir (1-0), fresh off her decision win over Ashley Greenway at Invicta FC 19, welcomes newcomer Mallory Martin (1-0) to the Invicta cage, while unbeaten Kal Holliday (1-0) looks to build off her submission victory over Tiffany Van Soest when she takes on 19-year-old sensation Miranda Maverick (1-0).
The bouts join the previously announced bantamweight title rematch between champion Tonya Evinger (18-5, 1 NC) and Russian challenger Yana Kunitskaya (9-2, 1 NC).
The event takes place Saturday, March 25 from the historic Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. The event streams live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass at 8 p.m. ET.
The current Invicta FC 22 fight card can be found below:
Bantamweight Title: Tonya Evinger (18-5, 1 NC) vs. Yana Kunitskaya (9-2, 1 NC)
Strawweight: Ayaka Hamasaki (14-1) vs. Livia Renata Souza (9-1)
Strawweight: DeAnna Bennett (8-2) vs. Jodie Esquibel (5-2)
Atomweight: Jinh Yu Frey (5-2) vs. Janaisa Morandin (9-0)
Strawweight: Sunna Rannveig Davidsdottir (1-0) vs. Mallory Martin (1-0)
Strawweight: Kal Holliday (1-0) vs. Miranda Maverick (1-0)
Tickets for Invicta FC 22 go on sale Saturday, Feb. 11 at 10 a.m. CT via Ticketfly.com. Additional bouts for the event will be announced at a later date.
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. Follow Invicta on Twitter (@InvictaFights), Facebook (Facebook.com/InvictaFights), and Instagram (@InvictaFC) for all the latest information.