Jandiroba

Invicta FC 31: Jandiroba vs. Morandin Official Weigh-in Results

Kansas City, Mo. — On Friday, Aug. 31, Invicta Fighting Championships hosted the weigh-ins for Invicta FC 31: Jandiroba vs. Morandin. The event takes place from the historic Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo., on Saturday, Sept. 1, with the main card streaming live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 7 p.m. CT.

In the night’s main event, strawweight champion Virna Jandiroba (13-0) makes her first defense of her belt against fellow Brazilian Janaisa Morandin (10-1). Jandiroba claimed the title earlier this year, defeating MIZUKI at Invicta FC 28 in Utah. Morandin was most recently in action against Kinberly Novaes at Invicta FC 26, earning a “Performance of the Night” bonus for her victory.

Below are the results of the event’s weigh-ins.

Strawweight Title: Virna Jandiroba (114.6) vs. Janaisa Morandin (114.5)
Flyweight: Pearl Gonzalez (124.5) vs. Daiane Firmino (125.4)
Bantamweight: Shanna Young (134.5) vs. Lisa Spangler (135)
Strawweight: Mallory Martin (117)* vs. Ashley Nichols (115.7)
Flyweight: Miranda Maverick (125.1) vs. Victoria Leonardo (125.7)
Atomweight: Kelly D’Angelo (106) vs. Lindsey VanZandt (105.5)
Strawweight: Helen Peralta (115.7) vs. Kay Hansen (115.3)
Featherweight: Audrey Wolfe (145.5) vs. Holli Salazar (145.7)

* – Martin was fined 25 percent of her fight purse for missing the strawweight limit of 116 pounds

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.

Moyle

Invicta FC Strengthens Roster, Signs Eight Fighters to Contracts

Kansas City, Mo. — Invicta Fighting Championships has signed eight fighters to contracts, further strengthening its roster.

Returning to the promotion will be strawweight Jamie Moyle (4-3) and featherweight Faith McMah (formerly Van Duin, 6-3). Moyle has four previous appearances in the Invicta cage. She made her professional debut at Invicta FC 9 before competing on The Ultimate Fighter and fighting three times in the UFC. New Zealand’s McMah is a former Invicta featherweight title challenger. The 32-year-old last competed in 2016 at Invicta FC 19.

In addition to the returning veterans, the strawweight division will see a boost in the form of a talented Japanese wrestler and two recent UFC combatants. Twenty-five-year-old Kanako Murata (8-1) joins the promotion on the heels of wins over Ultimate Fighter veterans Angela Magana and Lanchana Green under the Rizin Fighting Federation banner. She will fight exclusively for Invicta FC when not competing for Rizin in her native Japan. Fellow 115-pound fighter Danielle Taylor (9-4) will make her promotional debut following a five-fight stint in the Octagon that included victories of former Invicta champion Jessica Penne and current Road FC titleholder Seo Hee Ham. Joining Murata and Taylor in the strawweight ranks will be Brazilian Viviane Pereira (13-2). “Sucuri” holds wins over former UFC title challenger Valerie Letourneau and current UFC fighter Poliana Botelho.

Entering the featherweight division will be France’s Zarah Fairn Dos Santos (6-2). The 31-year-old has stopped four of her six victories with strikes, most recently stopping UFC veteran Izabela Badurek inside the first round.

Finally, California’s Valerie Wong (0-0) and Florida’s Caitlin Sammons (0-0) will make their professional debuts for Invicta FC. Wong, who also competes in the strawweight division, has gone 5-1-1 as an amateur. Sammons, meanwhile, is a flyweight, who has compiled a 7-1 resume in the amateur ranks.

Fight announcements for all eight fighters are expected to be revealed in the near future.

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.

Jandiroba

Invicta FC 31 to Feature Bout Streamed Live on Facebook

Kansas City, Mo. — For the first time ever, the world’s leading platform for women’s MMA will live stream a fight on its Facebook page.

An Invicta FC 31 featherweight match-up between Audrey Drew (1-0) and Holli Salazar (1-0) will simultaneously stream on Facebook and UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m. CT. The undefeated fighters will both be making their promotional debuts.

A previously scheduled flyweight bout between newcomers Chantel Coates and Ashlynn Kleinbeck was pulled from the event after Kleinbeck had to have an emergency appendectomy during fight week and could not compete.

Invicta FC 31 takes place Saturday, Sept. 1, from the historic Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. It will be headlined by a strawweight title clash between Brazilians Virna Jandiroba (13-0) and Janaisa Morandin (10-1). The event will kick off with the Drew-Salazar match-up streaming live and free on Facebook at 7 p.m. CT, with the entire fight card streaming live on UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m. CT.

The updated fight card for Invicta FC 31 can be found below:

Strawweight Title: Virna Jandiroba (13-0) vs. Janaisa Morandin (10-1)
Flyweight: Pearl Gonzalez (8-3) vs. Daiane Firmino (10-2)
Bantamweight: Shanna Young (4-0) vs. Lisa Spangler (2-0)
Strawweight: Mallory Martin (3-2) vs. Ashley Nichols (3-2)
Flyweight: Miranda Maverick (3-1) vs. Victoria Leonardo (2-0)
Atomweight: Kelly D’Angelo (2-2) vs. Lindsey VanZandt (3-0)
Strawweight: Helen Peralta (2-0) vs. Kay Hansen (2-1)
Featherweight: Audrey Drew (1-0) vs. Holli Salazar (1-0)

Tickets for Invicta FC 31 are available now via Ticketfly.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. Follow Invicta on Twitter (@InvictaFights), Facebook (Facebook.com/InvictaFights), and Instagram (@InvictaFC) for all the latest information.

Spangler

Lisa Spangler Replaces Raquel Pa’aluhi; Invicta FC 31 Adds Eighth Bout

Kansas City, Mo. — The fight card for Invicta FC 31 is complete.

Former bantamweight title challenger Raquel Pa’aluhi (6-6) has been forced off the card due to injury and will be replaced by Invicta FC veteran Lisa “The Strangler” Spangler (2-0). Spangler, who made her professional debut at Invicta FC 29, will welcome fellow undefeated fighter Shanna Young (4-0) to the promotion.

Also added to the fight card is a flyweight match-up between Miranda Maverick (3-1) and Victoria Leonardo (2-0). Missouri’s Maverick makes a quick turnaround after competing at Invicta FC 30 in July. Leonardo, who hails from Louisiana, has quickly earned two victories after turning pro earlier this year.

Invicta FC 31 takes place Saturday, Sept. 1, from the historic Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. It will be headlined by a strawweight title clash between Brazilians Virna Jandiroba (13-0) and Janaisa Morandin (10-1). The event will stream live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m. CT.

The updated fight card for Invicta FC 31 can be found below:

Strawweight Title: Virna Jandiroba (13-0) vs. Janaisa Morandin (10-1)
Flyweight: Pearl Gonzalez (8-3) vs. Daiane Firmino (10-2)
Bantamweight: Shanna Young (4-0) vs. Lisa Spangler (2-0)
Strawweight: Mallory Martin (3-2) vs. Ashley Nichols (3-2)
Flyweight: Miranda Maverick (3-1) vs. Victoria Leonardo (2-0)
Atomweight: Kelly D’Angelo (2-2) vs. Lindsey VanZandt (3-0)
Strawweight: Helen Peralta (2-0) vs. Kay Hansen (2-1)
Featherweight: Audrey Drew (1-0) vs. Holli Salazar (1-0)

Tickets for Invicta FC 31 are available now via Ticketfly.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. Follow Invicta on Twitter (@InvictaFights), Facebook (Facebook.com/InvictaFights), and Instagram (@InvictaFC) for all the latest information.

Jandiroba

Virna Jandiroba vs. Janaisa Morandin Title Fight Tops Invicta FC 31 Fight Card

Kansas City, Mo. — The lineup for Invicta FC 31 is taking shape.

The event, which takes place Saturday, Sept. 1, from the historic Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo., will be headlined by a strawweight title clash between Brazilians Virna Jandiroba (13-0) and Janaisa Morandin (10-1).

Jandiroba remained undefeated and captured Invicta gold earlier this year, defeating Japan’s MIZUKI at Invicta FC 28 by decision. The submission specialist has finished 10 of her 13 career victories.

The 23-year-old Morandin bested countrywoman Kinberly Novaes at Invicta FC 26 to earn her 10th career win. Her lone career defeat came against former Invicta champion and current UFC fighter Livia Renata Souza.

In the night’s co-main event, UFC veteran Pearl Gonzalez (8-3) aims to continue her ascension through the flyweight division as she welcomes Brazilian Daiane Firmino (10-2) to the Invicta cage. Gonzalez was last in action at Invicta FC 29, submitting Bárbara Acioly via first-round armbar. Firmino enters the promotion with wins over Ariane Lipski and Invicta veteran Mariana Morais.

Also on the card, former bantamweight title challenger Raquel Pa’aluhi (6-6) meets unbeaten newcomer Shanna Young (4-0), Colorado’s Mallory Martin (3-2) takes on Canadian Ashley Nichols (3-2) in a strawweight affair, Kelly D’Angelo (2-2) drops to atomweight against Lindsey VanZandt (3-0), knockout artist Helen Peralta (2-0) meets fellow strawweight Kay Hansen (2-1), and Audrey Drew (1-0) squares off with Holli Salazar (1-0) at featherweight.

The event will stream live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m. CT.

The current fight card for Invicta FC 31 can be found below:

Strawweight Title: Virna Jandiroba (13-0) vs. Janaisa Morandin (10-1)
Flyweight: Pearl Gonzalez (8-3) vs. Daiane Firmino (10-2)
Bantamweight: Raquel Pa’aluhi (6-6) vs. Shanna Young (4-0)
Strawweight: Mallory Martin (3-2) vs. Ashley Nichols (3-2)
Atomweight: Kelly D’Angelo (2-2) vs. Lindsey VanZandt (3-0)
Strawweight: Helen Peralta (2-0) vs. Kay Hansen (2-1)
Featherweight: Audrey Drew (1-0) vs. Holli Salazar (1-0)

Tickets for Invicta FC 31 will be available via Ticketfly.com beginning Saturday, Aug. 4.

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.