milana-dudieva

Milana Dudieva Replaces Jessica-Rose Clark, Three Bouts Join Invicta FC 26 Fight Card

by News

Kansas City, Mo. — The fight card for Invicta Fighting Championships 26 has undergone a change to one of the previously announced match-ups and added three new bouts.

Flyweight Jessica-Rose “Jessy Jess” Clark has been pulled from her match-up with former title challenger Vanessa Porto (18-8). Stepping in to face the Brazilian will be UFC veteran Milana Dudieva (11-6).

Undefeated Brazilian strawweight Virna Jandiroba (11-0) will make her promotional debut against returning veteran Amy Montenegro (8-2). Jandiroba enters the contest having won nine of her 11 career bouts via submission. Montenegro is coming off a “Fight of Year” contender against Celine Haga at Invicta FC 21 earlier this year.

In the atomweight division, former title challenger Amber Brown (6-4) tangles with Texan Tessa Simpson (5-2). Both fighters are eager to work back into title contention in the sport’s deepest 105-pound division.

Finally, flyweight knockout artists Karina Rodríguez (5-2) and Christine Ferea (1-1) will look to add to their respective highlight reels. Mexico’s Rodríguez put away Brazilian Bárbara Acioly at Invicta FC 24, while Ferea engaged in a three-round war with kickboxing champion Tiffany Van Soest at Invicta FC 23.

Invicta FC 26 takes place Friday, Dec. 8, from the historic Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. The event streams live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m. CT. It will be headlined by a flyweight title clash between champion Jennifer Maia (14-4-1) and undefeated Polish fighter Aga Niedźwiedź (10-0).

The current fight card for Invicta FC 26 can be found below:

Flyweight Title: Jennifer Maia (14-4-1) vs. Aga Niedźwiedź (10-0)
Strawweight: MIZUKI (12-4) vs. Janaisa Morandin (9-1)
Flyweight: Vanessa Porto (18-8) vs. Milana Dudieva (11-6)
Strawweight: Amy Montenegro (8-2) vs. Virna Jandiroba (11-0)
Atomweight: Amber Brown (6-4) vs. Tessa Simpson (5-2)
Flyweight: Christine Ferea (1-1) vs. Karina Rodríguez (5-2)

Tickets for the event are on sale now via Tickeyfly.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.

Jandiroba

Nine Athletes Join Invicta FC Roster

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Kansas City, Mo. — Invicta Fighting Championships has added nine new faces to its roster.

Joining the strawweight division will be undefeated Brazilian Virna Jandiroba (11-0). The 28-year-old, dubbed “Carcará,” most recently defeated UFC veteran Ericka Almeida. She also holds a submission victory over UFC and Invicta FC veteran Lisa Ellis.

The flyweight division has six new fighters, including four who are unbeaten: Mara Romero Borella (10-4, 1 NC), Chan-Mi Jeon (5-0), Bárbara Acioly (4-0), Karina Rodríguez (4-2), Cheri Muraski (3-0) and Tracy Cortez (0-0).

  • Italy’s Borella will join the promotion having won four of her last five fights.
  • At just 19 year old, South Korea’s Jeon has finished four of her five wins with strikes, capturing ALL FC’s flyweight championship in the process.
  • The 28-year-old Acioly also hails from Brazil and has stopped three of her four wins inside the first round.
  • Mexico’s Rodríguez has stopped her opponent in three of her four wins and has faced the likes of Invicta FC veteran Alexa Grasso.
  • Colorado’s Muraski, who was 6-1 as an amateur before turning pro in late 2016, submitted Invicta FC veteran Shannon Sinn in her last outing.
  • Cortez, a Tuff-N-Uff flyweight titleholder, fights out of Arizona and will make her professional debut inside the Invicta cage after going 6-0 as an amateur.

“There are a lot of eyeballs on the 125-pound weight class right now,” said Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp. “We have a card coming up on May 20 that showcases some of the best flyweights in the world.

“Being able to add such a talented group of athletes to that flyweight mix will only push the entire division further. We’re expecting to see great match-ups right away, while also looking ahead to the exciting opportunities our younger prospects will have as they develop here at Invicta.”

Finally, two fighters slated to make their professional debuts have joined the atomweight division. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt Jillian DeCoursey (0-0) compiled a record of 8-1 as an amateur. California’s Ashley Medina (0-0) went 4-1 in the amateur ranks, including two wins via armbar.

All of the new athletes are expected to make their promotional debuts later in 2017.

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.