According to a Feb. 8 report from MMA Fighting, the upcoming Invicta FC 5 card continues to take shape with the announcement of two high-profile bantamweight bouts.
In the first, former Strikeforce champion Sarah Kaufman will take on Leslie Smith. The other will see Kaitlin Young face Amanda Nunes.
Young, who is 7-7-1 overall, went 1-2-1 in 2012, with losses to Leslie Smith and Liz Carmouche. Nunes, another striker who fights with a crowd-pleasing standup style, has an overall MMA record of 7-3.
As for Smith vs Kaufman, they were slated to fight each other at Invicta FC 4, but the legendary Canadian striker went down with an injury that forced her off the card. Smith fought Raquel Pennington instead, and earned a convincing victory.
Ten bouts have been announced for Invicta FC 5, but promotion officials say the card will feature a total of 13 to 14 fights.
Rose Namajunas, Cassie Rodish, Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc and Jessamyn Duke are also expected to be on the Invicta FC 5 card, but their fights have not yet been officially announced.
Invicta FC 5 will be headlined by an atomweight title bout between Jessica Penne (10-1) and Michelle Waterson (10-3).
Penne, 30, is riding a three-fight win streak, while Waterson won each of her last four.
The inaugural flyweight championship will be featured as the co-main event, as Barb Honchak (7-2) fights Vanessa Porto (15-5).
Sherdog.com also reports that Aussie MMA legend Bec Hyatt (4-2) will be fighting Invicta FC newcomer Jasminka Cive (5-0) in a strawweight bout, likely slated for the main card.
Hyatt looks to get back in the win column following her Invicta FC 4 loss to Carla Esparza, while Cive hopes to extend her win-streak to six. Hyatt instantly became one of the hottest up-and-coming stars in female MMA with her gritty performance against Esparza, so her tilt against Cive has "Fight of the Night" written all over it.
Also on the Invicta FC 5 main card, Zoila Frausto Gurgel will square off with submission expert Jennifer Maia. Aussie MMA striker Alex Chambers is also expected to make her Invicta FC debut in April.
Here's a look at the full Invicta FC 5 fight card:
- Jessica Penne (10-1) vs Michelle Waterson (10-3)
- Barb Honchak (7-2) vs Vanessa Porto (15-5)
- Bec Hyatt (4-2) vs Jasminka Cive (5-0)
- Zoila Gurgel (12-2) vs Jennifer Maia (6-2-1)
- Sarah Kaufman (15-2) vs Leslie Smith (5-2-1)
- Kaitlin Young (7-7-1) vs Amanda Nunes (7-3)
- Ediane Gomes (10-2) vs Julia Budd (4-2)
- Alex Chambers (3-1) vs Jodie Esquibel (3-0)
- Veronica Rothenhausler (1-0) vs Mollie Estes (1-1)
- River Jones (0-0) vs Lauren Barefoot (1-0)
- Cassie Rodish vs ?
- Jessamyn Duke vs ?
- Rose Namajunas vs ?
- Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc vs ?
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