Unbeaten Scottish striker Joanne “JoJo” Calderwood once again has an opponent for her featured fight at Invicta Fighting Championships 6 on July 13th in Kansas City, Missouri. Calderwood will now face fellow two-time Invicta FC veteran Sarah “White Tiger” Schneider in a strawweight bout.
MMARising.com confirmed plans for the fight with multiple sources close to the negotiations this afternoon. Calderwood was first set to face Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha, but Gadelha was moved into a fight against Ayaka Hamasaki after Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza sustained a knee injury.
Calderwood (6-0-0) made a big statement in her October debut for Invicta FC when she stopped the previously unbeaten Ashley “Smashley” Cummins to earn a Knockout of the Night bonus. She returned to action in early January and had originally expected to face Bec “Rowdy” Hyatt in a prospects battle. However, an injury to Gadelha resulted in a lineup change and Calderwood ultimately went on to defeat fellow striker Livia “T-Rex” von Plettenberg. In April, Calderwood posted her fourth knockout win when she stopped veteran “Slick” Sally Krumdiack at Cage Warriors 53. Despite the latest opponent change, Calderwood will still face a tough opponent for her third fight under the Invicta FC banner.
Schneider (6-6-0) spent much of the early portion of her career campaigning as a bantamweight and she totalled notable wins over Kaitlin Young and UFC signee Julie “Fireball” Kedzie. In April 2012, Schneider dropped down to 115 pounds to face Krumdiack on the inaugural Invicta FC card and emerged victorious via first-round submission. Three months later, Schneider returned to Invicta FC to face the promotion’s current strawweight champion, Esparza, but suffered a second-round TKO defeat. She has not fought since the bout with Esparza, but now looks to add another big victory to her résumé when she steps in to challenge Calderwood next month.
Invicta Fighting Championships 6 takes place on July 13th at the Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. The event is headlined by an Invicta FC Featherweight Championship rematch between Marloes “Rumina” Coenen and Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino.
Invicta Fighting Championships 6 Fight Card (subject to change):
– Marloes “Rumina” Coenen vs Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino [Invicta FC Featherweight Championship]
– Ayaka Hamasaki vs Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha
– Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio vs Lauren Taylor
– Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith vs Jennifer Maia
– Jessica Penne vs Nicdali “The Night Queen” Rivera-Calanoc
– Joanne “JoJo” Calderwood vs Sarah “White Tiger” Schneider
– Ediane “India” Gomes vs Julia “The Jewel” Budd
– Bec “Rowdy” Hyatt vs Mizuki Inoue
– “The Queen of Mean” Miriam Nakamoto vs “Diamond” Duda Yankovich
– “Thug” Rose Namajunas vs Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres
– Ashley “Smashley” Cummins vs Emily Kagan
– “Miss” Mollie Estes vs Veronica “The Heartbreaker” Rothenhausler
– Cassie “The Hulk” Robb vs Livia “T-Rex” von Plettenberg
(Photo Credit: Esther Lin, AllElbows.com / InvictaFC.com)