Joanne “JoJo” Calderwood has once again received a new opponent for her strawweight bout at Invicta Fighting Championships 6 on July 13th in Kansas City, Missouri. Calderwood faces Jackson’s MMA prospect Norma Rueda Center, who has replaced an injured Sarah “White Tiger” Schneider.
MMARising.com confirmed the change with a source close to the promotion today. Calderwood was first set to face Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha, but an injury resulted in a shakeup to the card. With Schneider injured and unable to face Calderwood, Center steps in to challenge the highly-touted striker.
Center (2-0-0) put together a perfect 5-0 record as an amateur before turning pro in March. Stepping in on just two days’ notice, she took a hard-fought Unanimous Decision victory over Tuff-N-Uff veteran Rachael “The Panther” Cummins, who was also making her pro debut. This past month, Center earned her second pro win by defeating late-replacement opponent Olga Ortega in Mexico. She now looks to make the most of another short-notice opportunity when she makes her Invicta FC debut next month.
Calderwood (6-0-0) is one of the most decorated – and feared – female strikers in MMA today. The Scottish standout sports a 19-2 record in Muay Thai and she has captured multiple world and European titles. In February 2012, Calderwood made her MMA debut and she racked up three impressive wins to earn a spot on the Invicta FC roster. On the promotion’s third card, Calderwood stopped the previously unbeaten Ashley “Smashley” Cummins with a knee to the body to earn Knockout of the Night honours. She outpointed late replacement Livia “T-Rex” von Plettenberg at Invicta FC 4 and most recently finished “Slick” Sally Krumdiack in the first round at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 53 in Glasgow.
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 Norma Rueda Center
– 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: Live Life Photography)