Invicta FC Strawweight Champion Livia Renata “Livinha” Souza returns to action on May 7th at Invicta Fighting Championships 17 in Costa Mesa, California. The talented and charismatic Souza puts her title on the line against skilled striker Angela “Overkill” Hill in the 115-pound co-main event.
Invicta FC officials announced the title tilt today along with four additional matchups. Also at 115 pounds, Deep Jewels champ Mizuki Inoue battles Aline Sério. Tessa “The Typhoon” Simpson takes on fellow Invicta FC debutant Julia “Jewels” Jones in a bout between top atomweight prospects.
Souza (9-0-0) earned submission finishes in six of her first seven bouts leading up to her April 2015 Invicta FC debut. Facing off against Stephanie “Snowflake” Eggink, Souza secured a fourth-round triangle choke that earned her the Invicta FC Strawweight Championship. Souza endeared herself to fans with her humour and wit following the fight, and she made a successful title defence in January by destroying DeAnna “The Argentine Assassin” Bennett in just 90 seconds. Souza, who hopes to move on to the UFC, puts her Invicta FC title on the line once more in May.
Hill (4-2-0) joined the cast of The Ultimate Fighter 20 in 2014, but her inexperience in MMA played a key factor in her early exit from the competition. She won her official UFC debut at the TUF 20 Finale, but suffered one-sided losses to Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres and “Thug” Rose Namajunas before being released from the promotion. She has since enjoyed a career resurgence by winning both of her Invicta FC bouts, including a short-notice contender’s battle with Eggink this past month that ended in a vicious knockout win for Hill in her most impressive performance to date.
Inoue (11-4-0) dropped back-to-back decisions to unbeaten strawweights Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Alexa Grasso inside the Invicta FC cage, but she has since bounced back with three straight victories including a slick submission win at Invicta FC 15 in January. She most recently finished Nori Date at Deep Jewels 11. Inoue looks to take a step towards Invicta FC title contention with a win over the returning Sério (9-5-0), a Brazilian veteran who has won five of her past six fights and competes for the first time in more than two years.
Fresh off of a third-round submission win this past month, Simpson (4-1-0) looks to hand Jones (4-0-0) her first defeat in a battle between two of MMA’s brightest female prospects at 105 pounds. Simpson returned to action for the first time in more than 18 months at Pacific Xtreme Combat 52 in March and forced Satomi “Sarami” Takano to submit to a mounted triangle keylock. Jones has yet to taste defeat in her pro career and she is coming off of a key victory over Paulina “Firefox” Granados, whom Simpson also defeated in September 2013.
Rounding out today’s additions to the Invicta FC 17 card is a pair of featherweight showdowns. In one, undefeated contender Latoya “Black Mamba” Walker (5-0-0) faces former Invicta FC title challenger Charmaine “Not So Sweet” Tweet (8-5-0), who recently captured Prestige FC championship gold. Elsewhere, Amanda “The Lady Killer” Bell (3-3-0) returns from a one-year hiatus to face off against Australia’s Megan Anderson (5-2-0).
Invicta Fighting Championships 17 takes place on May 7th at The Hangar at The OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California. The event is headlined by an Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship bout between Tonya “Triple Threat” Evinger and Colleen “The Thoroughbred” Schneider.
(Photo Credit: Invicta Fighting Championships)