Claudia Gadelha Injured, Out Of Invicta FC 4 Title FightUnbeaten BJJ black belt Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha has withdrawn from her main event title bout against Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza at Invicta Fighting Championships 4. Gadelha announced today that she had suffered a broken nose in training and would be unable to compete on the card.

Gadelha and Esparza were scheduled to face off for the inaugural Invicta FC Strawweight Championship at the event, which takes place on January 5th in Kansas City, Kansas. The promotion has not yet scrapped the title fight entirely and a search is currently underway for a replacement fighter.

Gadelha (9-0-0) had been set to make her long-awaited U.S. debut in the championship bout, but the 24-year-old sustained a severely broken nose while attempting a takedown in training this week and will now be forced to watch the event from the sidelines. Invicta FC officials are hopeful that Esparza (8-2-0) will remain on the card against a new opponent, though a replacement matchup has not yet been set. Esparza previously had a Pandemonium 115-pound title bout scrapped in March when opponent Angela Magana was involved in a car accident on the day of the event.

The remainder of the Invicta FC 4 card is still intact and features 12 additional matchups. Among them is a much-anticipated bantamweight rematch between submission specialists Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler (15-7-0) and Alexis “Ally-Gator” Davis (12-5-0).

Invicta Fighting Championships 4 takes place on January 5, 2013 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. The event will air live on Internet Pay-Per-View on the promotion’s official website.

 

Invicta Fighting Championships 4 Fight Card (to date; subject to change):

– Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza vs TBD [Invicta FC Strawweight Title]
– Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler vs Alexis “Ally-Gator” Davis [135 Pounds]
– Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith vs Raquel “Rocky” Pennington [135 Pounds]
– Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes vs Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio [135 Pounds]
– Ediene “India” Gomes vs Hiroko “Cat’s Eye” Yamanaka [145 Pounds]
– Joanne Calderwood vs Bec “Rowdy” Hyatt [115 Pounds]

– Stephanie “Macaquinha” Frausto vs “Sassy” Cassie Rodish [105 Pounds]
– Tamikka “Boom Boom” Brents vs Amanda “The Lady Killer” Bell [145 Pounds]
– “Lightning” Liz McCarthy vs Jodie Esquibel [105 Pounds]
– Emily Kagan vs Rose “The Riveter” Namajunas [115 Pounds]
– Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres vs “12 Gauge” Paige VanZant [115 Pounds]
– Katalina Malungahu vs Veronica “The Heartbreaker” Rothenhausler [145 Pounds]
– Laura Marcusse vs Cassie Robb [105 Pounds]