Barb Honchak vs Vanessa Porto Title Bout Set For Invicta FC 5Invicta Fighting Championships will crown its first flyweight titleholder when Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak faces Vanessa Porto at Invicta FC 5 in April. The bout was officially announced on Saturday and is expected to serve as the co-main event on the card, which will likely take place in Missouri.

An exact date has not yet been confirmed for the April event, but the card will feature Invicta FC Atomweight Champion Jessica Penne making the first defence of her title in the night’s headliner. Former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion Sarah Kaufman is also expected to be in action.

Honchak (7-2-0) and Porto (15-5-0) both scored impressive Unanimous Decision victories at Invicta FC 3 in October. Honchak outpointed Irish star Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly, while Porto picked apart veteran pound-for-pound standout Tara LaRosa. Honchak is riding a six-fight winning streak that includes two victories under the Invicta FC banner and she is one of the flyweight division’s fastest-rising stars. Porto suffered a first-round submission loss in her Invicta FC bantamweight debut, but made a successful drop down to 125 in the lopsided bout against LaRosa.

Both fighters bring momentum into the title fight, which crowns the first Invicta FC Flyweight Champion.

Penne (10-1-0) became the inaugural Invicta FC champion in October when she submitted Jewels titleholder Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama for the Invicta FC atomweight belt. Penne is undefeated since moving down to 105 pounds and is now among the top female fighters in the sport. While an opponent has not yet been confirmed for Penne’s first title defence, a bout with Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson is under consideration.

After injuries twice delayed her debut, Kaufman (15-2-0) is in line to compete for Invicta FC for the first time on the April card. Kaufman was first scheduled to face Kaitlin Young at Invicta FC 3 and was then in talks to take on Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith on yesterday’s Invicta FC 4 card. A rescheduled bout between Kaufman and Smith is a possibility for Invicta FC 5, but it is not yet confirmed.

Invicta Fighting Championships 5 takes place on a date to be determined in April. The event is expected to take place at a new venue and may be held in the state of Missouri.

 

 

(Photo Credit: Esther Lin, AllElbows.com / InvictaFC.com)