As expected, Invicta FC Atomweight Champion Jessica Penne will make the first defence of her new title against Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson at Invicta Fighting Championships 5. Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp announced the title fight on MMAjunkie.com Radio earlier today.
While first targeted for a new venue in Missouri, Invicta FC 5 will now likely take place in April at the UCI Bren Events Center in Irvine, California. The co-main event features the inaugural Invicta FC Flyweight Championship bout between veterans Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak and Vanessa Porto.
Penne (10-1-0) claimed the Invicta FC 105-pound title with a second-round submission win over Jewels champion Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama at Invicta FC 3 in October. She is unbeaten since making the drop down to the atomweight division and is currently one of the top female fighters in the sport. The well-rounded Californian has earned finishes in eight of her ten wins.
Waterson (10-3-0) is also undefeated since moving down to 105 pounds. After the birth of her daughter, Araya, Waterson returned to action in 2012 and posted victories over Diana “Dynamite” Rael and Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman. She has won eight of her past nine fights and holds the number three spot in the atomweight rankings.
The Penne-Waterson title tilt is expected to headline the April card. The co-main event pits Honchak (7-2-0) against Porto (15-5-0) for the inaugural 125-pound title. Both fighters picked up big victories in their most recent fights at Invicta FC 3. Honchak outpointed Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly, while Porto dominated Tara LaRosa.
Other fighters who are expected to compete on the California card include former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion Sarah Kaufman (15-2-0), Invicta FC 4 main event participant Bec “Rowdy” Hyatt (4-2-0) and Invicta FC 4 winners “Thug” Rose Namajunas (1-0-0) and Veronica “The Heartbreaker” Rothenhausler (1-0-0). The event marks the first time that the promotion will travel outside of Memorial Hall in Kansas City.
Invicta Fighting Championships 5 is expected to take place at the UCI Bren Events Center in Irvine, California. A date of April 13th was originally announced for the event today, but Knapp has since stated that the date has been revised. The event is now targeted for one week earlier on April 6th.
Article updated to reflect change in targeted event date.
(Photo Credit: Esther Lin, AllElbows.com / InvictaFC.com)