A featherweight contender’s bout between Ediane “India” Gomes and Julia “The Jewel” Budd has been rebooked for Invicta Fighting Championships 6 on July 13th in Kansas City, Missouri. The fight, which was first planned for Invicta FC 5 earlier this month, was officially announced tonight.
Also on the Invicta FC 6 card, standout strikers Miriam “The Queen of Mean” Nakamoto and “Diamond” Duda Yankovich will face off in a bantamweight bout. Nakamoto took home Knockout of the Night honours at Invicta FC 5. Yankovich is coming off of a vicious bone-breaking victory in March.
Gomes (10-2-0) and Budd (5-2-0) were initially matched up in a number one contender’s bout on the Invicta FC 5 card. When the promotion signed former Strikeforce champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, Gomes was moved up the card to face the feared striker, but she was later forced to withdraw from the event due to a rib injury. Budd went on to face late replacement “Miss” Mollie Estes and earned her first submission win. With Gomes on the road to recovery, she now finds herself back in a top contender’s bout with Budd.
Both fighters have impressed in each of their appearances for Invicta FC and the winner of the July bout will likely receive the first shot at the Invicta FC Featherweight Championship, which will be up for grabs in the Invicta FC 6 headliner when Justino battles Marloes “Rumina” Coenen in a rematch.
Nakamoto (2-0-0 MMA; 15-0-0 Muay Thai) is seen by some as the best female striker in the world. The dynamic and powerful kickboxer captured numerous Muay Thai championships before making her MMA debut with a second-round TKO triumph in September. At Invicta FC 5, she knocked out Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke with knees in the first round, though the finish of the fight was a point of debate as one knee appeared to be an illegal strike.
Yankovich (1-1-0 MMA; 11-4-0 Boxing) also brings a strong striking pedigree into her Invicta FC debut. The former boxing champion was upset by rising star Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade in her September pro MMA debut, but rebounded with a gruesome victory this past month. Yankovich used a Kimura to break the arm of opponent Daniela Cristina at Bitetti Combat 14 and now looks to make it two in a row when she makes her North American MMA debut.
Invicta Fighting Championships 6 takes place on July 13th at the Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. The event is headlined by a pair of championship fights.
Invicta Fighting Championships 6 Fight Card (to date; subject to change):
– Marloes “Rumina” Coenen vs Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino [Invicta FC Featherweight Championship]
– Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza vs Ayaka Hamasaki [Invicta FC Strawweight Championship]
– Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio vs Lauren Taylor
– Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith vs TBD
– Jessica Penne vs Nicdali “The Night Queen” Rivera-Calanoc
– Joanne “JoJo” Calderwood vs Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha
– 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
– “Fancy” Laura Sanko vs Livia “T-Rex” von Plettenberg
(Photo Credit: Esther Lin, AllElbows.com / InvictaFC.com)