Joanne Calderwood vs Katja Kankaanpää Booked For Invicta FC 7Muay Thai sensation Joanne “JoJo” Calderwood is scheduled to compete in an all-European fight on December 7th at Invicta Fighting Championships 7 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Scottish strawweight faces unbeaten Finnish prospect Katja “Killer Bunny” Kankaanpää in a bout with title implications.

Invicta FC officials announced the 115-pound fight today. Calderwood has endured multiple opponent changes for her past two Invicta FC fights, but remains undefeated in three bouts for the promotion. Kankaanpää made a successful Invicta FC debut by defeating Juliana “Ju Thai” Carneiro Lima.

Calderwood (7-0-0) sports a stellar 19-2 record in Muay Thai and she is one of the most decorated female strikers in MMA today. She transitioned to mixed martial arts this past year and won three straight fights to earn a spot on the Invicta FC roster. At Invicta FC 3, Calderwood earned Knockout of the Night honours for stopping the previously unbeaten Ashley “Smashley” Cummins. She is 3-0 in 2013 including two wins over short-notice opponents Livia “T-Rex” von Plettenberg and Norma Rueda Center under the Invicta FC banner. A victory in December could earn Calderwood a title shot.

Kankaanpää (8-0-1) quietly made a name for herself with five straight wins between March 2010 and October 2011 including a notable victory over Karla Benitez. She then took a step up in competition to face final Valkyrie champ “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi in March 2012 and prevailed via Unanimous Decision. After fighting to a Split Draw with fellow Invicta FC fighter Simona Soukupova, Kankaanpää scored a big victory in December when she outpointed Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly at Cage Warriors 51. She most recently took a well-deserved Unanimous Decision win over Carneiro Lima at Invicta FC 5.

Invicta Fighting Championships 7 takes place on December 7th at Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri.

 

Invicta Fighting Championships 7 Fight Card (to date; subject to change):

– Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak vs Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith [Invicta FC Flyweight Title]
– Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza vs Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha [Invicta FC Strawweight Title]
– Lauren Murphy vs “The Queen of Mean” Miriam Nakamoto [Invicta FC Bantamweight Title]
– Felice “Lil’ Bulldog” Herrig vs Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres
– Joanne “JoJo” Calderwood vs Katja “Killer Bunny” Kankaanpää
– Julia “The Jewel” Budd vs Charmaine “Not So Sweet” Tweet
– Vanessa Porto vs Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto Gurgel
– Kelly “Blood Red” Kobold vs Tonya “Triple Threat” Evinger
– Munah “The Perfect Storm” Holland vs Nina “The Strina” Ansaroff

 

 

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