With Invicta FC Featherweight Champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino out due to an ankle injury, atomweight champ Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson meets Hérica Tibúrcio in the Invicta Fighting Championships 10 headliner. The event is set for December 5th at Arena Theatre in Houston, Texas.
Two additional matchups have also been confirmed for the Invicta FC 10 card. Top bantamweight contender Tonya “Triple Threat” Evinger takes on Cindy “Battlecat” Dandois. Roxanne “The Happy Warrior” Modafferi battles Vanessa Porto in a rematch to determine a flyweight title challenger.
Waterson (12-3-0) headlined the inaugural Invicta FC fight card on UFC Fight Pass, Invicta FC 8, in September and easily retained her 105-pound title with a lopsided third-round TKO victory over former Valkyrie champion Yasuko “Ikuko” Tamada. She has won ten of her past 11 fights and sports a 3-0 record under the Invicta FC banner that includes a fourth-round submission victory over former Invicta FC champion and current TUF 20 competitor Jessica Penne in April 2013. The popular Waterson is one of Invicta FC’s top stars and she makes a quick return to the cage next month.
Tibúrcio (8-2-0) had been set to make her Invicta FC debut last night at Invicta FC 9, but visa issues forced her out of a planned contender’s bout against former Jewels Lightweight Queen Champion Ayaka Hamasaki. Tibúrcio, who has won three straight bouts including a key submission win over Kinberly Novaes, requested to be put on the next available card and she now receives a huge opportunity in the form of a title fight on December 5th. Six of the 22-year-old’s eight pro wins have come by way of submission and she is renowned for her slick ground game.
Evinger (15-5-0) is currently in the midst of a career resurgence that has seen her win five straight fights. She most recently posted an impressive first-round submission win over Ediane “India” Gomes at Invicta FC 8 that was marred only by Evinger’s inability to make the 135-pound weight limit. She now faces Dandois (5-1-0), who was also set to compete last night before visa troubles strangely forced her off of the Invicta FC 9 card in spite of months of recent training and living in the U.S. Dandois has not fought since earning a TKO win in March 2011.
In what is expected to serve as a flyweight title eliminator, Modafferi (16-11-0) and Porto (17-6-0) meet in a rematch from April 2008, which Modafferi won by third-round TKO. Modafferi has struggled in recent years and endured a tough six-fight losing streak, but the popular fighter’s recent move to the U.S. and change of fight teams paid dividends and she easily defeated friend and rival Tara LaRosa in a trilogy fight at Invicta FC 8. Porto has won seven of her past nine fights and she has already challenged for the Invicta FC Flyweight Championship.
Invicta Fighting Championships 10 takes place on December 5th at Arena Theatre in Houston, Texas. A timetable for Justino’s return is unknown, as the 145-pound champ may or may not require surgery.
(Photo Credit: Esther Lin, AllElbows.com / InvictaFC.com)