Invicta FC Featherweight Champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino makes the next defence of her title on January 16th at Invicta Fighting Championships 15 in Costa Mesa, California. Justino is expected to face off against Daria Ibragimova, who has won seven straight fights and makes her U.S. debut.
MMARising.com confirmed plans for the matchup today following hints from Justino in a post on her official website. Also targeted for the Invicta FC 15 card is a strawweight bout between Deep Jewels champion Mizuki Inoue and Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman. Both fights await commission approval.
Justino (14-1-0, 1 ND) was initially expected to compete at 140 pounds on the Invicta FC 15 card, possibly against Cindy “Battlecat” Dandois, but she has once again abandoned plans to move down in weight and will instead look to retain the Invicta FC featherweight title that she first captured in July 2013. Justino has made two successful title defences thus far, and she most recently stopped Faith “The Immortal” Van Duin in just 45 seconds at Invicta FC 13 in July.
Ibragimova (9-1-0) has not lost since March 2010 when she succumbed to a first-round triangle choke from Dandois at an M-1 Selection event. The Russian standout has since finished seven opponents in a row, with only one bout making it out of the first round. In stark contrast to Justino, who mauls her opponents on the feet, Ibragimova prefers to finish her fights on the mat, and all seven of her submission victories have come via rear-naked choke or armbar.
Inoue (9-4-0) has encountered mixed success in her three appearances for Invicta FC. The talented 21-year-old debuted for the promotion at age 18 in July 2013 and earned a Unanimous Decision victory over current UFC fighter “Rowdy” Bec Rawlings. She then captured the Deep Jewels Strawweight Championship 13 months later, but her return to Invicta FC was spoiled by KSW champ and recent UFC signee Karolina Kowalkiewicz at Invicta FC 9. Inoue then suffered a decision loss to highly-touted rising star Alexa Grasso at Invicta FC 11, but rebounded by retaining her Deep Jewels title in August.
Schuckman (11-8-0) made a successful return to the Invicta FC cage in April after more than two and a half years away from the promotion. At Invicta FC 12, she quickly finished Jenny Liou Shriver with first-round punches to get back on the winning track after going 3-2 in regional action. Schuckman has battled a who’s who of the lighter weight classes during her career, which includes bouts at numerous contracted weights, and she has set her sights on fighting her way to an Invicta FC strawweight title shot. A win over Inoue would place her on a short list of 115-pound title contenders.
Invicta Fighting Championships 15 takes place on January 16th at The Hangar at The OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California. The event is headlined by an Invicta FC Strawweight Championship bout between Livia Renata “Livinha” Souza and DeAnna “The Argentine Assassin” Bennett.
(Photo Credit: Invicta Fighting Championships)