Nine fights are now officially set for next month’s all-female Invicta Fighting Championships 15 card in Costa Mesa, California. The January 16th event will feature a bantamweight contender’s bout between Raquel “Lionheart” Pa’aluhi and new opponent Colleen “The Thoroughbred” Schneider.
The Pa’aluhi-Schneider matchup was announced on today’s debut episode of Invicta FC Radio. In featherweight action, Amanda “The Lady Killer” Bell faces Ediane “India” Gomes, while Megan Anderson meets Amber Leibrock. At flyweight, Christine “Knuckles” Stanley takes on Shannon Sinn.
Pa’aluhi (5-4-0) was originally expected to face Irene Aldana on the card, but an Aldana injury resulted in a late change. Pa’aluhi has put together an impressive three-fight winning streak that includes back-to-back wins over Kaitlin Young and Gomes in Invicta FC bouts. She is now on a short list of bantamweight title contenders and could potentially earn a shot at the championship if she can keep her winning streak intact next month.
Schneider (9-6-0) suffered a quick and disappointing submission loss to Aldana in her lone appearance for Invicta FC, but she has since rebounded with three straight wins in bouts all over the world. The Super Fight League champion most recently earned a razor-thin Split Decision victory over Bryanna “The Pink Ranger” Fissori at Pancrase 270 and she now makes her return to Invicta FC on short notice in hopes of picking up a big victory.
Bell (3-3-0) and Gomes (10-4-0) both look to get back on the winning track after dropping their most recent fights at Invicta FC 12. Bell had her three-fight winning streak snapped by recent title challenger Faith “The Immortal” Van Duin, and Gomes suffered her second straight loss when she was outpointed by Pa’aluhi in a featured contender’s bout.
Also at 145, Anderson (4-2-0) seeks redemption following a defeat in her Invicta FC debut when she takes on knockout artist Leibrock (1-0-0). Anderson was never able to get anything going against Cindy “Battlebat” Dandois at Invicta FC 14 and she ultimately succumbed to a second-round triangle choke. In stark contrast, Leibrock became a breakout star by brutally knocking out Marina “The Supernova From Moldova” Shafir in just 37 seconds at Invicta FC 13.
Rounding out the new additions, Stanley (4-1-0) hopes to make it two-for-two inside the Invicta FC cage when she faces off against Sinn (2-2-0) in flyweight action. Stanley easily dispatched of an overmatched “Lethal” Laura Salazar at Invicta FC 11 in February to extend her winning streak to three. Sinn is coming off of a Unanimous Decision victory over rival Maureen “Baby Face” Riordon at Invicta FC 12.
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 now headlined by an Invicta FC Featherweight Championship bout between Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino and Daria Ibragimova.
Invicta Fighting Championships 15 Fight Card (subject to change):
145 title: Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino vs Daria Ibragimova
115 title: Livia Renata “Livinha” Souza vs DeAnna “The Argentine Assassin” Bennett
135: Raquel “Lionheart” Pa’aluhi vs Colleen “The Thoroughbred” Schneider
105: Amber “The Bully” Brown vs Lisa Ellis
115: Jodie Esquibel vs Angela “Overkill” Hill
115: Mizuki Inoue vs Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman
145: Amanda “The Lady Killer” Bell vs Ediane “India” Gomes
125: Christine “Knuckles” Stanley vs Shannon Sinn
145: Megan Anderson vs Amber Leibrock