There’s one fighter in women’s MMA who can rival the UFC’s Ronda Rousey. That woman’s name is Cris “Cyborg” Justino, and she’ll be back in action as the headliner of Invicta 13 opposite Faith Van Duin.
At 5’8″, 145 pounds, Cyborg is an intimidating presence in the women’s featherweight division. Unfortunately, that makes a crossover match with the UFC’s Rousey a struggle to put together, as the Rowdy one makes her home in the 135-pound division.
It doesn’t however, prevent Cyborg from being a machine against the rest of Invicta‘s featherweight roster.
She’s a perfect 3-0 in the organization and now sets her sights on Van Duin in her first defense of the featherweight title.
Cyborg vs. Van Duin isn’t the only reason to tune in, though. With a full range of women’s weight classes, Invicta boasts some of the best female talent in the sport. Here’s a look at the complete card, along with a closer look at what to watch for.
When: Thursday, July 9 at 11 p.m. ET
Where: Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Live Stream: UFC.tv (Fight Pass subscription required)
Herica Tiburcio vs. Ayaka Hamasaki
Herica Tiburcio‘s title defense in the atomweight division will be the first of three title fights anchoring the cards, and it promises to be a good one.
Tiburcio will be out to prove her legitimacy as a champion. The 22-year-old saw her stock skyrocket when she became the atomweight champion in her Invicta debut against Michelle Waterson. Now Waterson—who was 3-0 in Invicta to that point—is actually set to make her UFC debut on July 12.
With no atomweight division in the UFC and Tiburcio‘s 4’11” frame not ideal for a move up to the UFC’s strawweight division, she stands a great chance at becoming one of the organization’s top stars.
Standing in her way will be Ayaka Hamasaki. The 33-year-old isn’t an easy fight by any means. She’s a veteran of both Invicta and Japanese Jewels, with her only loss coming at the hands of Claudia Gadelha.
Gadelha now resides in the UFC and has also defeated Tiburcio, so that doesn’t tell us much in regards to how well Hamasaki matches up with the champion.
All in all, Tiburcio is the more dangerous fighter. She has proved that she can finish the best in the division with her win over Waterson. That added confidence should allow her to go for the finish once again against another veteran opponent.
Prediction: Tiburcio via second-round submission.
Tonya Evinger vs. Irene Aldana
The Invicta Bantamweight Championship which was vacated when Lauren Murphy went to the UFC in 2014 will finally find a new home. American Tonya Evinger and Mexican Irene Aldana will vie for the strap in the event’s co-main event.
Evinger is the far more experienced of the two. With 20 professional bouts making up her 15-5 record, she actually has more fights than anyone on the card. However, of all the organizations she’s fought for, the UFC is not among them. That’s a fact that seems to motivate her heading into this bout.
“Not necessarily anything personal towards her, just more towards the UFC,” Evinger said per Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting. “They take everybody around me, but not me. Not like I would say yes to UFC now anyway unless they’re paying me Ronda Rousey money. I’m just happy with where I’m at. I just like to disappoint UFC.”
Evinger is 34 years old, so the likelihood the UFC comes knocking seems to be decreasing. However, the 27-year-old Aldana has picked up the finish in all five of her wins and could be a target of the organization down the road.
Adam Martin of MMA Oddsbreaker highlighted her as a fighter to watch on a card that’s pretty stacked with interesting prospects:
Aldana has some dangerous striking and is adept at finishing off fights with submissions. Look for her to showcase that power against a fighter in Evinger who would much rather get into a grappling match.
Prediction: Aldana via third-round TKO.
Cyborg Justino vs. Faith Van Duin
The interesting thing about Cyborg as the Invicta 145-pound champion is that she’s not technically an Invicta fighter. Cyborg’s contract is paid by the UFC, according to Elias Cepeda of FOX Sports.
Of course, the UFC doesn’t have a women’s featherweight division. An advantage of the close relationship between the two companies is that it allows Cyborg to fight with Invicta while she ultimately prepares for a cut down to 135 pounds and a superfight with Rousey.
Cepeda reports that a stipulation of the contract with the UFC is that she will need to prove she can get down to 135 for a fight in Invicta. Once that hurdle has been cleared, the biggest matchup available in women’s MMA could become a reality.
But for now, Cyborg will look to be the 145-pound wrecking ball she’s been throughout her career. Her last time out, she overwhelmed Charmaine Tweet in just 46 seconds. That’s not quite Rousey fast, but it’s impressive nonetheless.
This time she faces an opponent who, in all honesty, is just a name. Faith Van Duin impressed in her Invicta debut. She submitted Amanda Bell in the second round. But the 29-year-old’s game is much stronger on the ground where she can work those submissions.
That means she needs to drag Cyborg to the ground to have any chance at winning this fight. Van Duin might eventually have a shot at becoming a successful featherweight, but for now, she’s just another 145-pounder who will be run over by the champion.
With any luck for fans, she will be the last.
Prediction: Cyborg via first-round TKO.
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