Photo by Chris Unger/DWCS LLC/Zuffa LLC
Invicta flyweight Mariya Agapova has been forced to withdraw from Invicta’s Feb. 7th show after sustaining a nasty elbow injury.
Invicta FC flyweight Mariya Agapova (8-1) has had to withdraw from her Invicta FC 39 fight with Daiana Torquato (9-3) after suffering injuries in an auto-pedestrian accident in South Florida (per an Invicta FC press release). Replacing Agapova is Invicta veteran Shanna Young (7-2).
The news release from Invicta included graphic images of an open wound on Agapova’s left elbow. The extent of the injury was not disclosed.
Agapova’s only loss came against Tracy Cortez on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series during the show’s 2019 season. After that setback the Kazakh fighter, who trains at American Top Team, joined Invicta FC.
In 2019 she scored two impressive victories with Shannon Knapp’s promotion. She choked out Alexa Connors in just over three minutes at Invicta FC: Phoenix Series 2 and beat Marilla Santos by first round ground and pound at Invicta FC 37.
A win against Torquato, who beat Milana Dudieva last time out, would have likely launched Agapova into flyweight title contention. That division’s current champion is Vanessa Porto.
Agapova’s replacement also took a loss on DWTNCS (to Sarah Alper) in 2019. Since a long lay-off due to injuries Shanna Young has been extremely active. In 2019 she competed six times, racking up two wins with Valor Fighting Championships and two wins in Invicta FC.
Invicta FC 39 is scheduled to take place on February 7th at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, MO. Headlining that event is an atomweight title fight between champion Jinh Yu Frey (8-4) and Ashley Cummins (7-4).
The card also features a flyweight fight between former title challenger Pearl Gonzalez (10-4) and recent Phoenix Series tournament winner Miranda Maverick (6-2).
The full fight card is presented below:
Atomweight Title: Jinh Yu Frey vs. Ashley Cummins
Flyweight: Pearl Gonzalez vs. Miranda Maverick
Flyweight: Shanna Young vs. Daiana Torquato
Atomweight: Alesha Zappitella vs. Kelly D’Angelo
Flyweight: Erin Blanchfield vs. Victoria Leonardo
Atomweight: Jillian DeCoursey vs. Linda Mihalec
Bantamweight: Tina Pettigrew vs. Monica Franco