Author: Riley Kontek

The next Invicta card has been announced and it will be headlined by Cris “Cyborg” Justino in Los Angeles on Feb. 27, the same weekend rival Ronda Rousey will be in action against Cat Zingano in the same city.

According to a press release acquired by Bleacher Report, the card, which will air exclusively on Fight Pass, will take place from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The following night, UFC 184 will air live from the Staples Center, also in Los Angeles.

Cyborg, long considered the best female fighter in the world, puts her Invicta Featherweight Championship on the line against Canadian challenger Charmaine Tweet, considered the top lightweight in the world by most, as well as one of the top featherweights. 

Cyborg was supposed to headline the Invicta 10 card in December, but an injury prevented her from competing in that event. That was to be her bantamweight debut, which is on hold for now until she can make weight.

Her time in Invicta has been a success thus far. After slamming Fiona Muxlow in the first round of her debut, she dismantled Marloes Coenen to claim the vacant 145-pound title.

The reputed knockout artist finds a new challenge in Tweet, who has shown vast improvements in her most recent fights, despite a so-so record. She is 5-1 in her last six bouts, with her only loss coming to top-three featherweight Julia Budd.

She put her stamp on top contention status in her most recent bout, running through top prospect Veronica Rothenhausler with ease. Using her improved striking and a voracious top game, she absolutely crushed the Team Alpha Male member.

In the co-main event, uber-prospect Mizuki Inoue will look to get back in the win column after a loss in her most recent Invicta bout, as she takes on rising prospect Alexa Grasso. It figures to be a pivotal bout for both women, as they both inch closer to a title fight or a potential move to the UFC.

Other top fighters on the card include DeAnna Bennett, who was likely the top contender at 125, dropping to 115 to take on Lynn Alvarez; Mexican striker Irene Aldana, who will be looking to move up to the UFC as she takes on Melanie LaCroix; and a bevvy of prospects gracing the undercard, from Brianna Van Buren to Emily Corso to Kristi Lopez.

All of these fights are likely to be great matchups, and the card has a great mixture of top contenders and up-and-coming talent. Plus, with its proximity to the UFC card in town, it figures to draw a good audience and viewing crowd.

Here is the full eight-fight card:

 

145: Cris “Cyborg” Justino (c) vs. Charmaine Tweet

115: Mizuki Inoue vs. Alexa Grasso

115: DeAnna Bennett vs. Lynn Alvarez

135: Irene Aldana vs. Melanie LaCroix

115: Jamie Moyle vs. JJ Aldrich

115: Brianna Van Buren vs. Amy Montenegro

125: Christine Stanley vs. Emily Corso

125: Kristi Lopez vs. Aspen Ladd

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The UFC is ready to make a long-anticipated debut in Poland, and it has a huge main event on the books.

Recently re-signed Pride and UFC legend Mirko Cro Cop will take the headlining spot and look to avenge one of the most devastating losses of his career against Gabriel Gonzaga. That fight will be supported by a co-main event of top light heavyweight up-and-comers Jimi Manuwa and Jan Blachowicz, the latter of whom is from Poland.

The card, which will stream exclusively on UFC Fight Pass, takes place April 11 from the Krakow Arena. It will be the 64th installment of UFC Fight Night and is likely to feature many talents from either Poland or the surrounding European area.

This will be Cro Cop’s first UFC bout since 2011, when he stepped away from the UFC after a three-fight skid to Frank Mir, Brendan Schaub and Roy Nelson, all of which came via knockout or TKO.

Since then, the legend has kept busy on both the MMA and kickboxing scene.

He went 3-1 as a mixed martial artist, taking two wins over top Japanese fighter Satoshi Ishii, while his only loss came to UFC fighter Alexey Oleinik.

Not only that, but he has been successful in kickboxing, too.

Cro Cop has gone 7-1 since his UFC release against the likes of Ray Sefo, Randy Blake and Jarrell Miller (twice).

In their last bout, Gonzaga famously knocked out the Croat with a head kick. That win stole a title shot from Cro Cop, but Gonzaga was unable to snatch the gold.

The Brazilian is in his second stint with the UFC and is currently 4-3 in this run. He has finished all four of his wins over the likes of Ben Rothwell and Shawn Jordan, while his three losses were against top fighters Travis Browne, Stipe Miocic and Matt Mitrione.

This should be a great matchup and rematch that fans will be interested to see.

The co-main event pits a destroyer in Manuwa against former KSW champ Blachowicz. The former is 3-1 with the UFC, while the latter is just 1-0 in the UFC.

Manuwa‘s resume includes finishes against Kyle Kingsbury, Cyrille Diabate and Ryan Jimmo, with his only loss coming to contender Alexander Gustafsson. Meanwhile, Blachowicz looked impresive in his debut, making quick work of Ilir Latifi with precision striking.

The co-main event is likely to be an all-striking affair. Both Manuwa and Blachowicz throw thunderous punches and kicks, and they are always looking to knock out their opponents.

That will make for a fun fight.

Stay tuned with Bleacher Report as more information on this card becomes available. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com