We take a look ahead at the upcoming Invicta card and some of the action set to take place.
Invicta 16: Hamasaki vs Brown takes place this Friday, March 11th live from Las Vegas at the Trinidad Pavilion at the Tropicana. The event begins at 8:30pm streaming on UFC Fight Pass. Here’s a quick look at the card.
Invicta atomweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki (12-1) returns to defend her title after her surprising win against BJJ specialist and surging fighter Herica Tiburcio, this time taking on Fit NHB standout Amber Brown (6-1). Hamasaki has faced some formidable opposition including wins over current UFC talent Seo Hee Ham, current Invicta fighters Lacey Schuckman and Mizuki Inoue, Japanese veterans Emi Fujino and Mei Yamauchi, and her lone loss to UFC strawweight contender Claudia Gadelha. She has two TKOs on her record and four submission wins. She has a very intelligent and scrappy ground game that puts major emphasis on positional advantages and remains very active after her transitions.
Brown is coming into this fight on a four-fight win streak and has wins over Catherine Costigan, Liz McCarthy and Jewels and Pancrase veteran Kikuyo Ishikawa. Her lone loss was at Pancrase 247 against Emi Fujino by submission. She has a very tough and gritty dirty boxing and wrestling style that is reliant on pressure and making her opponents carry her weight.
Also on the card will be durable and talented Brazilian veterans Vanessa Porto (18-6) taking on Jennifer Maia (12-4-1 draw) in a rematch from a bout they had in 2011, in which Porto won via armbar. Former TUF contestant and UFC fighter Angela Hill (5-2 MMA, 16-0 kickboxing) will be taking on former title challenger Stephanie Eggink (4-2). Hill is stepping up as a late replacement after stellar prospect Alexa Grasso had to withdraw due to injury. Grasso’s teammate and friend Irene Aldana (5-2) will be fighting former UFC talent Jessamyn Duke (3-3-1 no contest), making her return to the Invicta cage. Aldana is coming off a loss to Invicta bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger via submission, while Duke is on a three fight losing skid that includes losses to Bethe Correia, Leslie Smith and Elizabeth Phillips. Former UFC fighter Roxanne Modafferi (18-12) fights Invicta mainstay and former title challenger DeAnna Bennett (8-1) at flyweight.
Former strawweight champion Herica Tiburcio (9-3) will be fighting the very athletic Jinh Yu Frey (4-1), and rising talent and Legacy FC flyweight champion Andrea Lee (4-1) fights very tough veteran Sarah D’Alelio (8-6).
The card will be rounded out by the return of very promising prospect Kelly McGill (2-0) (whose last fight was in November of 2014) facing returning Invicta talent Aspen Ladd (2-0). Finally, the opening bout will see two fighters making their pro debuts as Ashley Greenway takes on Sarah Click, as both women have had a handful of amateur bouts that have yielded some promising performances. Full card and order are as follows:
Ayaka Hamasaki vs Amber Brown
Vanessa Porto vs Jennifer Maia
Angela Hill vs Stephanie Eggink
Irene Aldana vs Jessamyn Duke
Roxanne Modafferi vs DeAnna Bennett
Herica Tiburcio vs Jinh Yu Frey
Sarah D’Alelio vs Andrea Lee
Aspen Ladd vs Kelly McGill
Ashley Greenway vs Sarah Click