Strawweight gold up for grabs, and a special guest fighter makes an appearance.
Invicta remains consistent with their event schedule in a hectic 2020, pushing forward past certain setbacks and obstacles in each outing. This time they have what appears to be their final event of 2020 featuring the inclusion of Judo Olympian Kayla Harrison along with some great prospect fights to round out the card.
The main course was the main event for the currently vacant strawweight title as Emily Ducote (9-6) was to meet Mexican buzzsaw Montserrat Ruiz (9-1). Unfortunately that fight was scratched.
The new main event will be a tilt between two-time Olympic Judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison (7-0), who finally drops to featherweight to meet Courtney King (4-1). King has wins over Serena DeJesus (as an amateur) and Colbey Northcutt (in King’s pro debut), with four TKO wins and two submissions – both rear naked chokes – across her amateur and pro runs.
Clearly, she has a lot on her plate. Harrison has plowed through the field in PFL, including two wins over former UFC talent Larissa Pacheco. Her striking still needs some polish, but her ground game remains great and her Judo takedowns remain impressive. Harrison should be a heavy favorite going into this, but King is game and totally down for the challenge.
Stephanie Geltmacher (4-1) is another budding talent at flyweight, using her tenacious wrestling against Liz Tracy and Kerri Kenneson under the Invicta banner. Her grappling and willingness to engage in close-quarters firefights have made her a joy to watch, and she’s working her way up the ladder and hunting for a win after her loss to Victoria Leonardo last year.
She was originally scheduled to fight Trisha Cicero, but Cicero withdrew and Geltmacher will now face Caitlin Sammons (3-0). After going 7-1 in the amateur ranks, Sammons started her pro career in Invicta and got two straight finishes to start off. Her last bout was a hard-fought decision against Claire Guthrie in July. Quick to clinch and aggressive on the ground with passing and sub attempts, Sammons is a promising prospect with a fair amount of upside.
Finally, Brittney Cloudy (2-2) finally returns to Invicta after making her debut there in 2018 as she meets former Phoenix Rising tournament participant Hope Chase (2-1).
Full card is as follows:
Courtney King vs. Kayla Harrison – Featherweight
Stephanie Geltmacher vs. Caitlin Sammons – Flyweight
Brittney Cloudy vs. Hope Chase – Featherweight
Alexa Culp vs. Meaghan Penning – Strawweight
Juliana Miller vs. Kendal Holowell – Flyweight
Invicta FC 43: King vs Harrison takes place this Friday night starting at 8:00pm EST. This event streams live exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.