Invicta FC 4 will be the promotion’s first foray in to the realm of pay-per-view. For the price of $7.95, you can order the event via Ustream.
The 13-fight card is headlined by the first-ever Invicta FC Strawweight Championship bout, between Carla Esparza and Bec Hyatt. Undefeated Claudia Gadelha was forced from the main event with an injury, and Hyatt was pulled from her bout with Joanne Calderwood to fill the gap.
The co-main event of the evening will be a bantamweight tilt between Shayna Baszler and Alexis Davis. With the UFC now featuring the bantamweight division, this is even more of a significant fight in the division.
Invicta FC Strawweight Chamionship: Carla Esparza (8-2, 114.8 lbs) vs. Bec Hyatt (4-1, 115 lbs)
The main event of the evening is not as anticipated as it was before. No disrespect to Hyatt, but Esparza versus Gadelha is a much more intriguing fight at this time. And one has to question why Hyatt was chosen to replace Gadelha and not Calderwood, who is in the top-10 rankings.
Esparza should look fantastic as she takes the belt. It is a lot to ask of Hyatt to jump up and take on the veteran at this stage in her career, but it could prove beneficial for her moving forward.
Unfortunately, the main event may not be as competitive as one would like. It will be up to Hyatt to prove all the doubters wrong.
Shayna Baszler (15-7, 134.8 lbs) vs. Alexis Davis (12-5, 135.8 lbs)
This is the true main event of the evening.
Davis is currently No. 3 in the world at the weight, and Baszler is not far behind at No. 6. The winner of this fight could be thrust in to a title eliminator inside the Octagon later this year.
The ramifications of this fight will be huge.
Stylistically this fight is also fight of the night. Two grappling aces taking on each other, and two fighters who have penchants for throwing down as well.
This fight is worth the $8 by itself. The other 12 fights are just a bonus.
Leslie Smith (4-2-1, 135.8 lbs) vs. Raquel Pennington (3-2, 134.8 lbs)
Smith finished off her 2012 by finishing Kaitlin Young at Invicta 3. Now she’ll battle with Pennington, who dropped her fight at Invicta 3 to the highly touted Cat Zingano.
This is a tough fight for Pennington coming off the heels of her last outing. A win over Smith would put her right back in the thick of things in Invicta‘s bantamweight division, but Smith probably has her sights set a bit higher after the UFC’s introduction of the division.
Smith has to be on the shortlist of women to watch for in the division. She’s exciting and could put together a couple of wins to earn herself a contract. She has much more to fight for on Saturday night.
Amanda Nunes (7-2, 135.8 lbs) vs. Sarah D’Alelio (6-3, 135.8 lbs)
This fight is another big battle in the bantamweight division.
D’Alelio upset Vanessa Porto at Invicta 2 but lost to Baszler at Invicta 3. Now she gets put against a powerhouse in the division.
Nunes is another bantamweight that could be seen inside the Octagon in 2013. She has won seven of her last eight, with the lone loss coming at the hands of Davis. A win over someone the caliber of D’Alelio would put her in a position to move up the rankings and demand bigger fights.
All three of the bantamweight scraps on the main card will have the attention of the UFC matchmakers as they look for exciting talent to fill the division with.
Fans need to tune in to take notice and familiarize themselves with these ladies.
Ediane Gomes (9-2, 143.2 lbs) vs. Hiroko Yamanaka (12-2, 145.6 lbs)
Yamanaka was destroyed by Cris “Cyborg” Santos, and then dropped her follow-up bout with Germaine de Randamie in Strikeforce. However, she remains in the top-10 rankings and makes her Invicta debut against sixth-ranked Gomes.
Invicta can lay claim to having the absolute best in the division. Only in the featherweight and atomweight divisions do they not have competition for talent.
If Invicta hopes to debut a featherweight crown in 2013, this could very well be a title eliminator, with the winner getting a fight with Marloes Coenen.
Joanne Calderwood (4-0, 116 lbs) vs. Livia von Plettenberg (1-0, 116 lbs)
Calderwood may have missed out on a title shot this time around, but with another strong performance, she can make herself the next challenger.
Von Plettenberg steps up to battle the top-10 opponent after Hyatt was pulled for the title tilt, and it is a steep hill to climb.
It would be quite remarkable if she were to upset Calderwood.
Preliminary Card
Stephanie Frausto (4-4, 105 lbs) vs. Cassie Rodish (3-3, 105.8 lbs)
Tamikka Brents (1-0, 145 lbs) vs. Amanda Bell (0-0, 145 lbs)
Liz McCarthy (1-0, 104.2 lbs) vs. Jodie Esquibel (2-0, 104.2 lbs)
Emily Kagan (2-0, 115.6 lbs) vs. Rose Namajunas (0-0, 114.6 lbs)
Tecia Torres (1-0, 115.6 lbs) vs. Paige VanZant (2-0, 113.8 lbs)
Katalina Malungahu (2-1, 145.8 lbs) vs. Veronica Rothenhausler (0-0, 146.6 lbs)
Laura Marcusse-Sanko (0-0, 105.6 lbs) vs. Cassie Robb (0-0, 105.6 lbs)
All rankings are courtesy of MMARising’s Unified Women’s Mixed Martial Arts rankings.
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