The pioneer and veteran aims to bring another championship back to Canada.
And just like that, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Former UFC fighter Sarah Kaufman (19-4) has earned another opportunity to get a big gold belt this May at Invicta FC 29.
Kaufman had come up in the Canadian regional scene, racking up wins until she was signed by Strikeforce. She marked her promotional debut with a win over Miesha Tate, going on to defeat Takayo Hashi, Shayna Baszler and a highlight reel slam KO over Roxanne Modafferi. She made her way to Invicta and the UFC, having some ups and downs during her time in that organization. This was also coupled with growing frustration with the lack of opportunities for fights. She was then eventually released from her contract.
After a hiatus of just over a year (following a loss to Valentina Shevchenko), Kaufman came back to MMA competition in March of 2018, picking up a win over Jessica-Rose Clark. That led to her signing with Invicta FC, and a tremendous performance against Swedish talent Pannie Kianzad this past January.
After that fight, she wasted no time and called for a title shot. Seeing as the title is currently vacant, that performance was a statement. Now she’s getting her wish on May 4th, when she faces surging bantamweight fighter Katharina Lehner (7-0). Lehner’s start came on the European scene, but notched her first TKO win over Alexa Connors at Invicta 25 last August. Her last fight was a win in her native Germany over Gemma Pike, and she’ll be facing a battle-tested veteran that’s fought a litany of notable fighters in Kaufman.
Invicta FC 29 is slated to take place on May 4th, with no venue announced as of yet. The event will be streaming live via UFC Fight Pass.