Invicta looks to be gearing up for a big debut on the UFC’s e-network, with the announcement of their first Fight Pass card. Invicta FC 8 is set to take place on September 6th in Kansas City, Missouri. The card was announced by Shannon Knapp via conference call. Featured will be two title fights.
First and foremost, Invicta’s atomweight champion Michelle Waterson will take on Yasuko Tamada, a Deep and Jewels fighter, with a wealth of experience on the Japanese wmma scene. Waterson enters the bout on a five fight winning streak, her most recent being an incredibly impressive submission win over current TUF 20 cast member and former Invicta champ Jessica Penne, for the Invicta atomweight title. It was the biggest win of Waterman’s career to date, and really her first victory over top competition.
In that sense, Tamada is something of a return to form as 15-8-3 fighter with a strong, but not exactly dominant record. This is Tamada’s first fight at Invicta, coming off a win over Yukiko Seki at Deep Jewels 1. She’s currently on a three fight win streak, but lost four in a row between 2010 and 2012, just prior to her current wins. Two of those losses were to Naho Sugiyama, who Penne herself defeated for the inagural Invicta FC atomweight title, but it’s still not exactly a record that jumps off the page.
The second title fight will be contested between Stephanie Eggink and Katja Kankaanpaa for the recently vacated Invicta FC strawweight title. The title was formerly held by Carla Esparza, who was part of the initial run of fighters signed by the UFC for their upcoming TUF 20 series and new strawweight division. Eggink comes into the bout on a three fight win streak, 4-1 overall, including wins over current TUF 20 fighters Heather Clark and Angela Magana.
Across from her will be Finnish fighter Katja Kankaanpaa. Kankaanpaa made her Invicta FC debut at Invicta FC 5 where she defeated current UFC strawweight Juliana Lima. At Invicta FC 7 she took a competitive loss to Joanne Calderwood, in what many feel was Calderwoods most difficult fight to date. Since then she’s picked up one win back in Finland, defeating top Ukranian prospect Alyona Roassohyna. Considering the picking over that Invicta’s 115 lb division has gotten from the UFC, Kankaanpaa vs. Eggink is still a very solid booking, with both fighters holding multiple wins over their current UFC counterparts.
Also featured on this card will be recent TUF 18 cast members Peggy Morgan, Roxanne Modafferi, Tonya Evinger, and Tara LaRosa. Here’s a look at the whole thing, as it stands right now:
Michelle Waterson vs. Yasuko Tamada (Atomweight championship)
Stephanie Eggink vs. Katja Kankaanpaa (Vacant strawweight championship)
Ediane Gomes vs. Tonya Evinger
Michelle Ould vs. DeAnna Bennett
Roxanne Modafferi vs. Tara LaRosa
Peggy Morgan vs. Irene Aldana
Veronica Rothenhausler vs. Charmaine Tweet
Alexa Grasso vs. Ashley Cummins
Jodie Esquibel vs. Jinh Yu Frey
J.J. Aldrich vs. Delaney Owen
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