Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Analysis of Invicta FC 26 card

Invicta finally announced the complete card for Invicta FC 26. And as usual, I will analyze the entire card. The show will be on UFC Fight Pass Dec. 8 from Kansas City. Not my favorite location. In general, the show has a weak main event which was bolstered by a couple of intriguing fighters on the main card. Unfortunately, one of those fighters dropped out due to injury and it really deflates interest in the whole card. The main event will have Jennifer Maia defending her Invicta Flyweight Championship against Agnieszka Niedzwiedz. Jennifer is a former boxer who trains at Chute Boxe in Brazil. Her record is 14-4-1. Chute Boxe is where Cris Cyborg learned her trade. So when I first heard of Jennifer a few years ago, I was hoping she fought like Cyborg. No such luck. What was lucky was how she got to be champ. It became clear that Barb Honchak was not going to defend the title. Because Invicta waited so long to address this, they had Jennifer vs Vanessa Porto for an interim title. After Jennifer won, they made it permanent. And in her first defense, she beat Roxanne Modafferi by split decision. That was last year. So where has Jennifer been for a year? It should be policy that once a year goes by without a title defense, Invicta needs to explain it and maybe strip her of the title. Other promotions do that. It's incompetence. Agnieszka is 22 years old from Krakow, Poland. Her record is 10-0 and she's 2-0 in Invicta. She beat Roxanne Modafferi in May to get the title shot. She's a points fighter and everyone knows I hate points fighters. Obviously they had to do this fight but I don't like it much. In the Strawweight co-main, Mackenzie Dern will face Kaline Madeiros. Of course Mackenzie is 24 years old from Phoenix. She trains at MMA Lab. Most fans should be familiar with her BJJ credentials. I expect her to win easily. It's just a matter of time before she is in the UFC. My only concern is this fight is at Strawweight and she has had trouble making weight. Kaline is 38 years old from Fall River, MA. She owns her own gym. She's 2-1 in Invicta. I haven't been impressed with her and she's old. This fight was moved up to co-main when MIZUKI was forced to pull out due to injury. She's just coming back from knee surgery. Her knee is fine. This is an elbow injury that will not require surgery. She'll return in three months. Kinberly Novaes will step in and she will face Janaisa Morandin. Both are midcard Brazilian fighters. Kinberly lost to Syuri Kondo in PANCRASE a few months ago. Janaisa lost to Livia Renata Souza in her Invicta debut and she looked like a typical Brazilian lower midcard fighter. Many fans were looking forward to MIZUKI's return. So the change really hurts the show. Here's the rest of the card. In a Flyweight bout, Brazilian veteran Vanessa Porto will face Milana Dudieva. I expect Vanessa to win. Milana is terrible and is only in Invicta because she was in the UFC. In a Strawweight bout, Amy Montenegro will face Virna Jandiroba. Amy is 34 years old from Lynwood, WA. Her record is 8-2 and 2-1 in Invicta. She won her last fight over Celine Haga due to terrible reffing by Greg Franklin. It was one of the worst calls I have ever seen. I heard Celine is suing but I haven't heard anything about that. Amy is nothing special. Virna is 28 years old from Bahia, Brazil. She's 11-0 in regional Brazilian MMA. This is her first fight outside Brazil. So she's unknown. In an Atomweight bout, Amber Brown will face Tessa Simpson. Amber is 6-4. She is on a three fight losing streak. Tessa is 31 years old from Austin, TX. Her record is 5-2 and she is 1-1 in Invicta. This could be a make or break fight for both fighters. In a Flyweight bout, Christina Ferea will face Karina Rodriguez. Christina is 1-1 in Invicta. I don't think I liked her. Karina is from Mexico City. She's 5-2. She won her Invicta debut. Her opponent was terrible. The opener has two debuting Strawweight fighters. Kay Hansen is from Whittier, CA. Emilee Prince is from Tennessee. So to recap, I think the main event is weak and the MIZUKI injury really hurts the card.

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