Analysis of Invicta 8 full card for Sept. 6

Michelle Waterson

As was already announced, all future Invicta shows will be on UFC Fight Pass. So if you already subscribe to it like I do, there is no extra charge for Invicta shows. The UFC says they will still attempt to get foreign broadcast deals for Invicta. But Fight Pass is available everywhere so I don't know why any foreign broadcaster would pay for Invicta. The first show will be Sept. 6 in Kansas City and they are claiming that they will run shows every other month. That seems a little ambitious to me but we'll see. The biggest news is not who is on this show but who isn't. And that of course is Cris Cyborg. The original plan was for her to face Ediane Gomes for the Invicta 145lb title and then Cyborg planned to drop to 135. So I guess Cyborg has accelerated those plans. Here's the thing about Cyborg. Has she ever said she wants to drop to 135? Nope. She treats it like an unpleasant obligation and she plans to fight as few fights as possible at 135. But as UFC president Dana White said on the weekend, last year they offered the same deal to Cyborg that they offered to Ronda Rousey. That was an eight fight deal. And until Cyborg wants to commit to 135 long term, I don't know if she will be able to make 135. So the UFC has Cyborg front and center on the Fight Pass website and she's not on this first show? Most fans will be disappointed with that. The show has two title fights. Michelle Waterson will defend her Invicta Atomweight Championship against former Valkyrie Featherweight Champion Yasuko Tamada. I will assume the original plan was a rematch with Jessica Penne but she's on The Ultimate Fighter 20. Though Tamada has been around a long time, most fans here will not be familiar with her because all her fights have been in Japan. Her record is 15-8-3 and she trains with Megumi Fujii at AACC. The key phrase is she used to be a champ but not since Valkyrie closed. So she's an OK fighter but I think she's past her prime. She's also very thin even for a 105lb fighter. I always look at her and think she should eat something. I don't know what makes Invicta think she deserves a title shot. The other title match is for the vacant Invicta Strawweight Championship. It will be Stephanie Eggink vs Katja Kankaanpaa. Stephanie trains at Gracie Tampa and her record is 4-1. She's worked for the XFC for the last couple of years. I guess her visibility makes Invicta think fans are familiar with her so she deserves a title shot in her debut. She's a decent fighter but no. Katja is from Finland and her record is 9-1-1. She's also a decent fighter. I guess the main question is do they really need to fill this title vacancy immediately. How about a tournament? Ediane Gomes will face Tanya Evinger at 135lb. Gomes recently announced plans to drop to 135. But I thought that would happen after the Cyborg fight. She's bigger than Tanya but Tanya is very crafty. They are doing a rematch from several years ago. It will be Roxanne Modafferi vs Tara LaRosa. I understand that both fighters are very popular. But as I have said in the past, I don't like nostalgia booking and that's what this is. Peggy Morgan will face Irene Aldana at 135lb. Peggy was on TUF18. I didn't think much of her. She's tall. Aldana is an unknown from Mexico. Her record is 4-1 but she lost her last fight in Brazil. Veronica Rothenhausler will face Charmaine Tweet at 155lb. Some think Veronica has potential but she had trouble making 145lb the last time she was supposed to fight in Invicta. Charmaine is a Canadian kickboxer with a 5-4 MMA record. She normally fights at 145lb. She's game but that doesn't mean she's good. I don't think there are enough 155lb fighters for a weight class. So at some point, Veronica will have to come to terms with making a lighter weight. In the other fight on the main card, Michelle Ould will face DeAnna Bennett. Michelle is a great fighter. But she hasn't fought for almost two years mostly due to illness. DeAnna is from Utah and has a 4-0 record but this will be her first fight for a national promotion. In the prelims, Alexa Grasso will face Ashley Cummins. Alexa is from Mexico. Her record is 4-0 but this will be her first fight outside Mexico. She's 20 years old so there's that. Ashley is from St. Louis. Her record is 3-2. I think a lot of fans remember her getting clobbered by Joanne Calderwood a couple of years ago. That kind of loss is tough to get over. Jodie Esquibel will face Jinh Yu Frey. In 2013, Jodie won a split decision over Liz McCarthy that a lot of fans thought she lost. Then she lost by submission to Alex Chambers. Jinh is from Alington, TX and has a 2-0 record. This will be her major promotion debut. And finally J.J. Aldrich will face Delaney Owen. J.J. is from Denver. She has had several amateur fights but this will be her pro debut. Delaney is from Clearwater, FL and is 2-0. This will be her major promotion debut. I'm not crazy about the main card. I don't think Michelle Waterson's popularity as The Karate Hottie is enough for the main event when most fans have not heard of her challenger. And though I know ACs don't like one night tournaments, I think a 115lb one night tournament could have added some sizzle to this show. This show lacks sizzle.