Ducote vs. Lima Headlines Invicta FC Return
Invicta Fighting Championship returns on July 2nd for the pay-per-view event Invicta FC 40. This is the first event that Invicta FC has held since the COVID-19 outbreak in March.
Strawweight competitors Emily Ducote and Juliana Lima will fight in the show’s main event; both competitors are looking to get their once-promising careers back on track, and a victory at the event would go a long way for either in doing so.
Lima is a former UFC fighter who is making a comeback after her last fight over a year ago in May 2019. This comes after her losing three of her last four bouts dating back to 2017. The 38-year-old veteran has a record of 10-6 over her long career.
Ducote is a former Bellator fighter who is looking to make a name for herself in the company. The 26-year-old has gone 2-1 in Invicta FC bouts since joining the all-female organization in early 2019. Her last fight resulted in a split-decision loss to Kanako Murata at Invicta FC 38 in November.
Alesha Zappitella and Lindsey VanZandt will also be fighting at the event, with their matchup being listed as the co-headliner on the main card. The two atomweight fighters are rising stars in the industry, and both have found incredible success over their short careers to this point.
Zappitella is coming off an impressive performance at Invicta FC 39 in February where she defeated Kelly D’Angelo by unanimous decision in the third round. The 25-year-old currently owns a record of 6-2 professionally and will look to keep her momentum going at the upcoming event.
VanZandt (7-3) is looking to get back on track after a New Year’s Eve loss to Rena Kubota at Rizin FF. She had a promising last match with Invicta FC 37, resulting in a TKO against Shino VanHoose. Her vicious leg kick knocked VanHoose down for the count only 39 seconds into their bout.
There are four other fights on the main card for Invicta FC 40, including two flyweight bouts, one featherweight match, and an additional strawweight contest.
DeAnna Bennett and Victoria Leonardo and relative newcomers Claire Guthrie and Laura Gallardo will each face off in the two flyweight contests at Invicta FC 40. Chelsea Chandler and Liv Parker will represent the featherweight division in their matchup. Genia Goodin and Shelby Koren will be fighting in the first match on the card and will be representing the strawweight division.
The return of the all-female promotion will surely be music to the UFCs ears. The company should take some attention from the countless headlines associated with the UFC lately.
Over the course of only the past month, a number of the UFCs top competitors, including Jon “Bones” Jones and Jorge Masvidal, have voiced their displeasure with the way the company has managed their contract negotiations with their most profitable fighters.
Money is not the only source of controversy that is swarming around the top MMA company in the industry at the moment, as the enigmatic Conor McGregor also announced his retirement earlier this month due to the fact that he thought the company was not booking him in any relevant fights.
According to Invictafc.com, all participants will be tested for COVID-19 prior to the event and details of the safety measures being put in place will be revealed before the event, as well.
Invicta FC 40 is available via pay-per-view through UFC Fight Pass on Thursday, July 2nd at 8 PM Eastern time.