Invicta FC 19 Preview & Predictions

If you are a fan of women’s mixed martial arts action, then there is a card you really need to be checking out this weekend and that card is Invicta FC 19. The event will be headlined by a pair of title bouts as Jennifer Maia defends the interim flyweight title against Roxanne Modafferi and Ayaka Hamaskai defends the atomweight belt against Jinh Yu Frey. Also, Irene Aldana takes on Faith Van Duin and one of the greatest female Muay Thai fighters in Tiffany VanSoest makes her professional MMA debut.

Main Event

Invicta FC Interim Flyweight Title Fight

Jennifer Maia (13-4-1) (Champion) vs. Roxanne Modafferi (19-11-0)

Maia will be making the first defense of her championship, where she won by defeating Vanessa Porto by unanimous decision at Invicta FC 16. Modafferi has won four of five fights under the Invicta FC banner and she too holds a win over Vanessa Porto. Maia has fought a few UFC veterans during her career as well, with those UFC veterans being Sheila Gaff and Leslie Smith. Modafferi fought a grand total of one time in the UFC, which was a decision loss to Raquel Pennington at the UFC Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale.

Prediction: Maia has one of the better wrestling games in the division right now, using her wrestling game to ground, then either submit or ground and pound her opponent. Modafferi has shown improved striking skills since coming to Invicta FC, but it is her submission game that makes her a threat. Modafferi provides a threat when the fight inevitably hits the ground, but Maia grinds on her before getting a fourth round submission.

Co-Main Event

Invicta FC Atomweight Title Fight

Ayaka Hamasaki (13-1-0) (Champion) vs. Jinh Yu Frey (5-1-0)

Hamasaki will be making the second defense of her championship, last defending it against Amber Brown at Invicta FC 16. Frey will enter the fight riding a three fight winning streak, which includes a win over former atomweight champion Herica Tiburcio Dos Santos at Invicta FC 16. Hamasaki has also held the Jewels Atomweight Championship, she defeated Yuka Tsuji to win the championship in 2012. Frey is also a former champion, as she held the Sugar Creek Showdown Women’s Atomweight Championship.

Prediction: Hamasaki has a suffocating ground game that she mixes with submissions when it is on the ground, but she only uses her strikes to set up the takedowns. Frey has shown some skills on the ground, but her striking game is where she tends to shine the brightest. Frey keeps things interesting for a round or two with her striking, but Hamasaki starts getting more and more takedowns on route to aa decision win.

Invicta FC Featherweight Division Fight

Irene Aldana (4-1-0) vs. Faith Van Duin (5-1-0)

Aldana has won two of three fights in Invicta FC competition, with her last win coming over UFC veteran Jessamyn Duke at Invicta FC 16. Van Duin in returning to Invicta FC for the first time since losing a title fight too champion Cristiane Justino at Invicta FC 13. Aldana had previously challenged for the Invicta FC Bantamweight Title, losing to Tonya Evinger at Invicta FC 13. Van Duin is a former Brace For War MMA Women’s Featherweight Champion, she defended the belt once before signing with Invicta FC.

Prediction: Aldana is one of the better strikers in Invicta FC and seemingly only goes to the ground when facing a strong wrestler like Tonya Evinger. Van Duin is an exceptional striker as well, but her strikes are more wild than those that are set up and in combination form. Van Duin and Aldana engage in a slugfest from bell to bell, but Aldana drops her and finishes her in the second round.

Invicta FC Flyweight Division Fight

Manjit Kolekar (7-0-0) vs. Kaline Medeiros (7-4-0)

Kolekar will be making her Invicta FC debut in this fight and she has only competed once in the last three years. Medeiros is currently undefeated under the Invicta FC banner, having defeated Alline Serio at Invicta FC 17. Kolekar spent a lot of time competing in the Super Fight League, where six of her seven wins as a professional came from. Medeiros will enter the fight riding a four fight winning streak, which also includes a win under the Bellator MMA banner.

Prediction: Kolekar showed some skills on the feet and on the ground before her long layoff, how that layoff affects her in this bout is the big question. Medeiros brings a quality ground game to the cage, with a solid striking game to back up those skills. Kolekar looks for the quick finish in her cage return, but Medieros grounds her on route to capturing a decision win.

Invicta FC Flyweight Division Fight

Kalyn Schwartz (0-0-0) vs. Tiffany VanSoest (0-0-0)

Schwartz will be making her professional MMA debut in this fight, but she did go undefeated during her time as an amateur. VanSoest will also be making her professional MMA debut in this fight, but she has plenty of experience competing in Muay Thai, lately it has been under the Lion Fights banner. Schhwartz won three championships as an amateur MMA fighter, those championships came in the King Of The Cage, Rumble The Roseland and Rogue Fights promotion. VanSoest is training for her professional MMA with the folks at the San Diego Sports Academy and Black House MMA.

Prediction: Schwartz is relatively unknown when compared to her opponent, her best plan will be to take the fight to the ground quickly. VanSoest is coming into the fight with more striking knowledge than just about everybody in Invicta FC, lots of her knowledge was gained in muay thai fights. Schwartz, as was mentioned earlier, needs to ground VanSoest as quickly as she possibly can, VanSoest knows how to control distance and she gets a head kick knockout early in the first round.

Invicta FC Atomweight Division Fight

Julia Jones (3-0-0) vs. Stephanie Skinner (3-4-0)

Jones will be making her Invicta FC debut in this fight and she is also going to be returning to action after a year-plus layoff. Skinner will also be making her Invicta FC debut in this fight and she has previously competed against UFC veteran Angela Hill. Jones did hold a championship as an amateur, as she was the Spokane Showdown Women’s Atomweight Champion. Skinner won an MMA championship when she got the first win of her pro MMA career, that title was the Kick Down MMA Women’s Atomweight Title.

Prediction: Jones has a pretty decent wrestling game, which she has used to earn all three of her previous wins heading into this fight. Skinner has not competed in nearly two years, but she has been finished in all four of her losses as a pro. Skinner does have the chops to beat an upstart like Jones, but Jones wrestles her and grinds out a decision win to stay undefeated.

Invicta FC Featherweight Division Fight

Amy Coleman (2-0-0) vs. Amber Leibrock (1-1-0)

Coleman will be making her Invicta FC debut in this fight, having spent her entire career until this point in the Valor Fights promotion. Leibrock has spent her entire professional MMA career in Invicta FC, where she holds a win over Marina Shafir of the famed “Four Horsewomen.” Coleman did compete a grand total of seven times as an amateur, capturing the 3FC MMA Women’s Featherweight Title. Leibrock has only gone to a decision once as a pro or as an amateur, that decision came nearly two years ago.

Prediction: Coleman’s strength is her ground game, where she used ground and pound or submissions to get most of her wins as an amateur. Leibrock seemingly likes to engage is slugfests with her opponents, her submission defense was suspect as an amateur. Leibrock will try to get Coleman to engage in a slugfest, but Coleman wises up and grounds Leibrock before tapping her in the third round.

Invicta FC Strawweight Division Fight

Sunna Davidsdottir (0-0-0) vs. Ashley Greenway (1-0-0)

Davidsdottir will be making her professional MMA debut in this fight, but she did win four of five fights during her time as an amateur. Greenway made her professional MMA debut earlier this year at Invicta FC 16, defeating Sarah Click by unanimous decision. Davidsdottir did win the IMMAF Amateur European Championships in 2015, defeating Anja Saxmark in the finals. Greenway had a very long amateur MMA career, winning the Elite Championship Cage Fighting and UDFFC Women’s Strawweight Titles.

Prediction: Davidsdottir showed an aptitude for the striking game as an amateur, winning two fights as an amateur via TKO. Greenway has used her wrestling game to get the majority of her wins via the professional or amateur MMA route. Davidsdottir has a good striking game and she catches Greenway going in for the takedown before scoring a first round TKO win.