Invicta Fighting Championships announced today that the winner of the promotion’s inaugural Phoenix Rising Series tournament, which takes place on Friday, May 3, will also be crowned Invicta FC strawweight champion.
Invicta’s most recent strawweight champion, Virna Jandiroba, vacated her title prior to signing with the UFC. Now, the strawweight division’s top contenders will battle during a one-night tournament to earn their place as champion.
The promotion also revealed the tournament’s quarterfinal round match-ups, pairing the announced participants by random draw. Former Invicta FC strawweight title challenger MIZUKI (13-5), meets two-time US Open national championship wrestler Sharon Jacobson (5-4). The field’s other former strawweight title challenger, Janaisa Morandin (10-2), takes on 25-year-old prospect Brianna Van Buren (5-2). UFC veterans Danielle Taylor (10-4) and Juliana Lima (9-5)will faceoff, as well as Hawaii’s Kailin Curran (4-6) making her Invicta debut opposite undefeated Icelander Sunna Davidsdottir (3-0). Quarterfinal bouts are one five-minute round, with the round’s fastest finisher having an opportunity to pick their semifinal round opponent from the three other advancing competitors.
Two tournament reserve bouts have also been announced, contested under the same single round format as the quarterfinal bouts, but categorized as exhibition fights. Having competed at atomweight for most of her career, Amber Brown (7-5) seeks to break into the strawweight tournament, facing Manjit Kolekar (11-2) of India, and promotional newcomers Alyssa Krahn (5-2) and Itzel Esquivel (4-2), will square off in the second reserve bout. A non-tournament bout between 19-year-old Kay Hansen (4-2) and the Czech Republic’s Magdalena Sormova (7-1), making her Invicta debut, has also been added to the fight card.
The Phoenix Rising Series debuts at Kansas City’s Memorial Hall on Friday, May 3, streaming live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass at 7 pm CT.
Fight Card (Subject to Change):
Strawweight Tournament Final: TBD vs TBD
Strawweight Bout: Kay Hansen vs Magdalena Sormova
Strawweight Tournament Semifinal: TBD vs TBD
Strawweight Tournament Semifinal: TBD vs TBD
Strawweight Tournament Reserve: Amber Brown vs Manjit Kolekar
Strawweight Tournament Quarterfinal: MIZUKI vs Sharon Jacobson
Strawweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Janaisa Morandin vs Brianna Van Buren
Strawweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Danielle Taylor vs Juliana Lima
Strawweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Kailin Curran vs Sunna Davidsdottir
Strawweight Tournament Reserve: Alyssa Krahn vs Itzel Esquivel
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