By Alexander K. Lee@AlexanderKLee
MMAfighting.com
Invicta FC will soon have a new flyweight queen.
The promotion announced Wednesday via a press release that Pearl Gonzalez and Vanessa Portowill meet in the main event of Invicta FC 34 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan., on Feb. 15. This will be Invicta’s first visit to this location since its inaugural show back in April 2012.
Gonzalez and Porto will be battling for a flyweight championship belt that has been vacant since last July, when incumbent titleholder Jennifer Maia signed with the UFC.
This will be Porto’s third crack at an Invicta title after previously losing unanimous decisions in championship bouts against Maia at Invicta FC 16 (an interim title fight), and Barb Honchak at Invicta FC 5. The 34-year-old Porto has won her last two fights, both by finish, defeating Mariana Morais via submission and UFC vet Milana Dudieva via TKO. Her pro record stands at 20-8 and she holds notable wins over Maia (in their first meeting), Roxanne Modafferi, Zoila Frausto, Tara LaRosa, Kalindra Faria, Germaine de Randamie, and Tonya Evinger.
Gonzalez, 32, is 3-0 in the Invicta cage after an 0-2 stint with the UFC in 2017. Last year, she picked up consecutive wins over Daiane Firmino, Barbara Acioly, and Kali Robbins to improve to 9-3 as a professional.
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Invicta FC 34 will also host the start of a four-woman tournament to determine the next challenger at 125 pounds. Dudieva (12-7) will fight Brogan Walker-Sanchez (6-0), and DeAnna Bennett (9-3-1) will fight Miranda Maverick (4-1), with the finals to be determined at a later date.
The show will stream exclusively live on UFC Fight Pass. See the updated card below.
Pearl Gonzalez vs. Vanessa Porto
Milana Dudieva vs. Brogan Walker-Sanchez
DeAnna Bennett vs. Miranda Maverick
Tracy Cortez vs. Karina Rodriguez
Faith McMah vs. Helena Kolesnyk
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