March 29, 2024

Invicta FC champ Yana Kunitskaya meets Sara McMann at UFC on FOX 28

MMAfighting.com

Another Invicta FC champion will soon be making her way over to the UFC.

Invicta FC bantamweight titleholder Yana Kunitskaya is slated to meet Sara McMann on Feb. 24 at UFC on FOX 28, Kunitskaya and McMann both announced Thursday on social media. The booking means that Kunitskaya will vacate the 135-pound Invicta FC title she captured with a victory over Raquel Pa’aluhi in August.

A 28-year-old fighting out of Russia, Kunitskaya (10-3, 1 NC) won nine of her 11 contests prior to signing with Invicta FC in 2016, a run highlighted by eight stoppages. She debuted in Invicta FC with a pair of title challenges against Tonya Evinger, winning the controversial first meeting via first-round submission before the result was overturned into a no-contest, then dropping the rematch via second-round submission.

Kunitskaya followed up by winning a unanimous decision over Pa’aluhi to claim the vacant bantamweight strap after Evinger departed for the UFC. Kunitskaya also holds a notable 34-second TKO victory over UFC and Invicta FC veteran Cindy Dandois.

McMann (11-4), meanwhile, looks to rebound after her run to title contention was interrupted by a second-round submission loss to Ketlen Vieira in September. The setback snapped a three-fight winning streak for McMann, which saw the 37-year-old Olympic silver medalist outpointJessica Eye then submit Alexis Davis and Gina Mazany. Despite the loss, McMann remains the No. 8 female bantamweight on the UFC’s official media-generated rankings.

UFC on FOX 28 takes place at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. The card also features contender fights Yoel Romero vs. David Branch and Jessica Andrade vs. Tecia Torres, among other announced bouts.

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