The dust has settled at InvictaFC 6 with Cyborg Justino the new 145 champ and two new title contenders ready to win some gold of their own.
Although some questions were answered, the event actually gave us more questions in what the future holds for InvictaFC. Here are our five.
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Who can stop Cyborg?
The baddest woman on the planet has reclaimed her place at the top of the 145 ladder. With Coenen not being able to stop the war machine that is the InvictaFC featherweight champ, who is next?
Ediane Gomes seems to be the next choice for a title shot, with Julia Budd waiting in the wings. Tamikka Brents (who was supposed to fight this weekend) could have the strength and mental fortitude to give Cyborg a run for her money.
If you are thinking Fallon Fox, the match won’t happen anytime soon.
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Who is the next contender for the atomweight belt?
InvictaFC president Shannon Knapp stated at the post fight press conference that Penne will not be the next person in line for the atomweight title. This brings up the question of “Who is next?”. Looking at the current rankings, it will be most likely a fighter from Japan. The final JEWELS champ Seo Hee Ham (11-5) and Kikuyo Ishikawa (9-3) seem most likely.
It would be interesting to see Penne take on Lacey Schuckman or Cassie Rodish in her next match as a title qualifier.
This brings us to the question….
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Who will defend their title at InvictaFC 7?
With four champs to chose from, someone has to main event the card, which is currently slated for October. Two title matches are set post InvictaFC 6 (strawweight champion Carla Esparza vs.Claudia Gadelha and flyweight champion Barb Honchak vs. Leslie Smith) but Knapp would not commit to stating if those belt would be defended on the 7th card.
It should be noted that Esparza (who is recovering from a knee injury) will be back in training next week.
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Where does the strawweights stand in terms of their next fights?
In what has become InvictaFC’s deepest division, the strawweights will have to be shuffled around once again.
Since Gadelha has her title shot well in hand, Joanne Calderwood needs to look for the right opponent to earn her one of her own. Ayaka Hamasaki, Mizuki Inoue, or Katja Kankaanpää would make the most since for a title qualifier in the near future.
A big match that would gather a lot of hype would be Bec Hyatt verses Rose Namajunas. Both coming off losses, the two popular stars of Invicta would make for a good match, giving Rose a step up in competition and Hyatt a chance to get back in the win column.
Emily Kagan and Tecia Torres (both coming off wins) would also be a solid match.
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What network will pick up the InvictaFC reality show?
Knapp stated at the post fight presser that InvictaFC would be coming up with a reality show of it’s own on the near future. While it looks like they have a basic concept (Knapp stated the format would be different than TUF or Fightmaster), a network is a ways away.
If they decide to partner with Showtime down the line, the CBS Sports Network would be a decent home. Oxygen network aired “Fight Girls” in 2006 and would be great place to land as well.
We can pretty much assume the Fox Networks and Spike TV would be off the table.
Filed under: MMA
