Milana Dudieva vs. Mara Romero Borella Promoted to Invicta FC 24 Main Event
Kansas City, Mo. – The main event at Invicta FC 24 has changed once again.
Previously slated for the night’s co-main event, UFC veteran Milana Dudieva (11-5) and fellow flyweight Mara “Kunoichici” Romero Borella (10-4, 1 NC) debut as the headline attraction at Invicta FC 24 on Saturday, July 15.
Russia’s Dudieva joins the organization and drops down to flyweight after battles in the UFC against top bantamweights Marion Reneau and Julianna Pena, while Italy’s Borella enters the bout winning four of her last five fights.
Bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger has been released from her Invicta FC contract and removed from the Invicta FC 24 main event to compete against former Invicta FC featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino at UFC 214 on Saturday, July 29. Evinger fills in for Invicta FC featherweight champion Megan Anderson in the match-up with Justino.
Invicta FC is currently looking to replace Evinger, seeking an opponent for Ukranian featherweight Helena “Pretty” Kolesnyk (5-0, 1 NC).
Kolesnyk, who trains out of Moscow, has finished all five of her professional wins, including three first-round knockouts and a first-round submission due to punches. She is an experienced Muay Thai practitioner, taking bronze at the IFMA World Muaythai Championships in 2015.
“Invicta has always and will continue to produce championship level talent, so it’s no surprise that our athletes are getting these big opportunities,” said Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp. “I’m extremely happy for Tonya and excited to see what our new flyweights can do with the main event spotlight.”
The bout between bantamweight contender Raquel “Lionheart” Pa’aluhi (6-5) and recent title challenger Yana “Foxy” Kunitskaya (9-3, 1 NC) of Russia has been promoted to co-main event status.
Hawaiian-born and fighting out of Las Vegas, Pa’aluhi has shined lately, winning four of her last five fights, most recently submitting Pannie Kianzad in the first round at Invicta FC 21 in January. Kunitskaya looks to rebound after back-to-back fights against Invicta FC bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger.
The fight card for Invicta FC 24: Dudieva vs Borella can be found below:
Flyweight: Milana Dudieva vs. Mara Romero Borella
Bantamweight: Raquel Pa’aluhi vs. Yana Kunitskaya
Atomweight: Jinh Yu Frey vs. Ashley Cummins
Flyweight: Karina Rodríguez vs. Bárbara Acioly
Strawweight: Sunna Rannveig Davidsdottir vs. Kelly D’Angelo
Strawweight: Mallory Martin vs. Tiffany Masters
Featherweight: Felicia Spencer vs. Amy Coleman
Invicta FC 24: Dudieva vs Borella streams live and exclusively via UFC FIGHT PASS on Saturday, July 15 at 7 p.m. CT.
Tickets for Invicta FC 24: Dudieva vs Borella, priced at $50, $35, or $25, are on sale now via Ticketfly.com.
For more information about Invicta Fight Championships, visit invictafc.com
