Monica Franco ready to make up for lost time, calls for Invicta FC bout against Hailey Cowan

Monica Franco ready to make up for lost time, calls for Invicta FC bout against Hailey Cowan

Interview with Monica Franco above

Monica Franco (2-0) was supposed to be on the Invicta FC 44 card against Lauren Mueller. However, COVID-19 would sideline her and she was replaced by Serena DeJesus who won the bout. It was Invicta FC’s first pay-per-view event and a landmark moment for the all-female MMA promotion and Franco felt bad about missing the fight, so she is more than anxious to get back into the cage to make up for time lost.

For someone like Franco, any fight would likely fill the void but she figured a clash with the woman that replaced her (DeJesus) might work until Hailey Cowan (5-2) caught wind of how badly Franco wanted an opponent. It’s not a “call out” as much as it is two women that want to get back to what they do best, which is fight.

At least that’s what Franco said on her recent appearance on the Coast-2-Coast Combat Hour podcast this week. “Hailley Cowan, she just like DM’d me a couple of nights ago and she posted it on her IG too, just like ‘Hey, realized you’re looking for a fight.’” 

Cowan last fought at LFA 91 where she lost via submission and is probably eager to fight again to fully move past the loss. Franco is undefeated and based on missing the opportunity to fight on a pay-per-view, and her energy during the interview seems more than ready to fight Cowan. 

Both Franco and Cowan seem to agree to a bout on social media so it looks like it’s up to a promoter, namely Invicta FC to put it on. 

It is no secret to anyone that any person that chooses the fighting life is on that path because they want to become a champion. Setting goalposts in any venture helps fuel that competitive fire, so when asking Franco, now that she’s healthy, what’s her next goal, her answer was, “To become a champion in Invicta. Whether it be at 125 or 135, that is the next goalpost.”

Franco has been training in martial arts since she was 15 years old, and has an extensive amateur record. If you look at the way she speaks about her future and the way she fights, it’s no secret why she has the name, “fearless.”

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Edward Carbajal
Edward holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Bachelor's degree in Communications. Along with over 30 years of martial arts experience, he co-hosts The Coast-2-Coast Combat Hour podcast, and also writes for Spectation Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @Carbazel