Sarah Kaufman Meets Pannie Kianzad at Invicta FC 27 on Saturday, Jan. 13
Invicta Fighting Championships today announced the main event – and eight additional bouts – scheduled for Invicta FC 27, streaming live from the historic Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City on Saturday, Jan. 13.
One of the world’s top bantamweights returns to the Invicta cage in the main event, as veteran Sarah Kaufman (18-4, 1 NC) takes on former Cage Warriors bantamweight champion Pannie “Banzai” Kianzad (8-2).
Kaufman last appeared for the promotion in 2013, earning Fight of the Night honors against Leslie Smith. In her last outing, the 32-year-old Victoria, B.C. native defeated UFC and Invicta veteran Jessica-Rose Clark by unanimous decision.
Iranian-Swedish fighter Kianzad looks to get back to her winning ways following back-to-back losses against former Invicta FC bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger and former Invicta FC bantamweight title challenger Raquel Pa’aluhi.
In the co-main event, perennial flyweight contender Vanessa Porto (19-8) turns around quickly to face fellow Brazilian Mariana Morais (12-5). Less than two weeks ago, Porto picked up a stoppage win over Milana Dudieva at Invicta FC 26. The 22-year-old Morais debuted for Invicta against fan favorite Roxanne Modafferi in 2015, and has since gone 3-2 with three finishes.
Invicta recently signed decorated striker Ashley Nichols (3-1), who earned the World Professional MuayThai Federation super bantamweight title and has stood across from some of combat sports’ top names including Tiffany van Soest, Anissa Meksen and Randa Markos. She’ll have a tall order at Invicta FC 27, taking on two-time national champion wrestler Sharon “Dreamcatcher” Jacobson (4-2) in a classic striker vs. grappler match-up.
Local favorite Ashley “Smashley” Cummins (5-4) welcomes the debuting Stephanie “The Cyclone” Alba (3-2) to Invicta FC’s atomweight division. The last two appearances for Cummins came in Missouri, where she serves as a police officer, against Invicta FC atomweight title challengers Jinh Yu Frey and Amber Brown. Alba joins Invicta with a resume that includes wins over Andy Nguyen and Mandy Polk.
Undefeated flyweight prospect Brogan “Killer Bee” Walker-Sanchez (4-0) will fight outside her native Guam for the first time, meeting an opponent to be announced shortly.
Featherweight finisher Felicia “FeeNom” Spencer (3-0) has spent her entire professional career under the Invicta banner. Akeela Al-Hameed (0-0) looks to emulate Spencer’s success when she makes her professional and promotional debut against her.
Mallory Martin (1-2) and Tiffany “Rainbow Renegade” Masters (2-1) were previously scheduled to square off at Invicta FC 24 in July. When Martin fell ill during fight week, the bout was canceled. The strawweights have been rebooked for Invicta FC 27.
A veteran of more than a hundred Muay Thai bouts, 21-year-old Loma Lookboonmee (0-0) makes the jump to MMA, carrying multiple world titles into an atomweight bout against American Kickboxing Academy product Melissa “Lil Dynamite” Wang (1-0).
Plus, Jade “The Asian Sensation” Ripley (0-0) and Helen “Iansã” Peralta (0-0) battle at strawweight, both making their professional debuts after compiling 6-0 and 9-1 amateur records, respectively.
The current nine-fight card for Invicta FC 27 can be found below:
Bantamweight Bout: Pannie Kianzad (8-2) vs. Sarah Kaufman (18-4, 1 NC)
Flyweight Bout: Vanessa Porto (19-8) vs. Mariana Morais (12-5)
Strawweight Bout: Sharon Jacobson (4-2) vs. Ashley Nichols (3-1)
Atomweight Bout: Ashley Cummins (5-4) vs. Stephanie Alba (3-2)
Flyweight Bout: Brogan Walker-Sanchez (4-0) vs. TBA
Featherweight Bout: Felicia Spencer (3-0) vs. Akeela Al-Hameed (0-0)
Strawweight Bout: Mallory Martin (1-2) vs. Tiffany Masters (2-1)
Atomweight Bout: Loma Lookboonmee (0-0) vs. Melissa Wang (1-0)
Strawweight Bout: Jade Ripley (0-0) vs. Helen Peralta (0-0)
Invicta FC 27 streams live and exclusively via UFC FIGHT PASS at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Saturday, Jan. 13.
Tickets for Invicta FC 27, priced at $50, $35, or $25, are on sale now via Ticketfly.com.
