Kelly D’Angelo Returns to Strawweight, Meets Itzel Esquivel at Invicta FC 41

Kansas City, Kan. – The lineup for Invicta FC 41 has undergone a late change.

Strawweight Cynthia Arceo is out of her scheduled match-up with fellow Texan Itzel Esquivel (4-2). Replacing Arceo on less than two weeks’ notice will be atomweight contender Kelly “Wildfire” D’Angelo (4-3). The Missouri product has made four appearances in the Invicta cage, with the three most recent outings coming at 105 pounds. However, the 33-year-old’s promotional debut in 2017 came in the strawweight division against Sunna Davíðsdóttir.

Invicta FC 41 takes place Thursday, July 30 in Kansas City, Kan. The event will stream live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m. CT. The event is headlined by a strawweight bout between former title challenger Janaisa “Evil Princess” Morandin (10-3) of Brazil and Mexico’s Montserrat “Conejo” Ruiz (8-1).

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the event will take place behind closed doors — sans fans and media. As with any Invicta event, the safety of its fighters, their corners, its staff and commission officials is of the utmost priority. All participants will be tested prior to the event.

The updated Invicta FC 41 fight card can be found below:

Strawweight: Janaisa Morandin vs. Montserrat Ruiz
Flyweight: Erin Blanchfield vs. Brogan Sanchez
Featherweight: Kaitlin Young vs. Latoya Walker
Strawweight: Kelly D’Angelo vs. Itzel Esquivel
Flyweight: Caitlin Sammons vs. Claire Guthrie
Flyweight: Natalya Speece vs. Alexa Culp

About Invicta FC:
Invicta Fighting Championships (invictafc.com) is a world championship, all-pro mixed martial arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible match-ups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport. Follow Invicta on Twitter (@InvictaFights), Facebook (InvictaFights) and Instagram (@InvictaFC) for all the latest information.