Invicta FC Heads to Denver on July 20 with Bantamweight Title Clash

DENVER — Invicta Fighting Championships is heading to the Mile High City.

The world’s leading combat sports promotion for women will make its debut in the Centennial State of Colorado on Wednesday, July 20, touching down at at Reelworks Denver with Invicta FC 48: Tennant vs. Rubin.

In the night’s headliner, Taneisha “Triple Threat” Tennant (4-1) will make the first defense of her bantamweight crown when she takes on former Bellator MMA No. 1 contender “Big Bad” Olga Rubin (7-2). Tennant established herself amongst the division’s elite by winning three fights in one night to capture the third Phoenix Tournament, before cementing herself as champion by defeating Lisa Verzosa at Invicta FC 44. The Russian-Israeli Rubin — who now trains in England — will make her first Invicta appearance riding the momentum of a victory over Brazil’s Priscila de Souza in her 135-pound debut.

The co-main event also takes place in the bantamweight division as former title challenger Katharina Lehner (7-3) of Germany welcomes UFC veteran Talita Bernardo (7-4) to the Invicta cage. Lehner will be competing under the Invicta banner for the fourth time. Brazil’s Bernardo recently scored a win over fellow Octagon alum Lucie Pudilová.

Also featured on the card will be a strawweight affair between the returning Mallory Martin (7-5) and newcomer Kyra “Mogwai” Batara (8-5). Denver’s Martin will fight in her own backyard following a four-fight stint with the UFC. Nevada’s Batara brings a wealth of experience to the promotion, having faced Invicta veterans Kanako Murata, Paulina Granados and Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc.

Rounding out the event, Liana “Li” Pirosin (7-4) and Kristina “Warhorse” Williams (5-3) look to continue their ascension up the flyweight ladder, strawweight boxing veteran Melissa “Bella Bestia” Oddessa Parker (3-1) collides with Dutch kickboxing sensation Isis “Fight Queen” Verbeek (3-1), Amber “Touch ‘Em Up” Leibrock returns to the promotion for the first time since 2016 to meet PFL veteran “Mad Dog” Morgan Frier (4-3) at featherweight, and Auttumn “The Natural” Norton (1-1) takes on Canadian debutant “Sweet” Maria Djukic (2-0) in a bantamweight match-up.

The event will be overseen by the Colorado Combative Sports Commission and will feature open scoring. Invicta FC 48 will mark the return of live action on AXS TV — as well as digital platforms — kicking off at 9 p.m. ET/7 p.m. MT. Tickets to the event will go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. MT through Eventbrite.

The current fight card can be found below:

Bantamweight Title: Taneisha Tennant vs. Olga Rubin
Bantamweight: Katharina Lehner vs. Talita Bernardo
Strawweight: Mallory Martin vs. Kyra Batara
Flyweight: Liana Pirosin vs. Kristina Williams
Strawweight: Melissa Oddessa Parker vs. Isis Verbeek
Featherweight: Amber Leibrock vs. Morgan Frier
Bantamweight: Auttumn Norton vs. Maria Djukic

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.

About Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc.
Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc. is a global multi-platform media company with offices and studios in Los Angeles, Denver, Nashville, New York, Kansas City, Cleveland and Toronto. Anthem’s portfolio includes AXS TV, a leading music, entertainment and lifestyle television channel and digital media company; global film distribution company Gravitas Ventures; Fight Network, the world’s premier combat sports channel; IMPACT Wrestling, one of the world’s leading wrestling organizations specializing in original programming and live events; Invicta Fighting Championships, the world’s premier all-women mixed martial arts promotion;  Game+, the leader in Esports and gaming content; GameTV, the home of game shows and competition-based reality series; and HDNet Movies, which features theatrically released films and documentaries. Anthem also has a significant ownership interest in Pursuit Channel, one of the top outdoor channels in the U.S.