Christine Stanley Replaces Claudia Rey; Taila Santos Removed From Invicta FC 18
Kansas City, Mo. — The fight card for Invicta Fighting Championships 18 has undergone some last-minute changes.
Unbeaten Brazilian newcomers Claudia Rey (6-0) and Taila Santos (13-0) have been forced off the card. Both fighters were approved for visas, but could not obtain the physical documents required to arrive in time for fight week. Rey and Santos will be booked for the organization’s next show, currently targeted for September.
Replacing Rey against Poland’s Agnieszka Niedzwiedz (7-0) will be Invicta veteran Christine Stanley (5-1). Stanley has earned back-to-back wins inside the Invicta cage, most recently defeating Shannon Sinn at Invicta FC 17 in May.
Due to the timing of the change, a suitable replacement could not be found for Santos. As such, her bantamweight bout against Mexico’s Irene Aldana (6-2) has been pulled from the card. Aldana will also return to action on the next scheduled card in September.
The updated fight card for Invicta FC 18 can be found below:
Strawweight: Alexa Grasso (7-0) vs. Jodie Esquibel (5-1)
Flyweight: Agnieszka Niedzwiedz (7-0) vs. Christine Stanley (5-1)
Strawweight: MIZUKI (11-4) vs. Lynn Alvarez (6-3)
Bantamweight: Cindy Dandois (6-2) vs. Jessamyn Duke (3-4, 1 NC)
Featherweight: Megan Anderson (6-2) vs. Peggy Morgan (4-3)
Atomweight: Tessa Simpson (4-1) vs. Simona Soukupova (5-3-1)
Bantamweight: Aspen Ladd (3-0) vs. Jessica Hoy (1-0)
Bantamweight: Sijara Eubanks (1-1) vs. Amberlynn Orr (0-0)
Tickets for Invicta FC 18: Grasso vs. Esquibel, available for $100, $75, $50, $40, and $30, are on sale now at CageTix.com. The event streams live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
Follow Invicta on Twitter (@InvictaFights), Facebook (Facebook.com/InvictaFights), or Instagram (@InvictaFC) for all the latest details on the event.
About Invicta FC:
Invicta Fighting Championships 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.