IFC 56 Prelims

Fresh off one of the most successful events in Invicta Fighting Championships history, the phoenix is rising to a Mile High once more. The world’s premier combat sports organization for women touches down at the Stockyards Event Center in Denver on Friday, Aug. 9 with another star-studded lineup. In the night’s headliner, Brazilian Jennifer Maia (21-10-1) returns to the organization that launched her into stardom to take on her countrywoman, Mayra Cantuária (10-5-1). Maia, the former Invicta FC flyweight champion and UFC title challenger, will move up in weight for a non-title bantamweight clash, marking her seventh appearance in the Invicta cage. Cantuária aims to build on the momentum of her second-round submission win over Calie Cutler in her promotional debut at Invicta FC 52 last year. Invicta FC 56 will also feature the return of former strawweight titleholder Valesca “Tina Black” Machado (13-4), who welcomes Russia’s Yulia Ostroverkhova (9-2-1) to North America. Machado rebounde