Invicta FC 43 has just had a phenomenal main event booked to determine the promotion’s next Flyweight World Champion after Vanessa Porto recently vacated her title to join Bellator. The two women competing for the vacant title in the headline match of their 20th November event are EBI 12 Flyweight champion Erin Blanchfield and 10th Planet’s Combat Jiu-Jitsu and UFC veteran, Pearl Gonzalez. The news was originally announced on Instagram by Blanchfield herself but was quickly confirmed by MMA Fighting.
Blanchfield won her EBI title at the young age of 18 and made her name as a phenomenal no gi grappler straight away, before moving on to start her MMA career less than a year later. She is a BJJ purple belt under Karel “The Silver Fox” Pravec, one of Renzo Gracie’s first students in the USA and is a NAGA World Champion who has plenty of experience competing in the Masters and Seniors divisions in recent years. She no doubt comes into Invicta FC 43 as the favorite after an impressive 6-1 MMA record that includes 4 victories for the all-female promotion.
That does not mean that she’ll have an easy time against Pearl Gonzalez however, as she certainly has a significant advantage in experience. Gonzalez is also a purple belt courtesy of 10th Planet San Diego but she’s had fifteen professional MMA fights over the last 10 years, including a two-fight stint in the UFC that she unfortunately lost both of. She actually fought for the same Invicta Flyweight Championship a little over a year ago in a losing effort against Vanessa Porto and will no doubt be eager to make good use of her second chance at glory.
The full event will be streamed live on 20th November on UFC FightPass, click here to subscribe and watch.