Invicta FC featherweight champion Megan Anderson will return to defend her title in July against Helena “Pretty” Kolesnyk, the promotion announced today. The bout will serve as the main event of Invicta FC 24, taking place July 15 at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City. Additional bouts for the event are set to be announced soon.
Anderson (8-2) has been on a tear in the featherweight division dating back to early 2016, knocking out four straight opponents. Most recently, she finished Charmaine Tweet at Invicta FC 21 in January. That won her the Invicta FC interim featherweight championship, as the undisputed title had been held by Cris “Cyborg” Justino. However, Cyborg announced earlier this year that she was dropping the belt to turn her full attention to the UFC. After Cyborg vacated the title, Anderson became the undisputed Invicta FC featherweight champion.
Cyborg and Anderson have both been campaigning for a bout under the UFC banner of late. UFC Featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie recently announced that she was unwilling to fight Cyborg, and heading back down to bantamweight. However, it appears the UFC will be going in another direction, with Anderson having been booked by Invicta for July.
Kolesnyk (5-0, 1NC) will be making her Invicta FC debut against Anderson. The Ukrainian native has won all five of her professional fights outside of a No Contest back in March of 2016. A Muay Thai fighter, she captured bronze at the IFMA World Muay Thai Championships in 2015.
Invicta FC 24: Anderson vs Kolesnyk streams live on UFC Fight Pass. Tickets go on sale via Ticketfly.com June 3 at 10AM CT.
