Invicta 48 Sees Pair of Fighters Drop Off Card, Replacements Announced

Valesca Machado
Valesca Machado Credit: Youtube

July 20’s Invicta FC 48 in Denver, Colorado has been hit with a couple of withdrawals.

A rare roadshow for the all-female fighting promotion, the Denver date had originally featured German Invicta and Bellator MMA vet Katharina Lehner taking on UFC alum Talita Bernardo in its co-main event. However, with Lehner forced to withdraw, newcomer Yana “Naná” Gadelha (7-4) will take on fellow Brazilian Bernardo (7-4).

Bernardo went 1-3 with the UFC from 2017 to 2019; her lone win in that stretch came against Sarah Moras at UFC Moncton. After two years on the sidelines, Bernardo returned to action last July, picking up a win over fellow UFC vet Lucie Padilova under the Oktagon MMA banner.

Gadelha enters the fight off a loss in her last outing, but had put together a three-fight win streak prior to that.

Also falling off the Invicta FC 48 card is UFC veteran Mallory Martin. Martin, who had been paired up with Combate alum Kyra Batara (8-5), will be replaced by Dana White’s Contender Series alum Valesca “Tina Black” Machado (9-3, 1NC). Machado dropped a decision to Piera Rodriguez on the Contender Series last October, but bounced back with a win on the regional circuit this past February.

Promotion officials recently announced the new match-ups via press release.

Invicta FC 48 goes down at ReelWorks Denver on July 20, 2022 airing on AXS TV in the U.S. and on Fight Network in Canada, as well as on the promotion’s official Youtube channel and Facebook Page. The following fights have been announced for the card:

  • Taneisha Tennant (c) vs. Olga Rubin – for the Invicta FC bantamweight championship
  • Talita Bernardo vs. Yana Gadelha
  • Kyra Batara vs. Valesca Machado
  • Liana Pirosin vs. Kristina Williams
  • Melissa Oddessa Parker vs. Isis Verbeek
  • Amber Leibrock vs. Morgan Frier
  • Auttumn Norton vs. Maria Djukic