Former UFC flyweight title challenger Jennifer Maia is set to move up to 135 pounds to face Maira Cantuaria at Invicta FC 56 on Aug. 9.
The all-women’s organization announced the main event on Tuesday: Invicta FC 56 will take place at the Stockyards Events Center in Denver, with former strawweight titleholder Valeska Machado facing off against Yulia Ostrobelkhova in the co-main event. The Invicta FC 56 main card will air on CBS Sports Network at 9pm ET/7pm Mountain Time, with prelims streaming on the Invicta Facebook page and YouTube channel at 8pm ET/6pm Mountain Time.
Five other bouts have been confirmed for the card: featherweight Riley Martinez vs. Kelly Jennifer Ottoni, flyweight Kate Bassick vs. Paula Cristina dos Santos Silva, atomweight Flor Hernandez vs. Ana Palacios, atomweight Aired Zubieta vs. Juliani Perea and featherweight Ali Pellegrini vs. Marissa Ellis.
Maia, a former Invicta flyweight queen, returns to the organization after a 6-6 record at UFC. The Brazilian has competed with the Las Vegas-based organization and lost a unanimous decision to Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title at UFC 255 in November 2020. The Chute Boxe representative, 35, last competed in a unanimous decision loss to Bibiane Araujo at UFC Fight Night 230 in October 2023.
Meanwhile, Canturia made her promotional debut in March 2023, ending a two-fight losing streak with a second-round submission win over Khali Cutler at Invicta FC 52. Canturia’s record also includes two bouts (one loss and one draw) against Amanda Lemos under the Jungle Fight banner in 2016. Flor Hernandez vs. Ana Palacios
