From Press Release:
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced today that the Invicta FC women’s mixed martial arts organization has assigned the contracts of 11 women’s strawweight (115 pounds) competitors to the UFC. Terms of the assignment were not disclosed.
The 11 fighters are: Carla Esparza, Claudia Gadelha, Felice Herrig, Joanne Calderwood, Tecia Torres, Rose Namajunas, Bec Hyatt, Emily Kagan, Alex Chambers, Julianna Lima, and Paige Van Zant.
In May, these 11 competitors will report to Las Vegas and participate on season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter® in the first-ever all-women’s edition of the show. And for the first time ever, The Ultimate Fighter® will crown a UFC champion, as the winner of season 20 will become the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight champion.
Coaches for the show have not yet been determined. An additional five fighters will be selected for The Ultimate Fighter via a tryout set to be held in 2014.
“The women’s 135-pound division in the UFC has been amazing and we know there are a ton of talented women’s mixed martial artists out there,” UFC president Dana White said. “Now, you’ll see even more great women’s bouts in the UFC with the addition of the 115-pound division. We’re excited to crown the first-ever UFC women’s strawweight champion in 2014 after a historic season of The Ultimate Fighter.”
I’m sure it’s an exciting time for all 11 of these female fighters as the UFC is THE major league of all things MMA. They certainly added some quality fighters, and these fighters will also help the UFC fill out the 40-50 events they have planned for 2014.
We are happy for the opportunity that the athletes have in front of them and will continue to support them on this amazing journey!
— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) December 12, 2013
It seems as though Invicta is happy for these athletes and the promotion certainly played a huge role in getting these fighters the respective exposure they needed to reach the UFC. The interesting thing will be where Invicta FC goes from here? Could this be foreshadowing of things to come with their other divisions? The Invicta Twitter account stated the following:
Invicta will continue to provide a platform for female mixed martial artists in our five weight classes. We are around for the long haul!
— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) December 12, 2013
Stay tuned to ProMMAnow.com for more women’s MMA news and coverage.