Sarah Kaufman Withdraws From Invicta FC 3; Kaitlin Young Now Meets Leslie Smith on Oct. 6

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An injury has forced former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Sarah Kaufman to withdraw from her Invicta FC 3 bout with Kaitlin Young, the promotion announced in a Monday release.

“First fight I’ve ever had to pull out of, so I’m [to] sorry Kaitlin Young, Invicta and all my fans,” Kaufman posted on Twitter. “Wanting to get back ASAP!”

Kaufman recently came up short in her bid to reclaim the Strikeforce belt, falling victim to a Ronda Rousey armbar in 54 seconds on Aug. 18. It was just the second defeat in 17 career outings for the Canadian, who had previously won three straight fights, including Strikeforce triumphs against Liz Carmouche and Alexis Davis.

Young will now face Pleasant, Hill, Calif., native Leslie Smith in a rematch of their Invicta FC 1 clash, a bout which resulted in a split draw. The promotion also announced that Raquel Pennington will take Smith’s place on the card against Kim Connor-Hamby. Invicta FC 3 goes down at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan., on Oct. 6 and features a 105-pound main event pitting Jessica Penne against Naho Sugiyama.

Young, a Minnesota Martial Arts Academy product, came up short in her last Invicta outing, when she submitted to a rear-naked choke from Carmouche in July. Young owns six of her seven professional victories by way of knockout or technical knockout, including a 30-second head-kick KO of Miesha Tate in 2007.

A one-time Bellator Fighting Championships competitor, Smith hasn’t fought since her showdown with Young in April. “The Peacmaker” competed once in 2011, falling to Ediane Gomes via unanimous decision last October.