UFC Vet Jennifer Maia Moves to Bantamweight, Meets Mayra Cantuaria at Invicta FC 56

Former UFC flyweight title challenger Jennifer Maia will move up to 135 pounds for a showdown against Mayra Cantuaria at Invicta FC 56 on Aug. 9.

The all-women’s promotion announced the headlining bout on Tuesday. Invicta FC 56 takes place at the Stockyards Event Center in Denver and will also see former strawweight title holder Valesca Machado face Yulia Ostroverkhova in the co-main event. The Invicta FC 56 main card will air on CBS Sports Network at 9 p.m. ET/7 p.m. MT, while prelims stream on the Invicta Facebook page and YouTube channel at 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MT.

Five other bouts were confirmed for the card: Riley Martinez vs. Kelly Jennifer Ottoni at featherweight; Kate Bacik vs. Paula Cristina dos Santos Silva at flyweight; Flor Hernandez vs. Ana Palacios at atomweight; Ailed Zubieta vs. Giulliany Perea at atomweight and Ali Pellegrini vs. Marissa Ellis at featherweight.

A former Invicta flyweight queen, Maia returns to the organization following a 6-6 stint in the UFC. The Brazilian’s tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion included a unanimous decision loss to Valentina Shevchenko in a flyweight title bout at UFC 255 in November 2020. The 35-year-old Chute Boxe representative last competed at UFC Fight Night 230 in October 2023, when she dropped a unanimous verdict against Viviane Araujo.

Canturia, meanwhile, made her promotional debut in March 2023, snapping a two-fight skid with a second-round submission of Calie Cutler at Invicta FC 52. Canturia’s record notably includes two bouts — a loss and a draw — against Amanda Lemos under the Jungle Fight banner in 2016.Flor Hernandez vs Ana Palacios Ashley Barrett vs Amber Medina Ashley Barrett vs Tatiana Salazar