Invicta FC has announced a partnership with CBS Sports Network, landing a new home for the women’s MMA promotion as they gear up for their return.
The trailblazing U.S. regional promotion is coming back with five events on the cable channel this year. The lineup gets Invicta FC back up and running after just a few shows in 2023 and more than six months without anything on the promotion’s schedule.
The deal moves Invicta FC away from AXS TV, the main broadcaster of the promotion since they were acquired by Anthem Sports & Entertainment in 2021. Just a little before the acquisition, Invicta FC had a lengthy deal on UFC’s Fight Pass online subscription service.
With the new agreement, Invicta FC plans to present five cards during the remainder of 2024. The partnership will begin on June 28 with a card from Kansas City, Kansas, headlined by a title fight between Talita Bernardo and Olga Rubin. Former UFC fighter Kay Hansen and 2021 PFL lightweight finalist Taylor Guardado are expected to appear lower on the card as well. Shows are also booked for August 9, November 6, December 13, and a date in September which has yet to be finalized.
Since its launch in 2012, Invicta FC has played a big part in women’s MMA on a regional level. The promotion gained prominence around the time that UFC started to host fights in women’s divisions, positioning them as an important stepping stone for fighters who wanted to get to a high level in the sport.
Invicta FC has been an important space that has launched talent onto the UFC roster. This includes former champs like Carla Esparza, Cris Cyborg, Jennifer Maia, Lauren Murphy, Tonya Evinger, and others.
The promotion has notably also kept an active atomweight class, a division rarely given a spotlight outside of promotions in Japan like RIZIN and DEEP Jewels. Some of the most prominent fighters to fight in the class – including Ayaka Hamasaki and Jinh Yu Frey – have competed in the promotion.
CBS Sports Network is no stranger to airing MMA. The channel briefly showed Bellator in late 2020 until the promotion moved to Showtime the following year. They have also previously aired events from CFFC and Combate Global.
