Invicta FC 20: Evinger vs Kunitskaya preview and weigh-in video

This Friday, Invicta returns to Kansas City’s Scottish Rite Temple for Invicta FC 20, headlined by controversial champion Tonya Evinger (18-5) taking on Russian challenger Yana Kunitskaya (9-2).

This event will have two title fights on the line, with Evinger defending her bantamweight title in the main event. The outspoken veteran has been on a tear, currently riding a nine-fight win streak that includes victories over Carina Damm, Ediane Gomes, Irene Aldana and Colleen Schneider. Seven of those victories were finishes, including the surprisingly dominant win over rising prospect Irene Aldana, which saw Evinger bring her entire game together seamlessly. Evinger’s boxing and wrestling skills have come together beautifully, and her submission game appears to be better than ever.

On the other hand, Kunitskaya has more of a kickboxing background and implements karate kicks in her arsenal more than actual boxing. Kunitskaya seems fond of body kicks in particular, and relies heavily on athleticism and takedown defense. She holds a win over Cindy Dandois in 2010 and lost to former Invicta talent Maria Hourgaard Djursaa. Her recent opposition are not notable names. To be frank, some of her opponents are questionable with 0-1 and 0-2 records, but Kunitskaya is still a tough customer that can make this a tough fight.

The co-main event features former Ultimate Fighter contestant and former UFC fighter Angela Hill (5-2) against Kaline Medeiros. (8-4). Hill did not find success in her UFC run, but has been an absolute blast to watch as of late. Hill may very well be the most improved fighter in a very short period of time that this sport has seen in recent memory. Aside from shoring up her ground game, Hill’s work at Alliance has made her striking defense better and created opportunities to crack opponents like Alida Grey and seriously hurt former title contender Stephanie Eggink.

Medeiros is a fighter that has mostly bounced around in the northeast regional scene before having fights in Legacy and Bellator prior to landing in Invicta. Her quirky standup style leads to opportunities for takedowns, which works well with her wily ground striking and positional control. Despite some early setbacks in her career, Medeiros has five consecutive wins. She has losses to former TUF contestants Chelsea Bailey and Peggy Morgan (both by decision), and wins over veteran Brigitte Narcisse, Sarah Payant and the aforementioned Stephanie Eggink.

This card also features former atomweight champion Herica Tiburcio taking on Simona Soukupova, former TUF contestant Ashley Yoder taking on former atomweight title challenger Amber Brown (who is moving up to strawweight), longtime veteran Lynn Alvarez fighting surging prospect JJ Aldrich, and the return of Aussie talent Jessy Rose-Clark.

Weigh-ins are in the books, and here’s the video below:

Invicta FC 20: Evinger vs Kunitskaya takes place this Friday night from the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, MO and will be transmitted live via UFC Fight Pass starting at 8:00pm EST.