Invicta 13 Preview and Predictions

International Fight Week is set to be chock-full of fights and combat sports, so you will have to set a lot of time aside to watch them all. Between UFC, Lion Fights and grappling matches, there is no shortage of content.

Also on tap on July 9 is Invicta 13, a seven-fight card with three title fights and some top contenders in their divisions. The card is topped by Cris "Cyborg" Justino and features names such as Tonya Evinger, Herica Tiburcio and Marina Shafir.

With that, let's take a look at the seven-fight card and make some predictions on the all-women's card live from Las Vegas.

Non-Title Fights

Pannie Kianzad vs. Jessy Rose-Clark

Two Invicta newcomers meet at 135 pounds, as Cage Warriors bantamweight champion Pannie Kianzad squares off with top Australian prospect Jessy Rose-Clark. In terms of a matchup, Kianzad looks to be the stronger fighter, seeing as she is a great boxer with good top-game grappling ability. Clark is solid in her own right, but she is running into one of the best 135ers who are not in the UFC.

Kianzad def. Rose-Clark via decision

Amber Brown vs. Catherine Costigan

Undefeated Irish prospect Catherine Costigan looks to impress in what will likely be a pro-Ireland crowd in Las Vegas when she meets up with atomweight contender Amber Brown. Costigan prefers to strike more, which is fine for Brown, as she likes to brawl in her own right. However, Brown looks to be the better grappler, which is more important in this bout. Brown takes the victory here and potentially a shot at the Invicta title. 

Brown def. Costigan via decision

Amy Montenegro vs. Jamie Moyle

Two of the best strawweights on the Invicta roster look to inch closer toward the title picture, as undefeated Jamie Moyle looks to make it three straight wins as a pro when she fights the more seasoned Amy Montenegro.

Montenegro is one of the most underrated strawweights in women's MMA right now, as she is 6-1 and still struggling to gain recognition. However, she runs into a great, well-rounded buzz saw in Moyle, whose striking and grappling both look to be impressive for such a young fighter. Moyle outstrikes the aggressive Montenegro, perhaps pulling a late stoppage or decision in her favor.

Moyle def. Montenegro via decision

Marina Shafir vs. Amber Leibrock

A highly sought-after prospect and running mate of Ronda Rousey makes her Invicta debut, as Marina Shafir takes on debuting pro Amber Leibrock. She cut her teeth in the Tuff-N-Uff organization as an amateur, where she went 2-1 against lower-level competition. This is a big step up for her, as the high-level judoka in Shafir is not only a voracious grappler but trains with some key names in WMMA.

Leibrock is supposed to be the sacrificial lamb here, and while she may surprise some fans with her skills, Shafir will score a victory with her signature armbar.

Shafir def. Leibrock via submission

Herica Tiburcio vs. Ayaka Hamasaki

The first of three title fights will be at 105 pounds, as Invicta atomweight champion Herica Tiburcio of Brazil takes on Ayaka Hamasaki of Japan. 

At 4'11", Tiburcio is probably never going to be the biggest fighter in the cage, but she has a low center of gravity and great leverage. That allows her to get clinches and takedowns, where she can get to the ground and overwhelm opponents, as she does in most fights.

She is in the midst of a four-fight winning streak, including three dominant performances in Brazil. In her most recent outing, she took the Invicta belt from Michelle Waterson via submission, an outing that really put Tiburcio in the spotlight.

Hamasaki is also a grappler, though she can get drawn into firefights on the feet. If she is to engage in a grappling match with Tiburcio, she needs to gain top position, as it's tough to deal with the Brazilian when she is on top.

Since dropping to 105 pounds, Hamasaki has yet to lose. She earned a knockout over Naho Sugiyama before scoring a decision over Mei Yamaguchi, which led her into this title bout.

This is going to be a mat war. Both are far more comfortable in the grappling department as opposed to striking, but the spark plug that is Tiburcio will prevail.

Prediction: Tiburcio def. Hamasaki via decision

Tonya Evinger vs. Irene Aldana

In the co-main event and second title bout of the evening, American Tonya Evinger and Mexican Irene Aldana will compete for the vacant Invicta Bantamweight Championship.

Evinger is a wrestler who has been around the MMA game for a long time. She likes to use her hands to set up takedowns, which she achieves with high success. There, she uses her underrated submission game and ground-and-pound to search for the finish.

Since a failed stint to make The Ultimate Fighter 18, Evinger has been on a tear and has looked vastly improved. She has gone 3-0 en route to this title fight, besting Sarah D'Alelio, Ediane Gomes and Cindy Dandois.

Then there's Aldana, a tall, lanky striker with great power in her hands and killer instinct in the cage. She is able to hurt her opponents standing up and finish them off before they recover, either striking them to unconsciousness or submitting them in their daze.

After a loss to UFC employee Larissa Pacheco in Jungle Fights, Aldana came to Invicta and began to wreak havoc. She beat up Peggy Morgan and choked her out before she did the same to Colleen Schneider in her most recent bout.

Aldana's biggest disadvantage is her counterwrestling, which will be her undoing against Evinger. The American shoots effectively on command, and she should ground Aldana before tapping her out for the belt.

Prediction: Evinger def. Aldana via submission

Cris 'Cyborg' Justino vs. Faith Van Duin

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

The headliner will see an Invicta Featherweight Championship defense, as one of the all-time greats in Cris "Cyborg" Justino looks for yet another defense of her belt when she meets New Zealand's Faith Van Duin.

Cyborg is one of the best, if not the best, woman in the history of female mixed martial arts. She is a violent buzz saw with seemingly no weaknesses, as she has deadly striking, horrifying clinch and good ground work as well.

Since returning from her suspension at the end of Strikeforce's run, Cyborg has gone 3-0, all with Invicta. She has earned three knockout stoppages over Fiona Muxlow, Marloes Coenen and Charmaine Tweet, the latter of whom succumbed to knockout in less than a minute.

The challenger, Van Duin, is more of a grappler with a great submission base. She has to achieve that by clinching and scoring takedowns, which will be tough against a physical specimen like Cyborg.

After a 4-1 run down in New Zealand and Australia, Van Duin earned her title shot by choking out Amanda Bell in her Invicta debut. However, a previous knockout loss to Arlene Blencowe makes it hard to imagine a scenario in which she doesn't lose via knockout.

This will not be competitive. No woman at 145 pounds can compete with Justino, not even second-ranked Coenen in two attempts. This will be quick for Van Duin, but it won't be painless.

Prediction: Justino def. Van Duin via KO