Invicta 11’s all-women MMA card hits Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium tonight, and the highly anticipated main event features Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino taking on the challenge of Charmaine Tweet. Right now the lines see Justino a huge (-1425) favorite over Tweet, who returns at (+675). There is no over/under set for this or any of the three other bouts being offered at the books.
Justino must win and she must win big because if she is going to pick up any momentum for a match with Ronda Rousey or even for a UFC stint, she needs to do something memorable. It has been six years since she beat Gina Carano, and she has fought just five times since. She is (4-0) in those five fights, having another win overturned due to a PED positive.
She has gotten divorced, lost in kickboxing and overall has mismanaged the prime of her career epically. The build up to this fight has not been any better, as she cancelled a planned December debut at 135 lbs and appears to have returned to Featherweight. At the sportbooks, the bets will be long paid, but Cyborg has long been linked to PED use and the positive test a few years back did not help the stigma. Even an explosive win that could help build some hype her way could be wasted if she teted positive again. This one will remain interesting long after the results are in from the cage.
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Strawweights:
Mizuki Inoue (-100)
Alexa Grasso (-140)
Notes: A battle of two young proteges, as Inoue is 20 and Grasso is 21 years old. Grasso has gone 6-0 in her career, while Inoue has stumbled a bit lately, going 1-2 in her last three fights. Nevertheless, the fight has the makings of a barnburner.
Flyweights:
Norma Rueda Center (+325)
DeAnna Bennett (-475)
Notes: Bennett has the up and coming label firmly on her shoulders, as she is 6-0 and coming off a win at Invicta 10 in December. Center is a late replacement for Lynn Alvarez, but she is a talented late replacement who could surprise if given the chance.
Bantamweights:
Colleen Schneider (+225)
Irene Aldana (-305)
Note: Schneider has won five of her last six fights and is trying to keep that momentum going, however Aldana is from Mexico and comes with a lot of hype from that fight-rich country.
