Esther Lin-Invicta FC
One fight after making her Invicta FC debut, Michelle Waterson will get a chance to be one of the faces of the organization as she faces Jessica Penne for the Invicta FC Atomweight championship.
Waterson, known to fans as the “Karate Hottie,” will square off against at Invicta FC 5 on April 6. Although she only has one victory – a split-decision victory over Lacey Shchuckman back in October 2013 - with the promotion, Waterson has the skills to give Penne a run for her money.
Both Penne and Waterson have six submission victories, which could lead to an exciting battle on the canvas. On paper, Waterson could have the striking advantage due to her background in Karate, Muay Thai and Wushu. She also trains with Greg Jackson, which gives her several top coaches and fighters to help her prepare for this main event match.
Waterson has been finished twice in her career, while Penne’s only loss was a decision against Bellator 115-pound Women’s Champion Zolia Gurgel, which could give the champion an advantage in terms of endurance. Other than Waterson’s losses, their experience is about the same.
One factor that will be tested in this fight is conditioning, as neither Waterson nor Penne have gone past three rounds in a fight – although Penne was able to make short work of Naho Sugiyama in their title fight at Invicta FC 3.
Although each fighter has one or two slight advantages over the other, I predict that this fight will be a five-round slug-fest. If Waterson can maintain her striking and defend against Penne’s takedowns, she will become the next Invicta FC champion.
Who do you think will win this fight? Answer with a question below or send a tweet to @alstover with the hashtag #RantMMA.
