Cris “Cyborg” and Marloes Coenen are destined to have fight this summer. Photo by Josh Hedges/Forza LLC/Forza LLC via Getty Images

Cris “Cyborg” Santos and Marloes Coenen will headline Invicta FC 6 on July 13, according to a press release received on Thursday.

The event will be televised on cable and satellite Pay-Per-View from the Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City, Mo.

“We are excited about bringing the Invicta FC brand of women’s world championship mixed martial arts to television for the first time with this tremendous rematch between two of the world’s top women fighters,” Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp said in the release. “This is yet another step forward for women’s MMA and we are extremely proud to be leading the charge.”

Cyborg, considered by many to be one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in women’s MMA, and Coenen will fight in a three-round rematch for the inaugural Invicta FC world featherweight title. Cyborg won their first meeting in January 2010, a fight that ended on a technical knockout in the final round. Both fighters are former Strikeforce champions.

Invicta FC 6, according to the release, will be distributed in  North America by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT via iN Demand, DISH,  Avail-TVN in the United States and Bell TV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of $14.95.

The co-main event for the card pairs undefeated strawweights sporting identical 9-0 records with Japanese fighter Ayaka Hamasaki and Brazilian Claudia Gadelha.

Ask UFC women’s champ Ronda Rousey what she thinks of this video, and she’ll likely say it’s one of the best things she’s seen this week. This is based off the fact that she has it on replay.

Now it’s your turn. Tell us what you think of this video montage posted on YouTube by Cynthia Vance.

Photo credit: Sherdog.com

With the UFC’s women’s division starting to pick up speed, Olympic medalist Sara McMann will face Sheila Gaff at UFC 159, GRACIEMAG.com learned on Friday afternoon.

Sources close to the fighters confirmed that McMann and Gaff have agreed to the bout, which will take place in Newark, N.J. on April 27.

McMann (6-0) transitioned to MMA in 2011 following successful career as a wrestler that included a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. She’s kept a perfect record since the move to MMA, most recently earning a decision-win at Invicta FC 2 over Shayna Baszler.

Gaff (10-4) makes her American debut in the pending match-up. She was last seen knocking out Jennifer Maia in the CFCW promotion to earn her third consecutive win.

UFC 159 will be the UFC debut for both fighters.

Women’s MMA had their first fight in UFC last weekend when women’s champion Ronda Rousey defeated Liz Carmouche in the main event at UFC 157 in Anaheim, Calif. A second UFC women’s bout between Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano is scheduled to take place at the TUF 17 Finale on April 13.

News of the match-up was first reported by GroundandPound.de.

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Sara McMann (pictured) and Alexis Davis are the two newest female faces in the octagon. (Photo via www.saramcmann.com)

Olympic medalist Sara McMann and Alexis Davis are the two newest female faces in the UFC, a company official said on a conference call on Tuesday.

McMann and Davis are the fifth and sixth female fighters announced as added to the UFC roster following Ronda Rousey, Liz Carmouche, Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano.

McMann (6-0) made her name known by winning the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games in freestyle wrestling. She transitioned to MMA in 2010 as an amateur, turning pro a year later.

McMann was most recently seen winning a unanimous decision over Shayna Baszler at Invicta FC 2 in July. The win kept her undefeated record intact, with other victories coming in the ProElite and Titan Fighting Championships promotions among others.

Davis (13-5) is a Canadian fighter with roots that extend from the Cesar Gracie Fight Team. She, like McMann, most recently defeated Baszler in her last outing, a rear-naked choke at Invicta FC 4 last month.

McMann’s addition to the UFC’s growing female roster means one-third of it has Olympic experience with Rousey having won bronze in 2008’s Beijing games.

The first women’s UFC fight will take place on Feb. 23 at UFC 157 in Anaheim, Calif. at the Honda Center when Rousey defends her title against Carmouche. The second women’s UFC bout will be at the Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale on April 13 when Tate battles Zingano.

No announcements were made regarding McMann’s and Davis’ first UFC fights.

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Invicta FC 115-pound fighter Carla Esparza says she was a little girl that went from the competitive mats of wrestling to the fierce cages of mixed martial arts. She fights at Invicta FC 4 on Jan. 5, but took some time to sit with GRACIEMAG.com for you to get to know her.

Check out the exclusive video we shot with the fighter, and hear what she has to say about where she comes from and where she wants to go.

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Ronda Rousey stands with UFC president Dana White after being announced as the first UFC women’s champi

Ronda Rousey is the first UFC women’s champion and she will defend her title against Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 in Anaheim, Calif., UFC president Dana White announced on Thursday.

The fight will be the main event for the card, which is scheduled for Feb. 23 at the Honda Center.

“I have a lot of respect for Liz,” Rousey said at the UFC on FOX press conference about her pending opponent. “She was the only one who stepped up and said she wanted this fight right now.

“When the other girls come … to the big show, they know where I’m at.”

Rousey, the former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion, has been one of the more popular fighters in 2012 for her streak of armbar finishes and outgoing personality in the press. Her place as the first female fighter in the UFC stands as a landmark for both the company and women’s sports, alike.

Carmouche, a veteran of both the Strikeforce and Invicta FC MMA promotions, has won two consecutive fights. Most recently, she finished Kaitlin Young by rear-naked choke in the second round at Invicta FC 2 in July.

Recent speculation showed Rousey would make her UFC debut against another former Strikeforce champ, Cris “Cyborg” Santos. However, roadblocks like doctors saying Cyborg couldn’t make 135 pounds got in the way of making the fight happen.

When asked if she’s disappointed that the Cyborg fight isn’t her first UFC bout, Rousey said she’s anticipating it.

“It’s going to happen, eventually,” she said.

White added that if Rousey gets by Carmouche, he’s confident the Rousey-Cyborg bout will be next for the women’s champion.

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The bout will be featured on the event’s main card.

Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp expressed her excitement about the fight, which pits a heavy-handed striker in Smith against a submission specialist in Pennington.

“Leslie and Raquel have both proven to be ferocious and determined competitors in the Invicta FC cage, so we are excited to be able to match them up against each other and create what should be a barnburner of a fight,” Knapp said in the release.

Smith (4-2-1), a product of the Cesar Gracie Academy, last saw action at Invicta FC 3 in October, where she scored a technical knockout over Kaitlin Young in the second round of their match-up. The bout was a rematch from the company’s inaugural event in April that ended in a draw. Three of Smith’s four wins have come by way of TKO.

Pennington (3-2-1) is looking to get back on the winning side of things after falling to Cat Zigano by rear-naked choke at Invicta FC 3. Prior to the loss, however, she was the winner of two consecutive fights, one of which was a first-round finish of Raquel Pa’aluhi by guillotine choke. Pennington has been very active in competition, fighting five times since turning pro nine months ago.

Invicta FC 4 is headlined by the company’s first-ever world strawweight title fight between Claudia Gadelha (9-0) of Brazil and Carla Esparza (8-2) of Southern California.

Here is the full lineup for the card:

• Claudia Gadelha (9-0) vs. Carla Esparza (8-2)
• Amanda Nunes (7-2) vs. Sarah D’Alelio (6-3)
• Hiroko Yamanaka (12-2) vs. Ediane Gomes (8-2)
• Leslie Smith (4-2-1) vs. Raquel Pennington (3-2-1)
• Shayna Baszler (15-7) vs. Alexis Davis (12-5)
• Joanne Calderwood (4-0) vs. Bec Hyatt (4-1)
• Veronica Rothenhausler (0-0) vs. Katalina Malungahu (2-1)
• Stephanie Frausto (4-4) vs. Cassie Rodish (3-3)
• Tamikka Brents (1-0) vs. Amanda Bell (0-0)
• Jodie Esquibel (2-0) vs. Liz McCarthy (1-0)
• Emily Kagan (2-0) vs. Rose Namajunas (0-0)
• Paige Van Zant (2-0) vs. Tecia Torres (1-0)

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