UFC Fight Pass will be a busy place once again this weekend, as the digital platform will be showing UFC 201 prelims, and there is a Shooto Brazil card airing on Sunday. Kicking the whole weekend off however, is Invicta FC 18 on Friday night. In a rare occurrence for Invicta, the event doesn’t feature a single title fight, but there are plenty of bouts that could have ramifications on the title pictures in several divisions. The main event features one of Invicta’s rising stars, Alexa Grasso taking on Jodie Esquibel in a strawweight main event. The 22-year-old Grasso remains unbeaten in her MMA career, posting a 3-0 mark under the Invicta banner. In her last outing, she won one of the better bouts of 2015 against Mizuki Inoue. However, that bout took place in February 2015, and injuries have slowed her since then. She was forced out of matchups with Livia Renata Souza and Stephanie Eggink over the past year. Esquibel has gone 3-1 in Invicta, with her only loss coming to UFC veteran Alex Chambers. She will be moving up from 105 to 115 for this fight, which may be difficult for her as a wrestler now facing larger competition, but coming out of the Jackson Wink camp, she will undoubtedly be well prepared. Grasso’s compatriot Irene Aldana was supposed to compete in the co-main event, but her opponent had visa issues and the fight was cancelled. Instead, undefeated Polish fighter Agnieszka Niedzwiedz will be stepping into the second slot on the card. The 21-year-old is already 9-0 in her MMA career, and hasn’t competed since the day of her 19th birthday. Her opponent will be stepping in on short notice, as original opponent Claudia Rey was unable to obtain a visa. Now, Christine Stanley will be taking on the young Polish fighter. Other notable fights on the card include Mizuki Inoue vs. Lynn Alvarez, Cindy Dandois vs. Jessamyn Duke, and Megan Anderson vs. Peggy Morgan. MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened the betting odds for the top five fights of Invicta FC 18 today at Several Bookmakers. Check them out: ——————– MAIN CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 8pm ET) Alexa Grasso -405 Jodie Esquibel +285 Agnieszka Niedzwiedz -190 Christine Stanley +150 Mizuki Inoue -405 Lynn Alvarez +285 Cindy Dandois -210 Jessamyn Duke +160 Megan Anderson -300 Peggy Morgan +220 ——————– Brad’s Analysis: Jodie Esquibel is really going to struggle with the size disadvantage she’ll be at against Alexa Grasso, and I think that will allow the fight to stay standing where the young Mexican has a big advantage. Esquibel is a solid wrestler who has some decent hands to go along with it, which should allow her to land some shots, and with Grasso’s layoff there could be an opening early on, but once Grasso settles into her rhythm, she should take the fight over. Niedzwiedz is one of many fighters on this card who is coming off of a massive layoff, and that’s a concern especially since she had a child during her break from the sport. Stylistically, she has good judo and a solid submission game, but that layoff is a huge concern. She’s young enough that hopefully she’s made some improvements in her striking during her time away, but if she hasn’t Christine Stanley is the type of fighter who can make her life extremely difficult with her aggressive striking. If Niedzwiedz gets bet up much further than this, I may take a shot on the dog because of the circumstances. Lynn Alvarez is the next fighter on this card with a two-year layoff, and she’s already got a tough matchup to begin with. Mizuki Inoue is the better submission grappler in this bout, and pushes forward enough on the feet that Alvarez won’t be able to keep a consistent range, which is the one place she might have an advantage here. Even Inoue taking this bout on short notice won’t have much impact, as she’s always had solid cardio, and I expect Alvarez’ layoff to be the bigger factor in that department. All signs point towards another youngster picking up a win here. It’s tough to bet on either Jessamyn Duke or Peggy Morgan at this point in their careers, and that’s the case here as well. Duke has the better shot of the two to win her bout, as Cindy Dandois offers almost nothing in the striking department, so Duke doesn’t have to worry about walking straight back into the cage and blocking punches with her face. Still, Dandois can probably do solid work from top control against Duke, who likes to hang around and play guard more than she should. As for Morgan, everything she relies on is something that Megan Anderson does better, and I see this being an absolute wipeout. Morgan is another fighter who doesn’t deal well with pressure, and once Anderson discovers that she can use her reach more effectively in this fight, she should start to pile up the pressure and probably score a TKO.
