It’s a big weekend of sports this last week of October, but it’s a light weekend on the docket for MMA. While the sports world at-large has its eyes peeled toward the start of this year’s World Series, college football, and the continuation of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the eyes of the MMA world are squarely on Boston.
The aptly-named Beantown plays host to a history-making night for women’s promotion Invicta FC this Friday night. Invicta FC 54 (8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT, YouTube and AXS TV) marks the first event from the organization to be held on the East Coast of the United States.
All told, absent of any postponed fights in the final days leading up to fight night, Friday’s card is currently expected to feature a six-fight itinerary from the Citizens House of Blues. Two strawweight fights are at the top of the show, including a title bout in the Invicta FC 54 main event.
Strawweight Supremacy on the Line Friday in Boston
Incumbent Invicta FC Strawweight Champion Danni McCormack (7-2 MMA, 2-0 Invicta FC) defends the 115-lb. strap for the first time when she meets challenger Karolina Wojcik (11-3 MMA, 2-1 Invicta FC). As with all championship fights, the Invicta FC 54 main event is an advertised five rounds at five minutes per round to close out the show.
These two fighters have some prior history with each other. Back in March of 2017 when both were amateurs, Wojcik bested McCormack by unanimous decision.
With no UFC or any of the โBig 4โ promotions this weekend, the return of Invicta FC ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ฒ shines bright! ๐ฅ
๐ Known for nurturing future stars, #InvictaFC54 spotlights the next generation of WMMA standouts. Tune in live on YouTube from 8 pm ET. #WMMA #InvictaFC pic.twitter.com/Lrx61hJm4N
— Women's MMA Rankings (@WMMARankings) October 23, 2023
Invicta FC 54 Main Event Fighter Comparison
Heading into the Invicta FC 54 main event on Friday night, champion Danni McCormack stands as the taller combatant at 5-foot-4, compared to the 5-foot-2 frame of Karolina Wojcik. Both fighters stand level in reach at 61 1/2 inches.
McCormack Ready to Defend Title
Champion Danni McCormack, an alumnae of Bellator MMA, is on a two-fight win streak.
Seven months ago, she won the title with a unanimous decision victory against former titleholder Valesca Machado (12-4, 1 NC MMA, 3-1 Invicta FC) during Invicta FC 52.)
In order to keep her belt, she cannot look too far down the road, something she mentioned to SevereMMA.
“Before the fight got announced, I spent a month or two getting distracted with like ‘Will I get into the UFC? Won’t I?’, that kind of thing”, McCormack recalled. “That was a bit distracting, but when I say ‘distracting,’ it was more distracting sitting here at home talking about it. It wasn’t distracting in terms of training. I was still in the gym all the time, progressing and working on stuff. I really felt that you’re better when you’re a champion.”
After some delay to the card due to logistics, Danni McCormack finally gets her shot at defending the title on Friday, but can “Mac” walk out of Boston the winner? Watch the Invicta FC 54 main event to find out.
Will Wojcik Get UFC Call-Up with Win?
In the other corner, Karolina Wojcik, a veteran of Brave CF and KSW, has gone 4-1 in her last five contests and she’s looking to build off of a win in her most recent bout against Ediana Silva (12-4 MMA, 0-2 Invicta FC) back in March. Viewers ofย Dana White’s Contender Seriesย will remember Wojcik from her appearance on the program in August of 2022.
Although she came away victorious by unanimous decision in the opening bout that night against Sandra Lavado (12-5 MMA), she failed to secure a contract with the UFC from Dana White by the end of the program.
For Karolina Wojcik, this fight may be her second chance. Without a UFC card this weekend, the chances that Dana White will be tuning in have to be good. She cannot afford to squander her second chance.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, the Invicta FC 54 main event on Friday night looks to be a toss-up. Both women are mixed martial artists by trade and both can go wire-to-wire if need be.
Look for McCormack to Weather the Storm
It might not be a cakewalk for Danni McCormack in the main event. If Wojcik comes out swinging, the 25 minutes in the cage will be long.
McCormack had to battle back against Valesca Machado in March when she repeatedly unloaded right-handed shots on her before taking her down in an effort to sink in a rear-naked choke in round one. Her ground defense kept her in the fight.
After the opening five minutes, McCormack adjusted her gameplan, stuffing a Machado takedown attempt early in round two to stand right back up. By keeping the fight on the feet, she knocked Machado off of her gameplan expertly and kept her guessing down the stretch.
Wojcik Can Punch Her Way to a Win
In the other corner, Karolina Wojcik has fists of fury and she knows how to use them when the situation calls for it. During the second round of her fight vs. Naomi Harvey, she stuffed a takedown effort to try and secure one of her own.
Upon completing the takedown, Wojcik took side control and scored with some ground and pound before transitioning to half guard while still landing punches to soften Harvey up. Wojcik continued to unload to Harvey’s head until the referee intervened.
Final Thoughts
As previously mentioned, this is the second all-time head-to-head meeting between Danni McCormack and Karolina Wojcik. There are much higher stakes this time around. Who takes it?
Prediction: Danni McCormack by Unanimous Decision.
Important Note: AXS TV’s channel number varies depending upon where you are and which service you subscribe to. Viewers of DIRECTV can find AXS TV on channel 340, while those on Dish Network are advised to tune into channel 167.
For all other participating systems and services, see your on-screen TV guide for the channel number in your region.ย
