Invicta FC: Leslie Smith Replaces Milana Dudieva Against Amanda Nunes on July 28
After slugging it out in one of the most memorable toe-to-toe wars in women’s Mixed Martial Arts history, power striker Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (3-2-1) of Pleasant Hill, Calif. will return to the Invicta Fighting Championships cage, replacing Milana Dudieva, in a featured bantamweight (135 pounds) showdown with fellow hard-hitting KO artist Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes (6-2) of Salvador, Bahia Brazil at Invicta FC 2: Baszler vs. McMann at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. on Sat., July 28.
Dudieva has withdrawn from her commitment due to medical illness.
The 29-year-old Smith’s gutsy stand in her three-round, epic battle with Kaitlin Young at the inaugural Invicta FC event on April 28 brought the Memorial Hall crowd to their feet and earned both competitors Fight of the Night honors. The result of the fight – a draw – has surely motivated Smith to finish her second Invicta FC bout in decisive fashion.
Smith has earned two of her three professional career victories by way of KO. Prior to turning professional, she was victorious in all three of her amateur starts – one by KO, one by submission and one by decision – in 2008.
The 24-year-old Nunes, touted as one of the most dangerous young prospects in the women’s field of the sport, will look to return to the win column after being stopped by contender Alexis Davis with a barrage of punches in the second round (4:53) of their matchup in Dallas, Tex. on Sept. 10, 2011. The loss snapped Nunes’ six-fight win streak that began on May 24, 2008 with a 11-second TKO of Paty Barbosa on May 24, 2008.
Nunes burst onto the national fight scene in The U.S. in her fight before last, scoring a stunning 14-second KO (punches) of Julia Budd, live on SHOWTIME. Nunes also boasts a victory over fellow Brazil native and Invicta FC competitor Vanessa Porto, whom Nunes finished after two rounds of action Dec. 12, 2009 when Porto’s corner threw in the towel.
