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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
After an admirable effort against former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion Sarah Kaufman, Leslie Smith has signed a new multi-fight deal with Invicta Fighting Championships.
Smith and Kaufman battled back and forth for 15 minutes at Invicta FC 5 last month, with Smith falling short by split decision. But the exciting bout earned the distinction of "Fight of the Night" for the event, the second time she's put forth a "FotN" performance for Invicta.
Now, she'll drop down to the flyweight division to take on the 7-2 Jennifer Maia at Invicta FC 6 this July in Kansas City.
"We are excited to bring Leslie under the Invicta Fighting Championships umbrella for the long-term and to watch her compete in a new weight class that is becoming super competitive in our promotion," said Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp. "Since we launched our live event series last year, Leslie has demonstrated incredible tenacity and athleticism by putting on some of the most memorable fights in our cage. She is a true warrior as is her opponent Jennifer Maia, so we are looking forward to an explosive matchup between two of the sport’s stars on what will be Invicta FC’s biggest fight card to date."
Penick's Analysis: I thought after her fight with Kaufman that Smith could have gotten a call from the UFC, because she showed she's capable of competing with a high level of competition in the division. But she's decided to drop down, making this multi-fight signing with Invicta the most sensible and expected route. She's been a very exciting part of the Invicta cards she's taken part in, so fans should look forward to seeing her test things out at 125 lbs. going forward.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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