Invicta FC champ Virna Jandiroba replaces injured Livinha Souza, meets Carla Esparza at UFC Fort Lauderdale

Carla Esparza will face another former Invicta FC star at UFC Fort Lauderdale.

The ex-UFC strawweight champion was slated to meet former Invicta FC titleholder Livinha Souza on April 27, but the Brazilian fighter was forced out of the card due to an ankle injury.

To replace her, UFC signed current Invicta FC strawweight queen Virna Jandiroba, multiple sources confirmed to MMA Fighting following a report by Combate.

Jandiroba (14-0) racked up a perfect 3-0 record under the Invicta banner in less than nine months, including wins over Mizuki Inoue and Janaisa Morandin. “Carcara” scored 11 of her 14 professional wins by way of submission, seven of those in the first round.

Esparza (13-6), the UFC’s first-ever 115-pound champion, suffered back-to-back losses to Claudia Gadelha and Tatiana Suarez in 2018. “The Cookie Monster” has gone 4-4 in the UFC with wins over Rose Namajunas, Cynthia Calvillo, Maryna Moroz and Juliana Lima.

UFC’s upcoming event in Florida is scheduled to take place at the BB&T Center in Fort Lauderdale and air live on ESPN.