Invicta FC 40: Ducote vs Lima Odds, Picks & Betting Preview

• Invicta FC holds its first event since the COVID-19 pandemic this Thursday, July 2
• Bellator veteran, Emily Ducote battles UFC vet Juliana Lima in the main event
• See the odds, picks and betting preview for the entire Invicta 40 main card

Invicta Fighting Championship is back this Thursday, July 2 for its first event since March 6 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the main event, Emily Ducote battles seven-fight UFC veteran, Juliana Lima in a very intriguing strawweight scrap. The co-main event pairs Lindsey VanZandt against Alesha Zappitella at atomweight.

Invicta FC 40 airs live on UFC Fight Pass on July 2 from Kansas City, Kansas with the main card airing live at 8:00 pm EST. The table below shows odds for the entire main card at two different sportsbooks, followed by best bets for the event.

Invicta FC 40 Odds

All odds taken June 29

Can Lima Earn Her Way Back Into The UFC?

Emily Ducote (8-6) is coming off a split decision loss to Kanako Murata back in November at Invicta FC 38. Before that, the 26-year-old earned a TKO win over Janaisa Morandin in her Invicta FC debut after fighting in Bellator. In Bellator, she went 4-4 where she lost to Ilima-Lei MacFarlane by submission for the vacant flyweight title. It was the second time she lost to the Bellator champ in the promotion. Ducote has notable wins over Katy Collins, Kenya Miranda, and Bruna Vargas

Juliana Lima (10-6) is also coming off a loss in Invicta where she suffered a decision loss to Brianna Van Buren in the one-night Invicta FC tournament. It should be noted the fight was only one round. Before that, in her  Invicta debut she beat Danielle Taylor by split decision to snap her losing skid where she lost back-to-back fights to Randa Markos and Tecia Torres and was then released by the UFC. In the Las Vegas-based promotion she went 3-4 where her other two losses were to Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Carla Esparza who were UFC champions. She has notable wins over Nina Ansaroff and JJ Aldrich inside the Octagon.

I don’t really get the odds in this fight. Juliana Lima has fought much better competition and has proven herself to be a legit strawweight. Although Ducote will have the size advantage given she used to fight at 125. But, I think Lima is the better mixed martial artist.

When Ducote wins fights, it is normally by submission, yet Lima has only ever been finished once and that was a submission loss to Tecia Torres who has a much better ground game than Ducote. In the standup, I think Lima is the better striker and she will be able to keep the fight standing. She has been able to have success against some of the best female strikers in MMA.

It's fight week here in Kansas City! #InvictaFC40: @ducote_brunette vs @juthaimma is just 3⃣ days away! pic.twitter.com/aLbosp9Oma

— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) June 29, 2020

Although Lima is getting older, at 38-years-old, I still think she has enough in the tank to be able to stuff the takedowns of Ducote and piece up the 26-year-old on the feet. We’ve also seen Ducote struggle in fights where she can’t get it to the ground.

So, at plus-money, it is hard not to favor Juliana Lima in this spot to get her back in the win column and perhaps back on the UFC’s radar for a short-notice fight.

Pick: Juliana Lima (+140)

Ducote vs Lima

Other Invicta FC 40 Picks:

• Lindsey VanZandt (+135): I think VanZandt will be able to get this fight to the mat and be able to submit or get a ground and pound TKO win.
• DeAnna Bennett (-185): Bennett just is the better fighter all around and could get a UFC contract soon. She also should be a bigger favorite in this spot.
• Chelsea Chandler (-170): Although Parker is undefeated, she hasn’t fought anyone at the level of Chandler who will get a decision win.
• Genia Goodin (-160): Koren is making her pro debut while Goodin has the experience being in Invicta and should get a decision win.