Invicta FC champ Ayaka Hamasaki moving up a weight class for non-title fight

Invicta FC champ atomweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki is looking for a bigger challenge.

Hamasaki (14-1) is moving up to 115 pounds for a non-title fight with former strawweight titleholder Livia Renata Souza (9-1) at Invicta FC 22.

Shannon Knapp, president of the all-female promotion, confirmed the fight with MMAFighting.com.

Invicta FC 22 takes place March 25 at Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo., and the card streams on UFC Fight Pass. Hamasaki vs. Souza co-headlines; bantamweight champ Tonya Evinger (18-5) and Yana Kunitskaya (9-2) meet in a rematch that headlines.

Hamasaki, a 34-year-old Japanese fighter and former Jewels champ, is riding a five-fight winning streak that included a split-decision victory over Herica Tiburcio to win the Invicta FC title and defenses over Amber Brown (submission) and Jinh Yu Frey (TKO). She’s reportedly moving up to 115 pounds in hopes of garnering the UFC’s interest.

Souza, a 25-year-old Brazilian fighter, began her career with a 9-0 mark that included a submission victory over Katja Kankaanaa to win the Invicta FC belt and a TKO victory/title defense over DeAnna Bennett, both of which earned “Performance of the Night” honors. However, in her most recent appearance, she lost the belt to Angela Hill via split decision.

Hill recently re-signed with the UFC, though the Hamasaki vs. Souza winner won’t become the new champ.

The latest Invicta FC 22 card includes:

• Champ Tonya Evinger vs. Yana Kunitskaya – for bantamweight title
• Champ Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Livia Renata Souza – non-title strawweight bout

or more on Invicta FC 22, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.