Las Vegas – On Thursday, July 9, Invicta Fighting Championships made its first trip to Nevada to host Invicta FC 13: Cyborg vs. Van Duin from The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The event streamed live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.
Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino celebrated her 30th birthday with yet another dominant title defense. The Brazilian needed just 45 seconds to put away New Zealand’s Faith Van Duin by TKO. Cyborg was the aggressor throughout, chasing Van Duin around the cage. She wobbled Van Duin with a left hand and followed with a knee that sent Van Duin crashing to the mat and end the fight.
The bantamweight belt is vacant no more as Tonya Evinger dominated Mexico’s Irene Aldana from the opening bell. Evinger caught a kick and brought the fight to the mat. After a scramble, she mounted Aldana and began raining punches. When Aldana tried to escape, Evinger locked up a deep armbar. Aldana showcased a ton of heart and refused to tap. The punishment from Evinger continued in the second and third rounds, as she battered the face of the Mexican fighter. The pace slowed in round four, but Evinger’s dominance continued. A series of heavy blows was enough to force the referee to intervene and hand Evinger the TKO win.
There’s a new champion in the atomweight division as Japan’s Ayaka Hamasaki used a strong grappling game to outwork Brazil’s Herica Tiburcio and earn a split decision win. Hamasaki attacked with flurries of punches before turning to her takedown game. Tiburcio rocked her with a body kick and looked for a guillotine choke, but Hamasaki survived. As the fight progressed, Hamasaki’s takedowns came with more and more ease. Tiburcio remained active from her back, but Hamasaki’s top control was simply too much. Hamasaki became the first Japanese champion in the promotion’s history.
Debuting bantamweights Pannie Kianzad and Jessica-Rose Clark went to war for three rounds, with Sweden’s Kianzad walking away with a clear-cut unanimous decision win. Kianzad was clearly the more technical striker throughout, landing her left hook at will. She mixed in takedowns and was forced to defend an armbar attempt from Clark in round two. As the fight progressed, Kianzad continue to pour it on with punches and kept her perfect record intact.
Amber Brown sent a big message to the atomweight division, becoming the first fighter to defeat Ireland’s Catherine Costigan. Brown marched forward and closed the distance immediately. She powered Costigan to the mat with a trip and landed in mount. Heavy elbows from Brown forced Costigan to give up her back and Brown sunk in a fight-finishing rear-naked choke.
Strawweights Jamie Moyle and Amy Montenegro battled back-and-forth for three rounds, with Moyle eking out a split decision win in her hometown. Moyle scored early with a takedown and took Montenegro’s back, but could not secure a submission. Montenegro answered back with counter shots and pushed the fight against the cage. Moyle’s combinations were the difference as she claimed the nod from the judges.
Making her professional debut, featherweight Amber Leibrock stopped decorated judoka Marina Shafir in just 37 seconds. Leibrock delivered a pair of right hands that dropped Shafir and she followed up with more punches on the ground to earn the TKO.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino def. Faith Van Duin by TKO (punches). Round 1, 0:45 – for featherweight title
Tonya Evinger def. Irene Aldana by TKO (strikes). Round 4, 4:38 – for bantamweight title
Ayaka Hamasaki def. Herica Tiburcio by split decision (47-48, 48-47, 49-46) – for atomweight title
Pannie Kianzad def. Jessica-Rose Clark by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Amber Brown def. Catherine Costigan by submission (rear-naked choke). Round 1, 3:34
Jamie Moyle def. Amy Montenegro by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Amber Leibrock def. Marina Shafir by TKO (punches). Round 1, 0:37
About Invicta FC:
Invicta Fighting Championships is a world championship, all-pro mixed martial arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible match-ups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport. For more information, visit InvictaFC.com, follow Invicta on Twitter (@InvictaFights) and like Invicta on Facebook (Facebook.com/InvictaFights).
