Kansas City, Mo. — On Friday, Sept. 23, Invicta Fighting Championships hosted Invicta FC 19: Maia vs. Modafferi from the historic Scottish Rite Temple. The event streamed live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
The flyweight title clash between Jennifer Maia and Roxanne Modafferi was a closely contested affair throughout. Modafferi opened with a jumping kick and pushed Maia against the fence. Maia separated and the pair traded combination after combination. Maia scored with knees from the clinch and an uppercut on the break. The second round saw the fight hit the ground as Modafferi got a takedown, but ended up on her back. She attacked with an armbar, but Maia was able to escape. The fight again hit the mat in round three, but Maia looked for a guillotine choke. Modafferi’s pace slowed in rounds four and five, while Maia increased her volume on the feet. That was the difference on the scorecards as two of the three judges rewarded Maia with the decision, allowing her to retain her title.
Atomweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki retained her title with a second-round stoppage of challenger Jinh Yu Frey. Frey came out hungry, kicking Hamasaki’s lead leg. Hamasaki sought to take the fight to the mat, but Frey pummeled well. Late in the first round, Hamasaki attacked with an Americana while standing. Frey took the fight to the mat and escaped the submission attempt. From top position, Frey rained punches and took the back of Hamasaki as the round expired. Round two was all Frey for the first four minutes as she frequently countered with her left hand. In the final minute of the frame, Hamasaki came alive. She rocked Frey with a pair of right hands. The second punch opened a large cut over the left eye of Frey, prompting the referee to call in the doctor. The doctor quickly halted the contest, handing Hamasaki the win.
Former bantamweight title challenger Irene Aldana continued her march back toward contention with a first-round finish of New Zealand’s Faith Van Duin. Van Duin was aggressive to start the bout, backing Aldana against the cage. Aldana settled down and began to land her right hand. She frequently wobbled Van Duin along the cage, but Van Duin would not go down. Blood poured from both fighters as the fight progressed. Van Duin’s right hand found a home, but Aldana’s pressure was too much. Late in the frame, Aldana dropped Van Duin and flurried for the TKO finish.
Veteran Kaline Medeiros handed previously undefeated Indian fighter Manjit Kolekar her first loss by unanimous decision. Medeiros pressured Kolekar early, but absorbed multiple body kicks. That prompted Medeiros to seek the takedown. She slammed Kolekar to the mat over and over again, but the Indian fighter frequently scrambled free. The final frame was a war of attrition on the feet, but the pressure and volume of Medeiros were the difference with the judges.
The professional MMA debut of kickboxing star Tiffany Van Soest did not go as planned as fellow newcomer Kal Holliday used her superior wresting and grappling to submit Van Soest in round two. Holliday’s strategy was clear as she frequently took the fight to the ground. Van Soest demonstrated solid submission defense and frequently worked back to the feet. Holliday scored with a massive suplex midway through the opening stanza, but Van Soest later answered with a nasty right hand that buckled the knees of the Oregon fighter. The second round was more of the same, as Holliday took Van Soest down and worked to her back. This time, however, Holliday was able to coerce the tap.
In a battle of atomweight newcomers, Julia Jones kept her undefeated record intact with a first-round submission win over Stephanie Skinner. Jones fired kicks from the open bell. Skinner tried to answer, but Jones caught a kick and took her to the mat. After escaping an armbar attempt from Skinner, Jones passed to the mount and then took Skinner’s back. Once there, she sunk in the rear-naked choke to finish the fight.
Featherweight Amber Leibrock gave newcomer Amy Coleman a rude welcome to the Invicta cage, earning a first-round TKO finish. Coleman pressured forward into the clinch, but Leibrock scored with knees. The judo black belt Coleman scored with a hip toss, but Leibrock would not be held down. Back in the clinch, Leibrock delivered knees to the liver, dropping Coleman. She flurried with punches to earn the stoppage.
Making her professional debut, Iceland’s Sunna Rannveig Davidsdottir showcased excellent range and slick grappling to take a decision over Ashley Greenway. It was Davidsdottir’s striking that was the story early, but she transitioned to the ground in round two. After putting Greenway on her back, she repeatedly threatened to end the fight with a rear-naked choke. Greenway survived to the final bell, but Davidsdottir swept the scorecards for her first victory.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Jennifer Maia def. Roxanne Modafferi by split decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46) – for flyweight title
Ayaka Hamasaki def. Jinh Yu Frey by TKO (doctor’s stoppage). Round 2, 4:38 – for atomweight title
Irene Aldana def. Faith Van Duin by TKO (punches). Round 1, 4:57
Kaline Medeiros def. Manjit Kolekar by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Kal Holliday def. Tiffany Van Soest by submission (rear-naked choke). Round 2, 2:08
Julia Jones def. Stephanie Skinner by submission (rear-naked choke). Round 1, 2:38
Amber Leibrock def. Amy Coleman by TKO (strikes). Round 1, 3:15
Sunna Rannveig Davidsdottir def. Ashley Greenway by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
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. Follow Invicta on Twitter (@InvictaFights), Facebook (Facebook.com/InvictaFights), and Instagram (@InvictaFC) for all the latest information.
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