Conners

Invicta FC 25 Fight Card Complete With Seven New Bouts

Kansas City, Mo. — The fight card for Invicta Fighting Championships 25 is complete.

The event, which takes place from the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino on Thursday, Aug. 31, marks the promotion’s return to California. All of the action streams live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass at 6 p.m. PT.

Joining the previously announced championship doubleheader in the bantamweight and strawweight divisions will be seven additional match-ups.

South Carolina’s Alexa Conners (4-1) returns to the Invicta FC cage to welcome undefeated German bantamweight Katharina Lehner (5-0) to the promotion. Conners has reeled off four straight wins leading into the bout, including a decision win at Invicta FC 20. Lehner will make her promotional debut after beginning her career with five straight wins in her home country of Germany and capturing the Respect FC championship.

In the strawweight division, wrestling stalwart Sharon Jacobson (4-1) returns from a two-year absence to take on undefeated Kali Robbins (4-0). Jacobson, a two-time national champion wrestler and member of the Army Reserves, is coming off back-to-back “Fight of the Night” performances over Jamie Moyle and Delaney Owen. Robbins, dubbed “Pop Tart,” has yet to taste defeat in her professional or amateur career and has finished all four of her professional victories.

Atomweight Shino VanHoose (5-5) will make her second Invicta appearance when she faces off with newcomer Alyse Anderson (3-0). VanHoose most recently earned a second-round TKO win over Sarah Lagerstrom, while Michigan’s Anderson is undefeated thus far in her mixed martial arts career.

The bantamweight division will hold two additional bouts on the card, each featuring a pair of returning veterans. Kelly McGill-Velasco (2-1) squares off with Amberlynn Orr (0-1) in one match-up and California’s Yaya Rincón (1-0) takes on Swiss judoka Stephanie Egger (2-1) in the other pairing.

Flyweight newcomers clash when Colorado’s Cheri Muraski (3-0) meets Tracy Cortez (0-0) of Arizona. Cortez will be making her professional debut after going 6-0 as an amateur.

Finally, accomplished atomweight amateurs Ashley Medina (0-0) and Jillian DeCoursey (0-0) will each compete as professionals for the first time in the night’s opening bout.

The complete fight card for Invicta FC 25 can be found below:

Bantamweight Title: Raquel Pa’aluhi (6-5) vs. Yana Kunitskaya (9-3, 1 NC)
Strawweight Title: Livia Renata Souza (10-1) vs. Jodie Esquibel (6-2)
Bantamweight: Alexa Conners (4-1) vs. Katharina Lehner (5-0)
Strawweight: Sharon Jacobson (4-1) vs. Kali Robbins (4-0)
Atomweight: Shino VanHoose (5-5) vs. Alyse Anderson (3-0)
Bantamweight: Kelly McGill-Velasco (2-1) vs. Amberlynn Orr (0-1)
Bantamweight: Yaya Rincón (1-0) vs. Stephanie Egger (2-1)
Flyweight: Cheri Muraski (3-0) vs. Tracy Cortez (0-0)
Atomweight: Ashley Medina (0-0) vs. Jillian DeCoursey (0-0)

Tickets for the event can be purchased now through the Tachi Palace website.

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.

BorellaHirano

Invicta FC 24 Results: Borella Tops Dudieva, Frey Bests Cummins

Kansas City, Mo. — On Saturday, July 15, Invicta Fighting Championships hosted Invicta FC 24: Dudieva vs. Borella from the historic Scottish Rite Temple. The event streamed live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

The night’s main event featured a closely contested flyweight between Italy’s Mara Romero Borella and UFC veteran Milana Dudieva. Borella flurried forward to open the bout, allowing Dudieva to score with a judo throw. Borella looked for a leg lock, which allowed her to return to the feet. The pair traded punches before Borella looked for a takedown. Dudieva countered with a guillotine attempt to close the round. In the second round, Borella used her striking and length before putting Dudieva on her back. She scored with ground and pound from the top position along the fence. It was more of the same in round three, but Dudieva sought an armbar from her back. Borella defended and passed to mount. Dudieva powered to the top position in the fight’s waning moments, but landed in a triangle attempt from the Italian. The Russian would survive to the final bell, but it was Borella who walked away with the split decision win.

Former atomweight title challenger Jinh Yu Frey used her wrestling and top control to edge Ashley Cummins by decision. Frey capitalized on the forward pressure of Cummins, taking the fight to the mat. Cummins was active on her back, threatening with armbars. Frey opted to return to the feet in the first round, but as the fight progressed, she stayed in the guard of Cummins. That resulted in repeated armbar attempts from Cummins, which Frey was forced to defend. Every time Frey escaped, Cummins attacked with another. The final stanza was a showcase of the strength of Frey, who was able to keep Cummins on her back for the majority of the round and earn the victory on the judges’ scorecards.

Veteran Pam Sorenson gave featherweight newcomer Helena Kolesnyk a rude welcome to the Invicta cage, scoring a first-round submission victory. Kolesnyk threw kicks early, but Sorenson timed a takedown attempt and tripped her to the canvas. She methodically passed to side control and then the mount. Sorenson dropped heavy right hands from mount. She was patient from the top, passing to S-mount and setting up an armbar. Sorenson cranked on the arm and Kolesnyk was forced to submit.

The flyweight match-up between newcomers Karina Rodríguez and Bárbara Acioly was fast and violent. Mexico’s Rodríguez rocked Brazil’s Acioly early with a right hand and quickly looked for the finish. She chased Acioly to the mat and pounded away with strikes. Acioly did her best to survive and nearly worked back to her feet, but Rodríguez was relentless with her aggression. A swarm of hammerfists from Rodríguez was too much for referee Greg Franklin, who stepped in and saved Acioly from further damage.

Missouri’s Miranda Maverick remained unbeaten, topping promotional newcomer Gabby Romero on the scorecards. Maverick scored with left hands in the first frame. Romero answered with a head-and-arm throw attempt, but ended up on her back. She attacked with a leg lock attempt that allowed her to get on top of Maverick. Maverick was able to escape, but fell into a deep armbar attempt to close the round. In round two, a series of uppercuts from Maverick were the most significant strikes of the bout. The pair’s chess match on the mat later resumed as Maverick delivered heavy shots, while Romero searched for submissions. Maverick attacked the body in the final frame, slowing Romero’s output. A late armbar attempt from Maverick was reversed by Romero and Maverick was once again forced to ride out the round to the bell. When it was all said and done, it was Maverick who was victorious.

Strawweights Sunna Rannveig Davíðsdóttir and Kelly D’Angelo engaged in a hard-fought battle over the course of three rounds, with Iceland’s Davíðsdóttir earning the decision victory. The pair came out firing, connecting with straight punches. Davíðsdóttir looked to bring the fight to the canvas, but D’Angelo responded with heavy punches. The nose of Davíðsdóttir poured blood as the opening stanza came to a close. The second and third rounds were a different story as Davíðsdóttir utilized her takedowns to neutralize D’Angelo’s offense. The Icelandic fighter was able to mount D’Angelo and rain heavy punches and elbows. The fight went the distance with Davíðsdóttir sweeping the scorecards.

The night kicked off with a dominant performance from undefeated featherweight Felicia Spencer. Spencer opened with a series of body kicks to opponent Amy Coleman, but was briefly taken down. She worked back to her feet and then put Coleman on her back. She wasn’t able to keep Coleman down for long, but later in the round, she scored with a big lift along the fence. Spencer quickly took Coleman’s back with both hooks. Once there, she worked for a rear-naked choke and coerced the tap from Coleman.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Mara Romero Borella def. Milana Dudieva by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Jinh Yu Frey def. Ashley Cummins by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Pam Sorenson def. Helena Kolesnyk by submission (armbar). Round 1, 3:12
Karina Rodríguez def. Bárbara Acioly by TKO (strikes). Round 1, 2:14
Miranda Maverick def. Gabby Romero by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 30-27)
Sunna Rannveig Davíðsdóttir def. Kelly D’Angelo by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Felicia Spencer def. Amy Coleman by submission (rear-naked choke). Round 1, 3:17

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.

Sunna Weight Cut_006

Invicta FC 24: Sunna Rannveig Davíðsdóttir Photo Journal

[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” admin_preview_bg=”] On Saturday, July 15, Invicta Fighting Championships will host Invicta FC 24: Dudieva vs. Borella. The event takes place from Scottish Rite Temple on Saturday, July 15, and streams live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

The event features the third Invicta appearance for undefeated Icelandic strawweight Sunna Rannveig Davíðsdóttir. The undefeated fighter invited the promotion’s media team to observe and document her weight-cutting process for her upcoming bout against Kelly D’Angelo.

Below is a photo gallery shot by Scott Hirano of Invicta Fighting Championships that showcases everything from Davíðsdóttir’s epsom salt bath to her stepping on the scales to make weight.

“Sunna Davidsdottir describes her fight week weight cut day as the most relaxing time of the week. Immersed in the sounds of Sigur Ros, surrounded by caring and attentive teammates, Sunna’s weight-shedding process is one that she describes as soothing and meditative. In a few hours time her goal is to relax, sweat and achieve the required weight to fight the next day. Her teammates, monitoring the progress closely and speaking only when necessary, leave Sunna to the sounds of her thoughtful music and her quiet appreciation of the experience.” – Scott Hirano, Invicta Photographer

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Mara Romero Borella vs Milana Dudieva

Invicta FC 24: Dudieva vs. Borella Official Weigh-in Results

Kansas City, Mo. — On Friday, July 14, Invicta Fighting Championships hosted the weigh-ins for Invicta FC 24: Dudieva vs. Borella. The event takes place from Scottish Rite Temple on Saturday, July 15, and streams live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

In the night’s main event, UFC veteran Milana Dudieva (11-5) drops to flyweight to take on newly signed Mara Romero Borella (10-4, 1 NC). Both fighters will be making their Invicta debuts. Russia’s Dudieva joins the organization after battles in the UFC against top bantamweights Marion Reneau and Julianna Pena, while Italy’s Borella enters the bout winning four of her last five fights.

The co-main event features an atomweight contest between Jinh Yu Frey (5-2) and Ashley Cummins (5-3). Frey looks to work her way back into title contention, while Cummins hopes to build off her decision win over Amber Brown in her most recent outing.

Below are the results of the event’s weigh-ins.

Flyweight: Milana Dudieva (125.8) vs. Mara Romero Borella (125.9)
Atomweight: Jinh Yu Frey (105.9) vs. Ashley Cummins (105.9)
Featherweight: Pam Sorenson (149.6)* vs. Helena Kolesnyk (145.9)
Flyweight: Karina Rodríguez (124.1) vs. Bárbara Acioly (125.9)
Flyweight: Miranda Maverick (125) vs. Gabby Romero (125.4)
Strawweight: Sunna Rannveig Davíðsdóttir (115) vs. Kelly D’Angelo (115.2)
Featherweight: Felicia Spencer (146) vs. Amy Coleman (149.5)*

*Sorenson and Coleman missed the featherweight limit of 146 pounds and were each fined 25 percent of their fight purse

A strawweight bout between Mallory Martin and Tiffany Masters has been removed from the card due to medical issues. The fight card will proceed with seven fights.

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.

Paaluhi

Invicta FC 25 Heads to California With Two Title Fights

Kansas City, Mo. — Invicta Fighting Championships is returning to California with a pair of title fights.

The promotion will make its inaugural visit to the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino on Thursday, Aug. 31.

In the night’s main event, Hawaiian Raquel Pa’aluhi (6-5) will face off with former title challenger Yana Kunitskaya (9-3, 1 NC) for the vacant bantamweight championship. Pa’aluhi has won four of her last five fights, most recently submitting Pannie Kianzad in the first round at Invicta FC 21 in January. Kunitskaya once again looks to secure gold after a pair of bouts against long-reigning champion Tonya Evinger in her two prior Invicta appearances.

Invicta gold is also on the line in the night’s co-main event as former champion Livia Renata Souza (10-1) aims to become a two-time champion against New Mexico’s Jodie Esquibel (6-2). The Brazilian Souza is coming off a first-round knockout finish of atomweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki at Invicta FC 22. Esquibel was also in action at the March event, besting former title challenger DeAnna Bennett by decision.

Invicta FC 25 will stream live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass at 6 p.m. PT.

The current fight card for Invicta FC 25 can be found below:

Bantamweight Title: Raquel Pa’aluhi (6-5)  vs. Yana Kunitskaya (9-3, 1 NC)
Strawweight Title: Livia Renata Souza (10-1) vs. Jodie Esquibel (6-2)

Tickets for the event can be purchased now through the Tachi Palace website. Additional bouts for the event will be announced at a later date.

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.