Kansas City, Kan. — On Thursday, March 5, Invicta Fighting Championships hosted the weigh-ins for PHOENIX SERIES© 3. The event takes place from Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan., on Friday, March 6, with the entire card streaming live on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 7 p.m. CT.
The event is headlined by a bantamweight title fight between undefeated 24-year-old Lisa “Battle Angel” Verzosa (5-0) and The Ultimate Fighter alumna Julija Stoliarenko (8-3-1) of Lithuania. Verzosa — née Spangler — has earned four of her five career victories inside the Invicta cage. The Washington-based fighter most recently defeated Kerri Kenneson at Invicta FC 38. Stoliarenko will make her promotional debut riding the momentum of a four-fight winning streak since leaving the TUF house. All eight of her career wins have come via first-round armbar submission.
Joining the title match-up is a one-night, eight-woman tournament, also in the bantamweight division. The single-elimination tournament will feature one-round fights in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, with the tournament final being a three-round affair to determine the tournament champion.
The tournament participants were matched up during a random draw during the event’s weigh-ins.
In the first quarterfinal bout, Las Vegas-based Serena “The Southpaw Outlaw” DeJesus (1-1) meets the most experienced fighter in the tournament, “Scary” Kerri Kenneson (3-2). The second match-up pits the debuting Taylor “No Mercy” Guardado (0-0) against Colorado’s “Grizzly” Claire Guthrie (1-0). In the third pairing, “Hurricane” Hope Chase (2-1) squares off against Julia “Chicago” Ottolino (1-0). Finally, California’s Brittney “Bombshell” Victoria (3-1) takes on Taneisha “Triple Threat” Tennant (2-0).
As was previously announced, the event will utilize open scoring.
Below are the results of the event’s weigh-ins.
Bantamweight Title: Lisa Verzosa (134.2) vs. Julija Stoliarenko (134.2)
Strawweight: Kay Hansen (115.9) vs. Liana Pirosin (116)
Bantamweight Reserve Bout No. 2: Mitzi Merry (135.5) vs. Morgan Hickam (135.6)
Bantamweight Reserve Bout No. 1: Kelly Clayton (135.5) vs. Florina Moeller (135)
Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal No. 4: Taneisha Tennant (135.7) vs. Brittney Victoria (135.1)
Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal No. 3: Julia Ottolino (134.7) vs. Hope Chase (135.8)
Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal No. 2: Claire Guthrie (135.7) vs. Taylor Guardado (135.8)
Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal No. 1: Kerri Kenneson (135.5) vs. Serena DeJesus (135.3)
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.