04_Helen_Peralta_vs_Caitlin_Sammons_17

Invicta FC 45 Fight Card Update

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The first fight card from Invicta Fighting Championships in 2022 has undergone some shuffling.

The planned co-main event between Colorado’s “Grizzly” Claire Guthrie (3-1) and UFC veteran Lauren “Princess Tiger” Mueller (5-4) has been scratched from the event. As a result, a 150-pound catchweight contest between newcomers Ramona Pascual (5-2) and Shamir “Hella Kitty” Peshewa (2-0) has been elevated to the penultimate billing. Pascual, a Hong Kong native, makes her Invicta debut riding a three-fight winning streak. Tennessee’s Peshewa stopped Invicta veteran Gina Elliott in her most recent bout.

Additionally, with the loss of the strawweight bout between Hilarie Rose (5-3) and Emily “Spitfire” Whitmire (4-5), two additional match-ups have been added to the fight card. Sluggers Helen “Iansã” Peralta (4-2) and “The Piece” Elise Pone (1-0) collide in a flyweight bout and Canada’s “Queen of the North” Katie Saull (3-5) takes on fellow atomweight Tamika Jones (1-0).

In the night’s headliner, current atomweight titleholder Alesha “Half Pint” Zappitella (9-2, 1 NC) meets Brazilian challenger Jéssica Delboni (11-3) for a second time. The pair engaged in a back-and-forth battle in their first meeting in May, with Zappitella emerging with a split-decision victory to hold onto her belt. The No. 1 contender Delboni will be out for revenge in her second crack at gold.

Invicta FC 45: Zappitella vs. Delboni 2 will be the first event on Invicta FC’s new night of Wednesday for 2022, taking place Jan. 12 in Kansas City. The event will be simulcast on Invicta FC’s YouTube channel and MMA Junkie beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

The updated fight card for Invicta FC 45 can be found below:

Atomweight Title: Alesha Zappitella vs. Jéssica Delboni
Catchweight (150 pounds): Ramona Pascual vs. Shamir Peshewa
Bantamweight: Monica Franco vs. Hailey Cowan
Flyweight: Helen Peralta vs. Elise Pone
Atomweight: Katie Saull vs. Tamika Jones
Bantamweight: Maria Favela vs. Sarah Kleczka

About Invicta FC:
Invicta Fighting Championships (invictafc.com) 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 (InvictaFights) and Instagram (@InvictaFC) for all the latest information.

About Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc.
Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc. is a global multi-platform media company with offices and studios in Los Angeles, Denver, Nashville, New York, Kansas City and Toronto. Anthem’s portfolio includes AXS TV, a leading music, entertainment and lifestyle television channel and digital media company; global film distribution company Gravitas Ventures; Fight Network, the world’s premier combat sports channel; IMPACT Wrestling, one of the world’s leading wrestling organizations specializing in original programming and live events; Invicta Fighting Championships, the world’s premier all-women mixed martial arts promotion; Game+, the leader in Esports and gaming content; GameTV, the home of game shows and competition-based reality series; and HDNet Movies, which features theatrically released films and documentaries. Anthem also has a significant ownership interest in Pursuit Channel, one of the top outdoor channels in the U.S.

ZappitellaDelboniSmall

Invicta FC 45 Streams Live on Invicta FC’s YouTube Channel and MMA Junkie

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Invicta Fighting Championships today announced the broadcast plans for its upcoming Invicta FC 45: Zappitella vs. Delboni 2 event.

The promotion is partnering with one of the biggest media outlets in MMA, five-time World MMA Awards winner MMA Junkie, part of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group. The fight card – which takes place Wednesday, Jan. 12 in Kansas City – will be simulcast on Invicta FC’s YouTube channel and MMA Junkie beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp commented on the broadcast deal, “What better way to expose our athletes to fight fans around the globe than MMA Junkie? For the last 15 years, they have been a staple of this industry and I am excited to work with them for this upcoming event.”

Invicta FC 45 is headlined by an atomweight grudge match between current titleholder Alesha “Half Pint” Zappitella (9-2, 1 NC) and Brazilian challenger Jéssica Delboni (11-3). The pair engaged in a back-and-forth battle in their first meeting in May, with Zappitella emerging with a split-decision victory to hold onto her belt. The No. 1 contender Delboni will be out to prove that the judges made a mistake in her previous title conquest.

[av_video src=’https://youtu.be/2uJCiNkcA0E’ mobile_image=” attachment=” attachment_size=” format=’16-9′ width=’16’ height=’9′ conditional_play=” av_uid=’av-ostxcc’]

In addition to the broadcast announcement, the scheduled strawweight contest between Hilarie Rose (5-3) and Emily “Spitfire” Whitmire (4-5) has been forced off the card and will be rescheduled for a future event.

The updated fight card for Invicta FC 45 can be found below:

Atomweight Title: Alesha Zappitella vs. Jéssica Delboni
Bantamweight: Claire Guthrie vs. Lauren Mueller
Featherweight: Courtney King vs. Ramona Pascual
Bantamweight: Monica Franco vs. Hailey Cowan
Bantamweight: Maria Favela vs. Sarah Kleczka

About Invicta FC:
Invicta Fighting Championships (invictafc.com) 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 (InvictaFights) and Instagram (@InvictaFC) for all the latest information.

About Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc.
Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc. is a global multi-platform media company with offices and studios in Los Angeles, Denver, Nashville, New York, Kansas City and Toronto. Anthem’s portfolio includes AXS TV, a leading music, entertainment and lifestyle television channel and digital media company; global film distribution company Gravitas Ventures; Fight Network, the world’s premier combat sports channel; IMPACT Wrestling, one of the world’s leading wrestling organizations specializing in original programming and live events; Invicta Fighting Championships, the world’s premier all-women mixed martial arts promotion; Game+, the leader in Esports and gaming content; GameTV, the home of game shows and competition-based reality series; and HDNet Movies, which features theatrically released films and documentaries. Anthem also has a significant ownership interest in Pursuit Channel, one of the top outdoor channels in the U.S.

About USA TODAY Sports Media Group
The USA TODAY Sports Media Group encompasses all sports initiatives across USA TODAY Sports and Gannett’s more than 250 well-known local media brands. It includes the popular social news hub For The Win, and vertical sports sites Golfweek, MMAJunkie.com, NFL and NBA team wire sites, and leading high school sports destination USA TODAY High School Sports, among others. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc.

05_Alesha_Zappitella_vs_Jessica_Delboni_01

Invicta FC 45: Zappitella vs. Delboni 2 Slated for Jan. 12

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Invicta Fighting Championships will start the New Year with a highly anticipated atomweight title rematch.

Current champion Alesha “Half Pint” Zappitella (9-2, 1 NC) will put her 105-pound belt on the line against Brazilian challenger Jéssica Delboni (11-3). The pair met on the promotion’s debut on AXS TV in May, with the American Zappitella retaining her title after a closely contested five-round battle. Delboni quickly rebounded from the split-decision loss, winning three fights in one night to capture the Phoenix Tournament: Atomweights crown and re-establishing herself as the No. 1 contender.

Invicta FC 45: Zappitella vs. Delboni 2 will be the first event on Invicta FC’s new night of Wednesday for 2022, taking place Jan. 12 in Kansas City. Broadcast information will be announced in the coming weeks.

Invicta President Shannon Knapp explained, “We are always looking for new ways to showcase our athletes and having events on Wednesdays will put the spotlight directly on them. The rematch between Zappitella and Delboni is a perfect way to kick off the action on our new night.”

In the co-main event, Colorado’s “Grizzly” Claire Guthrie (3-1) collides with Lauren “Princess Tiger” Mueller (5-4) in a bantamweight match-up. Guthrie will compete under the Invicta banner for the fifth time, with Mueller returning after her thrilling promotional debut at Invicta FC 44.

Also on the card, featherweight Courtney “The Lion” King (4-2) competes for the first time since her headlining clash with two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison at Invicta FC 43. King will take on Hong Kong native Ramona Pascual (5-2), who currently rides a three-fight winning streak.

Rounding out the fight card, Hawaiian “Fearless” Monica Franco (2-0) welcomes “All Hail” Hailey Cowan (5-2) to the Invicta cage in a 135-pound affair, strawweight veterans Hilarie Rose (5-3) and Emily “Spitfire” Whitmire (4-5) aim to infuse fresh contenders into the 115-pound division, and Mexico’s Maria Favela (2-1) moves up to bantamweight against returning veteran Sarah “Chucky” Kleczka (2-3).

The event will be overseen by the Kansas Athletic Commission and will feature open scoring. With the ongoing pandemic, the fights will take place behind closed doors — sans fans and media. As with any Invicta event, the safety of its athletes, their corners, its staff and commission officials is of the utmost priority. All participants will be tested for COVID-19 prior to the event.

The full fight card can be found below:

Atomweight Title: Alesha Zappitella vs. Jéssica Delboni
Bantamweight: Claire Guthrie vs. Lauren Mueller
Featherweight: Courtney King vs. Ramona Pascual
Bantamweight: Monica Franco vs. Hailey Cowan
Strawweight: Hilarie Rose vs. Emily Whitmire
Bantamweight: Maria Favela vs. Sarah Kleczka

About Invicta FC:
Invicta Fighting Championships (invictafc.com) 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 (InvictaFights) and Instagram (@InvictaFC) for all the latest information.

About Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc.
Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc. is a global multi-platform media company with offices and studios in Los Angeles, Denver, Nashville, New York, Kansas City and Toronto. Anthem’s portfolio includes AXS TV, a leading music, entertainment and lifestyle television channel and digital media company; global film distribution company Gravitas Ventures; Fight Network, the world’s premier combat sports channel; IMPACT Wrestling, one of the world’s leading wrestling organizations specializing in original programming and live events; Invicta Fighting Championships, the world’s premier all-women mixed martial arts promotion; Game+, the leader in Esports and gaming content; GameTV, the home of game shows and competition-based reality series; and HDNet Movies, which features theatrically released films and documentaries. Anthem also has a significant ownership interest in Pursuit Channel, one of the top outdoor channels in the U.S.