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.