KANSAS CITY, Kan. — On Thursday, June 10, Invicta Fighting Championships hosted the weigh-ins for Phoenix Tournament: Atomweights. The event takes place Friday, June 11, from Memorial Hall in Kansas City and airs live on AXS TV in the United States and will be available worldwide on Invicta FC’s YouTube Channel.
A shot at reigning Invicta FC atomweight champion Alesha Zappitella is on the line as the fastest-paced format in combat sports makes its return. For the first time in MMA history, online fan voting determined the match-ups for the quarterfinal stage of the tournament.
Recent title challenger Jéssica Delboni (10-3) opens her quest for another crack at gold against Zappitella’s training partner Tabatha “Batgirl” Watkins (3-3), who will make her promotional debut. New York native Lindsey “Damsel” VanZandt (7-4) will square off with Invicta newcomer Katie “Maquina Asesina” Perez (2-1). Jillian “Lionheart” DeCoursey (4-3) and Linda “F109” Mihalec (2-1) meet in a rematch of their Invicta FC 39 clash, which DeCoursey won via decision. Finally, Paulina “Firefox” Granados (4-4) steps into the Invicta cage for the first time against Connecticut’s Marisa “Spider Monkey” Messer-Belenchia (3-1).
Additionally, a tournament reserve match-up will take place between Kara Vislosky (1-1) and Samantha Seff (0-1).
Below are the results of the event’s weigh-ins:
Atomweight Tournament Quarterfinal No. 4: Paulina Granados (105.9) vs. Marisa Messer-Belenchia (105.4)
Atomweight Tournament Quarterfinal No. 3: Jillian DeCoursey (105.5) vs. Linda Mihalec (105.9)
Atomweight Tournament Quarterfinal No. 2: Lindsey VanZandt (105.8) vs. Katie Perez (105.3)
Atomweight Tournament Quarterfinal No. 1: Jéssica Delboni (105.6) vs. Tabatha Watkins (105.8)
Atomweight Tournament Reserve Bout: Kara Vislosky (104.4) vs. Samantha Seff (105.9)
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 globally integrated 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; 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.
[…] with varying ages and experience levels. All of the opening round matchups were determined by a fan vote. Former title challenger Jessica Delboni will look to get through the tournament to avenge her […]