Pa'aluhi

Invicta FC 21 Adds Four Additional Bouts

by News

Kansas City, Mo. — Invicta Fighting Championships 21 has added four bouts.

Swedish bantamweight Pannie Kianzad (8-1) will return to action against Hawaii’s Raquel Pa’aluhi (5-5), undefeated Aspen Ladd (4-0) will take on grappling ace Sijara Eubanks (2-1), also at 135 pounds, veteran strawweights DeAnna Bennett (8-2) and Jodie Esquibel (5-2) square off, and newcomer Brieta Carpenter (0-0) will welcome boxing champion Heather Hardy (0-0) to the Invicta cage.

Kianzad returns to the Invicta cage after falling short against champion Tonya Evinger are Invicta FC 14 last year. Pa’aluhi, meanwhile, has won three of her last four, including wins over veterans Ediane Gomes and Kaitlin Young.

The 21-year-old Ladd has continued her winning ways since moving up to bantamweight, defeating Jessica Hoy and Kelly McGill in her last two appearances. Eubanks, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, earned her second career win via strikes at Invicta FC 18, stopping Amberlynn Orr in the first round.

Bennett, a former strawweight title challenger, will return for the first time since Invicta FC 16, where she engaged in a back-and-forth battle with veteran Roxanne Modafferi. Esquibel headlined Invicta FC 18 in July against Mexico’s Alexa Grasso.

Hardy, 34, carries an undefeated record of 18-0 in the boxing ring and currently holds the WBC international featherweight and super bantamweight titles. Carpenter signed with the promotion in June after compiling an 8-2 amateur record, including a 10-second knockout in her most recent outing.

Invicta FC 21 will take place Saturday, Jan. 14 from the historic Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. The event will air live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass. The night’s main event will feature a featherweight clash between Megan Anderson (7-2) and Charmaine Tweet (9-5).

The current fight card for Invicta FC 21 can be found below:

Featherweight: Megan Anderson (7-2) vs. Charmaine Tweet (9-5)
Bantamweight: Pannie Kianzad (8-1) vs. Raquel Pa’aluhi (5-5)
Strawweight: DeAnna Bennett (8-2) vs. Jodie Esquibel (5-2)
Bantamweight: Aspen Ladd (4-0) vs. Sijara Eubanks (2-1)
Flyweight: Heather Hardy (0-0) vs. Brieta Carpenter (0-0)

Tickets for Invicta FC 21 go on sale Saturday, Dec. 10 at 10 a.m. CT via Ticketfly.com. 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.

Ladd

Episode 11: Invicta FC 18 – Grasso vs. Esquibel

by Radio

Welcome to the latest episode of Invicta FC Radio.

On this episode, Invicta FC matchmaker Julie Kedzie hosted fellow matchmaker Kaitlin Young and Invicta FC Presdient Shannon Knapp to discuss Invicta FC 18: Grasso vs. Esquibel.  The event takes place on Friday, July 29 from the historic Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo., and streams live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.

During the episode Knapp announced two new bouts for the fight card, completing the lineup with nine fights.

At bantamweight, rising star Aspen Ladd (3-0) of California meets Nevada’s Jessica Hoy (1-0), while Texas prospect Tessa Simpson (4-1) welcomes Simona Soukupova (5-3-1) back to the Invicta cage in an atomweight affair.

For all the details and more, listen to the entire episode below.

Hill vs Gray_004

Invicta FC 16 Adds Angela Hill and Aspen Ladd

by News

Kansas City, Mo. — The fight card for Invicta Fighting Championships 16 has changed following injuries to two fighters.

Angela Hill (3-2) and Aspen Ladd (2-0) will step in as replacements for Alexa Grasso (7-0) and Amberlynn Orr (0-0), respectively.

Hill made her promotional debut earlier in 2016, knocking out Alida Gray at Invicta FC 15 in January. The UFC veteran will take on former title challenger Stephanie Eggink.

The unbeaten Ladd will move up from flyweight to take on fellow undefeated fighter Kelly McGill in a bantamweight match-up. Ladd has scored back-to-back finishes inside the Invicta cage, most recently submitting Amanda Bobby Cooper at Invicta FC 14 in September of last year.

Invicta FC 16 will see recently crowned atomweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki (12-1) make her first title defense against the hard-charging Amber Brown (6-1). In the co-main event, the promotion will crown an interim flyweight champion as Brazilians Vanessa Porto (18-6) and Jennifer Maia (12-4-1) face off.

The event takes place from the Trinidad Pavilion at Tropicana Las Vegas on Friday, March 11. It will stream live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET.

The updated fight card for Invicta FC 16 can be found below:

Atomweight Title: Ayaka Hamasaki (12-1) vs. Amber Brown (6-1)
Interim Flyweight Title: Vanessa Porto (18-6) vs. Jennifer Maia (12-4-1)
Strawweight: Stephanie Eggink (4-2) vs. Angela Hill (3-2)
Bantamweight: Irene Aldana (5-2) vs. Jessamyn Duke (3-3)
Flyweight: Roxanne Modafferi (18-12) vs. DeAnna Bennett (8-1)
Atomweight: Herica Tiburcio (9-3) vs. Jinh Yu Frey (4-1)
Flyweight: Andrea Lee (4-1) vs. Sarah D’Alelio (8-6)
Bantamweight: Kelly McGill (2-0) vs. Aspen Ladd (2-0)
Strawweight: Ashley Greenway (0-0) vs. Sarah Click (0-0)

Tickets for Invicta FC 16 are available for purchase at the Tropicana Las Vegas Show Tickets desk, by calling 800-829-9034, or online at troplv.com.

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. For more information, visit InvictaFC.com, follow Invicta on Twitter (@InvictaFights) and like Invicta on Facebook (Facebook.com/InvictaFights).

Invicta FC Signs Flyweight Aspen Ladd

by News

Kansas City, Mo. — Invicta Fighting Championships has added a new face to its flyweight division.

Joining the 125-pound ranks will be 19-year-old Californian Aspen Ladd. The fighter will make her professional debut in the Invicta cage after amassing an 8-1 record as amateur.

In Ladd’s most recent outing, she captured the Tuff-N-Uff flyweight title with a first-round submission win over Roma Pawelek. The victory marked Ladd’s fifth win inside the first round and her sixth career finish.

A native of Pioneer, Calif., Ladd is part of Team MMAGOLD and trains under the tutelage of coach Jim West.

“I’m thrilled,” said Ladd of signing with the promotion. “It’s been my dream for years now, ever since I first started fighting.

“I always assumed there would be three things in my life: work, fighting and school. This is the combination. I get to do my passion for work and I couldn’t be happier. I just have to prove myself.”

Look for Ladd’s Invicta debut in early 2015.

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. For more information, visit InvictaFC.com, follow Invicta on Twitter (@InvictaFights) and like Invicta on Facebook (Facebook.com/InvictaFights).