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Invicta Fighting Championships

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Invicta Fighting Championships
Company typePrivate
IndustryMixed martial arts promotion
Founded2012 (2012)
FounderShannon Knapp
Janet Martin
HeadquartersEnka, North Carolina, United States
Area served
United States
Key people

Shannon Knapp (President) Julie Kedzie (Matchmaker)
Websitehttp://www.invictafc.com/

Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) organization for female fighters.[1] It was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin[2] a former VP with MMA organization Blackeye Promotions[3] and Shannon Knapp, who held positions at various levels, including executive positions with King of the Cage, World Fighting Alliance, International Fight League, Affliction Entertainment, UFC and Strikeforce.[4] It has a strategic partnership with fellow Japanese MMA promotion Jewels.[5]

History

When Zuffa, parent company of the UFC, purchased rival promotion Strikeforce in March 2011 (2011-03), Shannon Knapp received several calls from female fighters who were afraid of what the future might hold for them in Strikeforce since the UFC had never promoted a women's fight.[2][6] As the women were calling Knapp for representation, she started looking at the issue and met Janet Martin, and between the two acquired the financial resources needed.[7]

The term Invicta, a Latin word for "invincible and incomparable", was chosen by founders Knapp and Martin since the terms invincible and incomparable are very masculine, but the term appears in the feminine form in Latin, and they thought it was a good description for women's MMA.[8]

Free online streamed events

After more than a year in the making,[7] the promotion held its first event, Invicta FC 1 on April 28, 2012 (2012-04-28).[9] It was headlined by a rematch between former Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion Marloes Coenen and French fighter Romy Ruyssen.[9] The event also marked the MMA debut of 2008 Summer Olympics women's freestyle wrestling medalist Randi Miller.[10] The event was available as a free video stream at the Invicta Fighting Championships webpage.[9] After the event, fight of the night went to Kaitlin Young and Leslie Smith who fought to a draw whilst submission of the night was awarded to Sarah Schneider. Liz Carmouche and Jessica Penne both received social media bonuses.[11]

On June 9, it was announced that Invicta has formed a strategic partnership with Japanese promotion JEWELS to cross-promote the world’s top female fighters on their respective fight cards in the United States and Japan.[12]

Invicta then held its second event (Invicta FC 2: Baszler vs. McMann) on July 28, 2012. Like the first event, it was made available as a free stream on the promotion's official website. The event was headlined by 2004 Summer Olympics women's freestyle wrestling silver medalist Sara McMann and Shayna Baszler.[13] Carla Esparza and Barb Honchak made their promotional debuts on this card. As part of the alliance with Japanese promotion Jewels, Jewels lightweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki was set to face undefeated Austrian fighter Jasminka Cive as part of the main event but Cive was unable to secure her visa in time and has been replaced by Lacey Shuckman.[5][14]

On September 24, 2012, Invicta announced a strategic alliance with the Super Fight League, which aims to bring the best Indian female fighters to Invicta, whilst Invicta will aim to send world class female mixed martial artists to the Super Fight League.[15]

Sara McMann was originally scheduled to fight for the Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship at Invicta FC 3 but this did not occur due to an injury to McMann.

Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama took place on October 6, 2012. Invicta continued their partnership with Jewels as Jessica Penne faced and beat the previously undefeated Jewels 105 lb champion Naho Sugiyama for the inaugural Invicta FC Atomweight Championship.

Also at Invicta FC 3, Leslie Smith fought Kaitlin Young in a rematch from their exciting "fight of the night" Invicta FC 1 bout where they fought to a draw. This time, Smith was able to get the better of Young and defeated her by TKO in the second round.[16] Invicta FC3 also saw the promotional debut of long time Women's Bantamweight and Flyweight standout Tara LaRosa, as well as the debuts of Michelle Waterson and Cat Zingano. Fight of the night bonuses went to Michelle Waterson and Lacey Schuckman. The submission of the night bonus was split between Jessamyn Duke and Stephanie Frausto while knockout of the night went to promotional newcomer Joanne Calderwood.

Move to online pay-per-view events

On December 19, Shannon Knapp announced Invicta FC 4 would air as an online pay-per-view.

Invicta Fighting Championships held their fourth event (Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt) on January 5, 2013. The event was headlined by the inaugural Invicta FC Strawweight Championship bout between Carla Esparza and Bec Hyatt (in Hyatt's promotional debut). Esparza was originally scheduled to fight Ayaka Hamasaki for the title but Hamasaki pulled out of the fight due to commitments to defending her JEWELS lightweight title. Hamasaki was originally replaced by undefeated Brazilian fighter Claudia Gadelha but on December 28, Gadelha was also forced to withdraw after suffering a broken nose in training. Esparza defeated Hyatt to become the first Invicta FC Strawweight Champion. Also Alexis Davis defeated Shayna Baszler in the card's fight of the night and Rose Namajunas won knock-out of the night in her professional MMA debut.

Due to purchasing issues on the night of the event, the event was streamed for free rather than pay per view and it was announced that all buyers would be refunded.

Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson took place on April 5th 2013. The card was headlined by Jessica Penne who lost her Invicta FC Atomweight Championship to "The Karate Hottie" Michelle Waterson. The event featured a co-main event of Vanessa Porto vs. Barb Honchak with the latter being crowned as the first Invicta FC Flyweight Champion. In addition, Sarah Kaufman and "Cyborg" Cristiane Justino both won in their Invicta FC debuts. On this occasion, the online pay per view went smoothly, avoiding any issues experiences at Invicta FC 4.

During Invicta FC 5, there were no issues with the Ustream pay-per-view system as there had been in January.

Televised Pay-Per-View

Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg took place on 13th July 2013, featuring the crowning of Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino as the inaugural Featherweight champion and a Strawweight title eliminator match won by Claudia Gadelha over Ayaka Hamasaki (previously unbeaten JEWELS lightweight champion). The winner will face champion Carla Esparza. The card also featured wins by Jessica Penne, Lauren Taylor, Tecia Torres, Leslie Smith and Joanne Calderwood.

This event was aired on cable and satellite pay-per-view in the United States and Canada in addition to their online PPV stream, as the promotion had come to a deal with Integrated Sports Media for live viewing.[17]

UFC Fight Pass

In early 2014 an agreement was announced that the Invicta fight library would be part of UFC Fight Pass. On July 10, Invicta and the UFC held a joint conference call to announce Invicta FC 8 would stream on Fight Pass. The September 6th event is scheduled to be headlined by Michelle Waterson's first title defence, vs Yasuko Tamada.[18]

Rules

Invicta's current rules follows the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts that were originally established by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board and modified by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.[19]

Events

Main article: Invicta FC events

[20]

Note: Upcoming events are listed in Italic.

# Event Title Date Arena Location Attendance
8 Invicta FC 8: Waterson vs. Tamada September 6, 2014 Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri
7 Invicta FC 7: Honchak vs. Smith December 7, 2013 Ameristar Casino Kansas City Kansas City, Missouri
6 Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg July 13, 2013 Ameristar Casino Kansas City Kansas City, Missouri
5 Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson April 5, 2013 Ameristar Casino Kansas City Kansas City, Missouri 1,147
4 Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt January 5, 2013 Memorial Hall Kansas City, Kansas
3 Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama October 6, 2012 Memorial Hall Kansas City, Kansas 600
2 Invicta FC 2: Baszler vs. McMann July 28, 2012 Memorial Hall Kansas City, Kansas
1 Invicta FC 1: Coenen vs. Ruyssen April 28, 2012 Memorial Hall Kansas City, Kansas

Current champions

Division Upper weight limit Champion Since Title Defenses Top Contender
Featherweight 145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st) Brazil Cristiane Justino July 13, 2013 (Invicta FC 6) 0
Bantamweight 135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st) Vacant
Flyweight 125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st) United States Barb Honchak April 5, 2013 (Invicta FC 5) 1
Strawweight 115 lb (52 kg; 8.2 st) Finland Katja Kankaanpää September 6, 2014 (Invicta FC 8) 0
Atomweight 105 lb (48 kg; 7.5 st) United States Michelle Waterson April 5, 2013 (Invicta FC 5) 1

Title history

Featherweight Championship

136 to 145 lbs (62 to 66 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Brazil Cristiane Justino
def. Netherlands Marloes Coenen 		Invicta FC 6:
Coenen vs. Cyborg
Kansas City, MO, USA 		July 13, 2013 4141 days
(incumbent)

Bantamweight Championship

126 to 135 lbs (57 to 61 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Lauren Murphy
def. United States Miriam Nakamoto 		Invicta FC 7:
Honchak vs. Smith
Kansas City, MO, USA 		December 7, 2013 208 days
Murphy vacated title on July 3, 2014 to sign with the UFC.

Flyweight Championship

116 to 125 lbs (53 to 56 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Barb Honchak
def. Brazil Vanessa Porto 		Invicta FC 5:
Penne vs. Waterson
Kansas City, MO, USA 		April 5, 2013 4240 days
(incumbent) 		1. def. Leslie Smith at Invicta FC 7 on Dec 7, 2013

Strawweight Championship

106 to 115 lbs (49 to 52 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Carla Esparza
def. Australia Bec Hyatt 		Invicta FC 4:
Esparza vs. Hyatt
Kansas City, KS, USA 		January 5, 2013 341 days
Esparza vacated title on December 11, 2013 to participate on The Ultimate Fighter 20.[21][22]
2 Finland Katja Kankaanpää
def. United States Stephanie Eggink 		Invicta FC 8:
Waterson vs. Tamada
Kansas City, MO, USA 		September 6, 2014 3721 days
(incumbent)

Atomweight Championship

96 to 105 lbs (44 to 48 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Jessica Penne
def. Japan Naho Sugiyama 		Invicta FC 3:
Penne vs. Sugiyama
Kansas City, KS, USA 		October 6, 2012 181 days
2 United States Michelle Waterson
 Invicta FC 5:
Penne vs. Waterson
Kansas City, MO, USA 		April 5, 2013 4240 days
(incumbent) 		1. def. Yasuko Tamada at Invicta FC 8 on Sept 6, 2014

References

  1. ^ "Invicta Fighting Championships, about". 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  2. ^ a b Paligaru, Matt (2012-03-24). "Shannon Knapp reveals how Invicta FC came together and what it means for women's MMA". United Kingdom: Fighters.com. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  3. ^ Ragsdale, Cheryl (August 29, 2011). "Marloes Coenen signs with Blackeye Promotions, the home for women's MMA: Fan reaction". sports.yahoo.com. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  4. ^ Sargent, Robert (2012-02-17). "All-Female Invicta Fighting Championships Debuts On April 28". Articles. Canada: MMARising.com. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  5. ^ a b "Invicta Fighting and JEWELS Form Strategic Partnership for Women's MMA". United States: MMA Weekly. 2012-06-09. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  6. ^ Saccaro, Matt (2012-04-26). "Invicta FC's Shannon Knapp Talks Providing 'Better Life for the Athletes'". MMA. United States: Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  7. ^ a b Hunt, Loretta (2012-04-27). "Invicta, new women's-only MMA series, was long time coming". Inside MMA. United States: SI.com. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  8. ^ Adams, Jason (2012-03-21). "Janet Martin Interview". United States: Promoting Real Women blog. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  9. ^ a b c "Marloes Coenen, Romy Ruyssen Headline Invicta Fighting Championships' All-Female Card". News. United States: Sherdog.com. 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2012-06-15. Cite error: The named reference "Invicta 1 debut" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  10. ^ "As debut nears, Invicta's Randi Miller not interested in Ronda Rousey's 'easy road'". News. United States: MMAjunkie.com. 2012-04-09. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  11. ^ Sargent, Robert (2012-04-29). "Invicta FC 1 Bonuses: Young, Smith Win Fight Of The Night". Articles. Canada: MMARising.com. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  12. ^ "Invicta Fighting and JEWELS Form Strategic Partnership for Women's MMA". Articles. MMAWeekly.com. 2012-08-29. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
  13. ^ "Sara McMann Faces Shayna Baszler In Invicta FC 2 Headliner". Canada: MMARising.com. 2012-04-28. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  14. ^ "Invicta FC Partners with Jewels to Create Top Female Fights". United States: The Fight Network. 2012-06-07. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  15. ^ "Super Fight League to Develop Women's MMA Talent". mmapundit.co.uk. September 24, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  16. ^ "Invicta FC 3 Results: Penne vs. Sugiyama".
  17. ^ http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/06/invicta-fc-6-to-air-on-cable-and-satellite-pay-per-view-in-u-s-and-canada Invicta FC 6 cable and satellite pay-per-view to cost just $14.95
  18. ^ http://www.mmafighting.com/2014/7/10/5888381/invicta-fc-8-waterson-vs-tamada-set-for-ufc-fight-pass-debut
  19. ^ "NSAC Regulations: CHAPTER 467 - UNARMED COMBAT". Nevada State Athletic Commission. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  20. ^ "INVICTA FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  21. ^ Simon, Zane (2013-12-11). "UFC announces signing of 11 women strawweights for TUF season, winner becomes first UFC 115lb champ". United States: Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2013-12-13.
  22. ^ "Invicta FC Strawweight title vacated". United States: Twitter. Retrieved 2013-12-13.
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