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Episode 8: Invicta FC 16 Hamasaki vs. Brown Post-Fight Wrap

Following Invicta FC 16: Hamasaki vs. Brown, Invicta FC play-by-play commentator TJ De Santis, color commentator Julie Kedzie, in-cage interviewer Laura Sanko and staff writer Rob Tatum sat down to discuss the event and share their thoughts on the night’s action.

On this special post-fight show, the panel recapped the action-packed card that saw Ayaka Hamasaki defend her atomweight crown by defeating Amber Brown in the night’s main event. They also discussed the title-clinching performance of Jennifer Maia who defeated Vanessa Porto, Irene Aldana’s stoppage of Jessamyn Duke and Angela Hill’s knockout of Stephanie Eggink.

Invicta FC 16 Results: Hamasaki Retains, Maia Captures Gold

Las Vegas — On Friday, March 11, Invicta Fighting Championships visited the Trinidad Pavilion at Tropicana Las Vegas for its 16th event. The event streamed live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Invicta atomweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki faced adversity in her first title defense against challenger Amber Brown, but the Japanese fighter retained her belt with a third-round armbar finish. Hamasaki landed a takedown in round one and landed punches from the top position, but Brown threw up a triangle choke and Hamasaki was forced to defend. Round two was nearly a carbon-copy of the first, but Hamasaki attacked the right arm of Brown with a keylock and a straight armbar attempt. In round three, Hamasaki’s repeated attacks on Brown’s arm paid off as she was able to extend the arm and coerce a tap.

Brazilians Jennifer Maia and Vanessa Porto put on a show in the night’s co-main event, with Maia leaving the cage with the interim flyweight title. Porto came out aggressive, dropping Maia with a right hand in the opening stanza. Maia recovered, but Porto continued to come forward with kicks. Porto scored with a big slam in round two and nearly locked in an armbar. Maia survived the early action and established her range on the feet. Porto’s nose bled badly as the fight wore on, as Maia’s combinations found a home. Maia surprisingly locked up an armbar of her own in round four, but Porto was able to defend. The fifth round decided the title affair, with Maia proving to be the fresher fighter. Maia sought a late guillotine that Porto escaped, but the judges handed Maia Invicta FC gold.

Strawweight Angela Hill proved that stepping up on short notice was no big deal, as she stopped former title fighter Stephanie Eggink by second-round TKO. Hill was in Eggink’s face early, but Eggink found openings for body kicks. As Eggink continued to kick, Hill found her timing and began to counter. Multiple overhand rights found the jaw of Eggink and in round two, a heavy shot sent her crashing to the ground. Hill followed with more punches and the referee waved off the bout.

Mexico’s Irene Aldana needed just three minutes to give UFC veteran Jessamyn Duke a rude welcome back to the Invicta cage. The bantamweights exchanged punches from the opening bell, with Aldana repeatedly finding Duke’s jaw with her right hand. A heavy shot wobbled Duke along the cage and Aldana smelled blood. She unleashed a flurry of body shots that saw Duke crumble to the canvas for the TKO.

Veteran Roxanne Modafferi and former title challenger DeAnna Bennett battled hard for three rounds. Modafferi’s forward pressure was the story of the fight, as she frequently backed Bennett against the cage. Bennett earned a big slam in the first round, but the action largely played out on the feet. Modafferi’s volume punching forced Bennett to counter with body kicks, but she could not match the output. When it was all said and done, the judges were split; leaving Modafferi victorious.

Atomweight Jinh Yu Frey made her case for a title shot, outworking former titleholder Herica Tiburcio en route to a unanimous decision win. The pair spent the majority of the fight on the feet, trading combinations. Tiburcio chewed up the lead leg of Frey with kicks, but Frey’s ability to counter with punches were the difference. Frey dropped Tiburcio with a left hand late in round two, but ultimately the fight went the distance.

Making her flyweight debut, veteran Sarah D’Alelio outlasted a very game Andrea Lee, scoring a late, third-round submission victory. Lee’s striking arsenal was on display in the first frame, as she battered the lead leg of D’Alelio. D’Alelio answered with wrestling in the middle round, leading to a do-or-die final five minutes. Lee scored with a gorgeous hip toss along the cage, but D’Alelio scrambled to top position and then transitioned to Lee’s back. Once there, she slapped on the fight-finishing rear-naked choke and Lee was forced to tap.

Stepping in on short notice, unbeaten Aspen Ladd put on a clinic in her bantamweight debut. Ladd immediately took opponent Kelly McGill to the ground and showcased her strong grappling game. Ladd threatened with choke attempts, but it was her steady stream of punches and elbows that took its toll on McGill. In the third stanza, Ladd poured it on and forced the referee to halt the contest.

In the night’s opening bout, debuting strawweights Ashley Greenway and Sarah Click fought hard for three rounds. Click scored with kicks early, but Greenway found her range midway through the fight. The final frame was all Greenway as she scored a takedown and tied Click into knots with multiple submission attempts. The judges rewarded Greenway for her efforts with a unanimous decision nod.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Ayaka Hamasaki def. Amber Brown by submission (armbar). Round 3, 2:52 – for atomweight title
Jennifer Maia def. Vanessa Porto by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) – for interim flyweight title
Angela Hill def. Stephanie Eggink by TKO (punches). Round 2, 2:36
Irene Aldana def. Jessamyn Duke by TKO (punches). Round 1, 3:08
Roxanne Modafferi def. DeAnna Bennett by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Jinh Yu Frey def. Herica Tiburcio by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Sarah D’Alelio def. Andrea Lee by submission (rear-naked choke). Round 3, 4:21
Aspen Ladd def. Kelly McGill by TKO (strikes). Round 3, 1:47
Ashley Greenway def. Sarah Click by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-28)


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 16: Hamasaki vs. Brown Official Weigh-in Results

Las Vegas — On Thursday, March 10, Invicta Fighting Championships hosted the weigh-ins for Invicta FC 16: Hamasaki vs. Brown, which takes place Friday, March 10, from the Trinidad Pavilion at Tropicana Las Vegas. The event will stream live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass at 8:30 p.m. ET.

The main event will see recently crowned atomweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki (12-1) make her first title defense against the hard-charging Amber Brown (6-1). Japan’s Hamasaki captured gold last July with a decision win over Herica Tiburcio at Invicta FC 13. Brown, meanwhile, has won three straight in the Invicta cage, including back-to-back, first-round submission finishes. She topped Shino VanHoose at Invicta FC 15 in January via guillotine choke.

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. Both fighters enter the match-up riding three-fight winning streaks. Porto was most recently in action against Roxanne Modafferi at Invicta FC 12, while Maia will return to the Invicta cage after three bouts in her home country.

Below are the results of the event’s weigh-ins, which were held at the Tropicana Hotel Lounge.

Atomweight Title: Ayaka Hamasaki (104.9) vs. Amber Brown (104.7)
Interim Flyweight Title: Vanessa Porto (124.4) vs. Jennifer Maia (124.6)
Strawweight: Stephanie Eggink (115) vs. Angela Hill (115)
Bantamweight:* Irene Aldana (136.6) vs. Jessamyn Duke (134.9)
Flyweight: Roxanne Modafferi (125.1) vs. DeAnna Bennett (124.5)
Atomweight:* Herica Tiburcio (106.9) vs. Jinh Yu Frey (105.5)
Flyweight: Andrea Lee (125.3) vs. Sarah D’Alelio (125.2)
Bantamweight: Kelly McGill (135.3) vs. Aspen Ladd (135.9)
Strawweight: Ashley Greenway (115.4) vs. Sarah Click (115.8)

* – these bouts were contracted at 136 and 106 pounds, respectively. With the commission’s one-pound allowance, both fights are official.


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).

Episode 7: Invicta FC 16 ‘Hamasaki vs. Brown’ Preview

Jack Encarnacao is back on Invicta FC Radio for the inaugural “Invicta FC Radio Preview” show.

On this broadcast Encarnacao welcomes in MMAFighting.com’s Marc Raimondi, MMARising’s Robert Sargent and Kristin Usry from WMMARoundup.com to breakdown tomorrow night’s Invicta FC 16 card which pits atomweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki against Amber Brown in the main event.

The group also discussed the co-main event between Brazilians Vanessa Porto and Jennifer Maia. The pair will battle for the interim flyweight title.

Listen below for the groups analysis and picks of the two title clashes, as well as the rest of the fight card.

Invicta FC 16 Adds Angela Hill and Aspen Ladd

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 16: A Deeper Look

Invicta FC returns to Las Vegas on March 11 with a very exciting fight card. The two headlining bouts will crown an atomweight and interim flyweight champion.

The main event will be a bout to remember, as the current champion, Ayaka Hamasaki, will look to defend her belt and improve to 13-1 against prospect Amber Brown.

Hamasaki is one of the top female fighters on the planet. Having only one setback in her career against Claudia Gadelha, she has been dominant. Hamasaki holds notable wins over Herica Tiburcio, Emi Fujino and Lacey Schuckman.

Amber “The Bully” Brown (6-1) is unbeaten in Invicta FC, and has finished the majority of her opponents. Most recently, she submitted Shino VanHoose in the first round at Invicta FC 15 to become the top contender for the champion. In addition, she has defeated Catherine Costigan and Liz McCarthy all under the Invicta banner.

The co-main event is a rematch for the interim Invicta FC flyweight championship, as the current champion Barb Honchak needed some time off. Fighting for the belt will be Brazilians Vanessa Porto and Jennifer Maia.

Porto and Maia fought previously back in 2011 in Brazil. Porto won the match in the second round by an arm lock to become Maia’s first professional loss.

Porto is a veteran of 24 professional fights, with a combined record of 18-6. She earned the title shot after defeating Zoila Frausto and Roxanne Modafferi. Her last loss was in 2013 against Honchak by decision. In her career spanning back to 2005, she has fought some of the best; Carina Damm, Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, Tonya Evinger, Amanda Nunes and more.

Maia (12-4-1) has gone 1-2 in Invicta FC, holding a win over the aforementioned Frausto. She lost to title contender DeAnna Bennett in her last fight in Invicta. She has won her last three fights, two by TKO.

The next fight on the main card is a strawweight bout between Alexa Grasso and Stephanie Eggink.

Grasso is unbeaten as a professional mixed martial artist, holding a record of 7-0 (3-0 in Invicta). In her last fight against Mizuki Inoue, she was awarded fight of the night. She has also defeated Alida Gray and Ashley Cummins in Invicta.

Eggink (4-2) looks to get her first Invicta win. She made her debut for the organization in 2014, and lost to then-champion Katja Kankaanpaa by submission. Prior to joining Invicta FC, Eggink was the XFC strawweight champion, which she earned after submitting Angela Magana. She has defeated Brianna Van Buren and Heather Clark.

UFC veteran, Jessamyn Duke, will look to get back on the winning track against Invicta FC title contender Irene Aldana. Duke started her professional career in Invicta, finishing Suzie Montero and Marciea Allen. She appeared on The Ultimate Fighter and fought Peggy Morgan in her UFC debut. Duke won by decision, but is in the midst of a three-fight skid.

Aldana defeated Morgan and Colleen Schneider by a rear-naked choke in the Invicta cage, earning her a shot at the champion Tonya Evinger in July of 2015. She lost to the champion by TKO in the fourth round. This will be another tough test for the explosive prospect.

The main card is stacked, but the prelims will have a lot of exciting match ups as well. Strikeforce veteran Roxanne Modafferi will take on contender DeAnna Bennett, Jinh Yu Frey will fight former champion Herica Tiburcio, Sarah D’Alelio will fight fan favorite Andrea Lee, Kelly McGill will fight rising star Amberlynn Orr, and Sarah Click will fight Ashley Greenway.

The fights will be available to watch on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET, or you can catch them live at the Trinidad Pavilion at the Tropicana Las Vegas.


This article was authored by guest writer, Matthew Pearlman. You can find more of his work at TeensOnSports.com.

Invicta FC Returns to Las Vegas on March 11

Kansas City, Mo. — Invicta Fighting Championships is headed back to Sin City for its 16th event.

Today the promotion announced that it will visit the Trinidad Pavilion at Tropicana Las Vegas on Friday, March 11. The event will stream live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET.

The main event will see recently crowned atomweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki (12-1) make her first title defense against the hard-charging Amber Brown (6-1). Japan’s Hamasaki captured gold last July with a decision win over Herica Tiburcio at Invicta FC 13. Brown, meanwhile, has won three straight in the Invicta cage, including back-to-back, first-round submission finishes. She topped Shino VanHoose at Invicta FC 15 in January via guillotine choke.

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. Both fighters enter the match-up riding three-fight winning streaks. Porto was most recently in action against Roxanne Modafferi at Invicta FC 12, while Maia will return to the Invicta cage after three bouts in her home country.

The rest of the card is stacked with exciting match-ups. Unbeaten Mexican phenom Alexa Grasso (7-0) meets former title challenger Stephanie Eggink (4-2) at strawweight, recent bantamweight title combatant Irene Aldana (5-2) welcomes UFC veteran Jessamyn Duke (3-3) back to the promotion, veteran Roxanne Modafferi (18-12) will face DeAnna Bennett (8-1) in her return to the flyweight division, former atomweight champion Herica Tiburcio (9-3) takes on Jinh Yu Frey (4-1), and Andrea Lee (4-1) will clash with Sarah D’Alelio (8-6) in her flyweight debut.

Rounding out the card, bantamweight Kelly McGill (2-0) returns from injury to meet newcomer Amberlynn Orr (0-0), while strawweights Ashley Greenway (0-0) and Sarah Click (0-0) make their professional debuts.

The 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: Alexa Grasso (7-0) vs. Stephanie Eggink (4-2)
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. Amberlynn Orr (0-0)
Strawweight: Ashley Greenway (0-0) vs. Sarah Click (0-0)

Tickets for Invicta FC 16 go on sale Friday, Feb. 19. Tickets will be 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).