Invicta Fighting Championships held its sixth all-female event tonight at the Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. Invicta FC 6 featured a pivotal featherweight championship rematch between former Strikeforce champions Marloes “Rumina” Coenen and Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino.

Also on tonight’s card, unbeaten standouts Ayaka Hamasaki and Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha faced off in a strawweight title eliminator bout. Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio took on rising star Lauren Taylor at 135 pounds. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the Invicta FC 6 card.

 

Invicta FC Featherweight Championship

Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino vs Marloes “Rumina” Coenen

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is John McCarthy. Cyborg landed a big right hand right away and Coenen initiated a clinch. Cyborg held her against the fence until Coenen punched her way free. Cyborg landed a flurry and Coenen tied her up again. Cyborg whipped Coenen to the ground, then stood over her and dropped heavy punches. Coenen held on and the fighters were stood up.

Cyborg floored Coenen with a right hook and dropped down with more punches, but Coenen recovered and got back to her feet. She clinched and held Cyborg against the cage, but was unsuccessful in getting the fight to the ground. Cyborg landed a hard one-two on the feet and violently slammed Coenen down with a German suplex. She closed out the round on top in side control. 10-9 Cyborg, if not a 10-8.

Round 2:
Coenen tried to get the fight to the ground in round two, but Cyborg stood and battered her with more strikes on the feet. She slammed Coenen downa nd easily avoided a kneebar attempt. Back on the feet, Cyborg floored Coenen with punches and dove in with more strikes on the ground, but Coenen recovered and got back to her feet. Cyborg continued to dominate the remainder of the round on the feet. 10-8 Cyborg.

Round 3:
Cyborg dragged Coenen back down to the mat in round three, but allowed her to stand in order to continue to punish her with strikes. She took Coenen down again and struck from the top. Coenen got back to her feet and landed a combination, then tried to pull guard. Cyborg unloaded with a huge flurry of punches on the feet, but Coenen somehow stayed up. Cyborg landed a barrage of knees before the bell. 10-8 Cyborg.

Round 4:
Cyborg opened round four with a body kick and more knees. Coenen reversed a clinch against the cage. Cyborg took Coenen down and struck from the top. The fighters were stood up after an inadvertent illegal upkick and Cyborg dropped Coenen with punches. Cyborg moved to mount and continued to rain down strikes. Finally, referee John McCarthy intervened to stop the fight.

Winner: Cristiane Justino by TKO (Punches & Elbows) at 4:02 of round four. She improves to 12-1-0, 1 ND and becomes the first Invicta FC Featherweight Champion.

 

Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha vs Ayaka Hamasaki

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Greg Franklin. The fighters battled for position in a clinch against the cage early in the fight and Gadelha scored an impressive takedown to get the fight to the mat. Gadelha worked to pass Hamasaki’s half-guard, but she could not do so. With 80 seconds to go, Gadelha postured up and landed short punches and hammerfists. Hamasaki defended well from the bottom and kept Gadelha tied up. Gadelha stood and landed an illegal knee just before the bell sounded. She was deducted one point. 9-9.

Round 2:
Hamasaki looked for a takedown early in round two, but Gadelha defended and took Hamasaki down. Gadelha moved to side control and landed short elbow strikes. Hamasaki got back to half-guard, but Gadelha landed some solid left hands from the top. Hamasaki tried to scramble up to her feet, but Gadelha used the opportunity to move to mount. She landed punches and elbows and locked on an arm-triangle choke. Hamasaki was saved by the bell. 10-8 Gadelha.

Round 3:
Gadelha took Hamasaki’s back and dragged her to the mat right away in round three. She tried for a reverse arm-triangle choke and then began working for a rear-naked choke. Hamasaki escaped and wound up in Gadelha’s guard. She postured up with punches and passed to half-guard. Hamasaki pinned down Gadelha’s arm and tried to roll for an armbar, but she lost the position.

Gadelha wound up on Hamasaki’s back again and landed hard punches. Hamasaki rolled over and gave up mount. Gadelha used punches and hammerfists to try to set up an armbar. Gadelha landed more punches as Hamasaki turtled and the fight was stopped.

Winner: Claudia Gadelha by TKO (Punches) at 3:58 of round three. She improves to 11-0-0.

 

Lauren Taylor vs Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Mike England. Taylor landed a knee early on and D’Alelio immediately responded with a combination and a body kick. Taylor caught it and held D’Alelio against the fence. She managed to get D’Alelio down, but D’Alelio scrambled and took her back. D’Alelio tried to set up a rear-naked choke and switched to an armbar, but Taylor rolled through to escape. The fighters stood against the cage and Taylor tripped D’Alelio again. D’Alelio attempted a triangle choke, but let it go before time expired. 10-9 D’Alelio.

Round 2:
D’Alelio countered combinations from Taylor with jabs and uppercuts in round two. She landed a hard body kick, but Taylor caught it and tried for a takedown. D’Alelio pulled her leg free and landed another body kick. Time was called after D’Alelio was kneed in the groin. The fight resumed and D’Alelio continued to try to counter Taylor’s straight punches with short uppercuts.

Taylor jabbed and D’Alelio scored with a hard uppercut. Taylor clinched and dropped levels for a takedown. She eventually got D’Alelio down, but D’Alelio used the cage to get back to her feet. Taylor landed a stiff jab and a nice right cross. She countered a leg kick with another right hand shortly before the bell. 10-9 Taylor.

Round 3:
Taylor flurried in the final round and D’Alelio responded with more jabs and uppercuts. The fighters traded big punches and both landed cleanly. Taylor repeatedly found a home for her right cross, but D’Alelio snuck in a series of short left hooks. Taylor appeared to be landing the more effective punches, but D’Alelio mixed up her strikes with leg kicks in order to keep her opponent guessing.

More right hands landed for Taylor and she ducked under D’Alelio’s counters. D’Alelio began to bleed from the nose as Taylor tagged her with jabs and one-twos. Taylor connected with more right hands in the final 30 seconds and that set off one last exchange of power punches. D’Alelio landed well, but Taylor’s crisp punches appeared to be enough to take the round. 10-9 Taylor.

Judge Henry Gueary: 29-28 Taylor, Judge Brett Miller: 29-28 Taylor, Judge Jackson Harper: 30-27 Taylor.

Winner: Lauren Taylor by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 7-0-0.

 

Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith vs Jennifer Maia

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is John McCarthy. Maia opened the action with a one-two and a body kick, but she ate a left hook in return. Smith landed a kick to the upper body and walked forward with punches, but Maia clinched and held her against the fence. Smith broke free and landed more punches. She caught a body kick and slammed Maia down. Maia attempted an armbar and Smith escaped. Maia tried to sweep, but Smith countered with an armbar of her own.

The fighters stood and exchanged punches and body kicks. Smith landed a right hook and Maia blocked a head kick. Smith backed Maia up to the cage with punches, but Maia landed an elbow and circled to her right. Smith flurried once again, but Maia connected with a hard right hook. Smith swarmed on Maia with punches, knees and two head kicks. She narrowly missed with a spinning back elbow. 10-9 Smith.

Round 2:
Both women teed off with punches right away in round two and Maia took Smith down. Smith used a kneebar attempt to sweep into top position. She postured up with two elbow strikes and looked to pass to side control. Maia defended and got back to her feet. Smith landed a combination, but Maia began to land more frequently with her punches and she mixed in more body kicks.

Smith backed Maia up with a stiff jab, but Maia regained her footing and landed a nice jab of her own. Smith let off a lengthy combination, but Maia continued to counter well. Maia took Smith down against the cage, but she had to fight off an armbar and an omoplata. Maia escaped and Smith finished the round with a toe hold attempt. 10-9 Smith, barely, due to the late submissions.

Round 3:
Maia landed a front kick to the face to begin round three and that set off another exchange of huge power punches as both women refused to give in. Time was called after Maia was poked in the eye, but action resumed and Smith landed a flurry and a leg kick. Maia held her ground and fired back with punches, but Smith scored with big knees against the cage. Maia took Smith down and fought out of an arm-triangle choke.

Maia rolled into a Brabo Choke and Smith acted quickly to escape. Smith wound up on top in Maia’s half-guard and rained down two elbows. She looked to set up a guillotine choke from the top, but let it go in favour of battering Maia with punches from mount. Maia got back to half-guard, but Smith kept her pinned down with punches until the end of the fight. 10-9 Smith.

Judge Ross Swanberg: 29-28 Smith. Judge Henry Gueary: 30-27 Smith. Judge Brett Miller: 30-27 Smith.

Winner: Leslie Smith by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 6-3-1.

 

Jessica Penne vs Nicdali “The Night Queen” Rivera-Calanoc

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Greg Franklin. Rivera-Calanoc looked to establish her jab early on as Penne circled on the outside and picked her shots with one-twos. A nice left hook scored for Penne and the fighters exchanged combinations in close. Rivera-Calanoc landed a solid right hand, but Penne immediately took her down.

Penne tried to move to mount, but Rivera-Calanoc kicked her off. Penne stood, then dropped back down into Rivera-Calanoc’s half-guard in search of a top-side guillotine choke. She got to mount and landed punches, then took Rivera-Calanoc’s back. Penne locked on a rear-naked choke and Rivera-Calanoc tried to hold on, but tapped out with seconds remaining in the round.

Winner: Jessica Penne by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 4:57 of round one. She improves to 11-2-0.

 

Joanne “JoJo” Calderwood vs Norma Rueda Center

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Mike England. Both women were cautious in the early goings until Rueda Center threw a kick-punch combo that was immediately answered by a left hook from Calderwood. Rueda Center pressed forward and clinched, but not before Calderwood landed another short left hand. Rueda Center threw a jumping switch knee to the body and Calderwood fired back with a right hook. She stuffed a takedown and blasted Rueda Center with a three-punch combo.

Calderwood held Rueda Center against the cage and landed knees to the body and an elbow. Rueda Center circled to the side and Calderwood walked her down with more punches. Rueda Center looked to counter with front kicks to the body and lead right hooks. Calderwood clinched and landed more standing elbows, but Rueda Center scored a takedown and took back control as time expired. 10-9 Calderwood.

Round 2:
Calderwood kicked at Rueda Center’s lead leg in the second round and Rueda Center answered with a lunging right hook that found its mark. Calderwood continued to target Rueda Center’s leg with kicks. She backed Rueda Center up with a knee and a combination in close. Calderwood held Rueda Center against the fence and put together one-twos.

Rueda Center created space and backed away. She jabbed as Calderwood came forward with another knee. Rueda Center attempted a takedown and nearly got it, but Calderwood quickly returned to her feet. Rueda Center landed an elbow over the top and just missed with a spinning backfist. Calderwood scored with a knee to the body in the final seconds. 10-9 Calderwood.

Round 3:
Rueda Center secured a takedown early in the final round and she briefly struck from the top. Calderwood worked back to her feet against the cage, but she was promptly taken down again. Calderwood countered ground and pound from Rueda Center with an armbar off of her back. Rueda Center defended against the armbar until the fighters were stood up with 20 seconds to go. Calderwood tripped Rueda Center at the bell. Very close round. 10-9 Rueda Center.

Judge Brett Miller: 29-28 Calderwood. Judge Henry Gueary: 30-27 Calderwood. Judge Ross Swanberg: 29-28 Calderwood.

Winner: Joanne Calderwood by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 7-0-0.

 

Mizuki Inoue vs Bec “Rowdy” Hyatt

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Greg Franklin. Hyatt scored with an overhand right in the opening seconds and she followed with a flurry in close. Inoue answered with a quick one-two and a right hand. She avoided most of Hyatt’s punches, but Hyatt managed to land a right cross. Inoue landed a knee in the clinch and tried for a trip takedown.

Both fighters landed knees to the body in a lengthy clinch against the cage and Inoue mixed in leg kicks. Inoue circled away and forced Hyatt to backpedal after landing a flurry. Inoue got the fight to the ground and attempted an armbar in the late stages of the round. Hyatt escaped and landed ground and pound. Extremely close round. 10-9 Inoue, barely.

Round 2:
Hyatt initiated a clinch in round two and the fighters once again exchanged knees in the clinch. Inoue took Hyatt down and landed short punches and elbows from half-guard. She stood over Hyatt and landed more punches while trying to pass to mount. Inoue got to side control and scored with knees to the body. Hyatt worked back to her feet and Inoue kneed her thighs. Inoue landed a combination and Hyatt answered with uppercuts. Inoue took her down before the bell. 10-9 Inoue.

Round 3:
Both fighters landed jab-cross combos early in the final round. Hyatt fired off a three-punch flurry and forced Inoue to circle to the side. Hyatt remained aggressive, but Inoue ducked and parried most of her punches. Inoue began to establish her jab and she followed with a right hook over the top. A counter left hook landed for Inoue and Hyatt replied with uppercuts and a knee.

Both women scored with strikes in a brief clinch and Inoue added a left hook after Hyatt backed away. A nice one-two connected for Inoue, but Hyatt answered right back with another uppercut. Hyatt kept the pressure on and an exchange of right hooks ensued. Inoue reversed a clinch and landed short knees. Hyatt punched with her free hand until the end of the fight. Another razor-thin round. 10-9 Hyatt by a narrow margin.

Judge Ross Swanberg: 29-28 Inoue. Judge Henry Gueary: 29-28 Inoue. Judge Brett Miller: 29-28 Inoue.

Winner: Mizuki Inoue by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 6-1-0.

 

“The Queen of Mean” Miriam Nakamoto vs “Diamond” Duda Yankovich

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Mike England. Nakamoto opened the action with a knee to the body and she followed with more in the clinch. Nakamoto landed slashing elbow strikes and dropped Yankovich with a knee. Yankovich recovered on the ground and attempted a heel hook. Nakamoto punched her way free and landed another huge knee after Yankovich stood. Yankovich crumpled to the mat and Nakamoto unloaded with punches until the fight was stopped.

Winner: Miriam Nakamoto by TKO (Knee & Punches) at 2:08 of round one. She improves to 2-0-0, 1 NC.

 

Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres vs “Thug” Rose Namajunas

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is John McCarthy. Torres landed quick body kicks to open the fight and ducked under Namajunas’s counters. Namajunas landed a combination and Torres used a headlock throw to get her down. Namajunas attempted a triangle choke and Torres punched free. She stood to escape a heel hook and landed more punches as Namajunas stood. Torres flurried in close and avoided an axe kick. Namajunas mixed up her strikes with more kicks, but Torres connected with a lead right hook.

Namajunas landed a hard right of her own and the fighters exchanged leg kicks. Namajunas looked to clinch and Torres punched her way free. More kicks were exchanged and Namajunas went high with one to the body. She jumped into a flying armbar, but Torres punched her way out. Namajunas locked on another deep armbar, but Torres again escaped and she landed a flurry before the bell. Excellent round. 10-9 Torres.

Round 2:
Namajunas countered a leg kick with a lead right hook that sent Torres off-balance in round two. She followed with a kick to the body. Torres landed a grazing head kick and a side kick to the chest. She knocked Namajunas down with another side kick and both women landed hard right hands in an exchange. Namajunas attempted an axe kick and she blocked a head kick.

Torres stayed out of range of Namajunas’s jabs and she backed Namajunas up with a lengthy combination. Namajunas circled out and Torres continued to walk her down with punches. Namajunas scored with right-hand counters, but Torres remained the aggressor. She caught a kick and threw Namajunas to the mat. Once again, Torres landed a flurry that backed Namajunas up against the cage. Torres fell as both fighters landed leg kicks before the bell. 10-9 Torres.

Round 3:
Torres ducked under a head kick and landed a side kick in the final round. She followed with a body kick and Namajunas responded with one of her own. Torres put together a two-punch combination and ended with a body kick. Namajunas countered with a right hook. Namajunas took Torres down with a headlock, but Torres wound up on her back. Namajunas spun into top position in half-guard. Torres kicked her off, but Namajunas prevented Torres from standing up.

Namajunas returned to Torres’s half-guard and Torres quickly regained full guard. Namajunas landed short punches and postured up, but Torres scored with an upkick. Namajunas dropped back down into Torres’s guard. Torres transitioned to an armbar, but Namajunas kept a leg in to defend. The fighters briefly stood and Namajunas tripped Torres to the mat. She closed out the fight on top in Torres’s half-guard. 10-9 Namajunas.

Judge Brett Miller: 29-28 Torres. Judge Jackson Harper: 30-27 Torres. Judge Ross Swanberg: 29-28 Torres.

Winner: Tecia Torres by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 3-0-0.

 

Ediane “India” Gomes vs Tamikka “Boom Boom” Brents

*Note: Fight scrapped. Brents sustained a knee injury backstage minutes before the fight.

 

Emily Kagan vs Ashley “Smashley” Cummins

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Greg Franklin. Cummins landed a right cross in the opening seconds and followed with a one-two. Kagan answered with two left hooks and the fighters exchanged hard punches in close. Cummins scored with a left-right combo and clinched. Kagan backed away and ate another one-two. Cummins remained aggressive with her punches and she clinched again.

Both women landed knees in the clinch and Cummins tried for a trip takedown. Kagan circled away and Cummins continued to press the action. Kagan landed some quick left hand counters before Cummins clinched once more. Kagan kneed to the body and Cummins finished the round with punches and a standing elbow. 10-9 Cummins.

Round 2:
The fighters exchanged cautious strikes in round two. Cummins missed with a big right hand and slipped, but quickly got back to her feet. Kagan landed straight lefts and mixed in body kicks. Cummins picked up the pace with a combination, but Kagan backed her up with another left cross. Cummins began to throw winging punches and Kagan dropped her with a counter left.

Cummins got back to her feet and sent Kagan off-balance with a right hook. The fighters clinched against the fence and Cummins hopped on Kagan’s back. Kagan shrugged her off, but Cummins jumped on her back again. Cummins attempted an armbar from a high back control and Kagan popped free. She struck from the top until the bell. Very close round. 10-9 Kagan.

Round 3:
Kagan landed a body kick early in the final round and Cummins clinched. Kagan elbowed the side of Cummins’ head and broke free of the clinch after landing two knees to the body. Cummins countered inside-leg kicks with right hooks. She backed Kagan up with a head kick and punches.

Cummins continued to mix up her strikes with punches and kicks. The fighters clinched against the fence and Kagan quickly circled away. Cummins landed a lead left hook and secured a body lock. She held Kagan against the fence and landed knees to the body. 10-9 Cummins.

Judge Henry Gueary: 30-27 Kagan. Judge Brett Miller: 29-28 Cummins. Judge Jackson Harper: 30-27 Kagan.

Winner: Emily Kagan by Split Decision (30-27, 30-27, 28-29) after three rounds. She improves to 3-1-0.

 

Livia “T-Rex” von Plettenberg vs Kathina “Kill Switch” Catron

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Mike England. Catron scored with a pair of hard right hands early on and von Plettenberg answered with one of her own. The fighters traded knees and one-twos. Von Plettenberg took Catron down and fought off an armbar. She transitioned to back control and worked for a rear-naked choke, but Catron turned into her guard.

The fight returned to the feet and both women landed knees in the clinch. Catron followed with a nice one-two combo and she caught a kick from von Plettenberg. Catron landed short punches and von Plettenberg locked on an armbar just before the bell. Close opening round. 10-9 Catron.

Round 2:
Von Plettenberg took Catron’s back and dragged her to the mat in round two, but Catron reversed on the way down and wound up in von Plettenberg’s guard. Back on the feet, Catron just missed with a spinning backfist. She landed a stiff jab, but von Plettenberg took her down into half-guard. Von Plettenberg moved to mount and then to back control.

Catron punched backwards while defending against von Plettenberg’s rear-naked choke attempts. Von Plettenberg trapped Catron’s right arm and continued to work for the choke. Catron eventually spun into her guard and the fighters stood again. Von Plettenberg ducked under a right hand and slammed Catron down. She landed punches from the top. 10-9 von Plettenberg.

Round 3:
Von Plettenberg tried for another early takedown in round three, but Catron stayed on her feet. Catron landed a knee and a right hand as von Plettenberg held her against the cage. Catron punched free and backed away. Von Plettenberg landed a nice jab and Catron responded with a body kick. She attempted a standing guillotine choke and switched to a front crucifix.

Von Plettenberg finally got Catron down and postured up in her guard. She moved to North-South position and then to side control. Catron got back to full guard and she looked for an armbar from the bottom. Von Plettenberg passed back to half-guard and stood up just before the end of the fight. 10-9 von Plettenberg.

Judge Jackson Harper: 30-27 von Plettenberg. Judge Ross Swanberg: 29-28 von Plettenberg. Judge Henry Gueary: 29-28 von Plettenberg.

Winner: Livia von Plettenberg by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 2-1-0.