Invicta Fighting Championships held its ninth event tonight at RiverCenter in Davenport, Iowa. Invicta FC 9 was headlined by a flyweight championship bout between reigning Invicta FC champion Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak and Deep Jewels titleholder Takayo Hashi, who made her Invicta FC debut.

Also on the card tonight, Deep Jewels Lightweight Champion Mizuki Inoue took on KSW Women’s Strawweight Champion Karolina Kowalkiewicz in the 115-pound co-feature. Kaitlin Young returned to Invicta FC against Raquel “Rocky” Pa’aluhi. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.

 

Invicta FC Flyweight Championship

Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak vs Takayo Hashi

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Rob Hinds. Honchak pinned Hashi against the cage in the opening minute. She kept her trapped there and worked for a takedown. Hashi defended and stayed on her feet. Both women landed knees to the body as the fight entered a stalemate in the clinch. Honchak broke away with an elbow and followed with stiff jabs. She clinched and backed Hashi up to the cage once more. 10-9 Honchak.

Round 2:
Honchak spun Hashi around with a kick to the knee in round two and the fighters clinched against the fence. Honchak held Hashi in place and landed short knees to the midsection. She briefly flurried with punches and then clinched up again. The uneventful round ended with Honchak landing more knees to the thigh. 10-9 Honchak.

Round 3:
The crowd grew restless as the fight returned to a clinch in round three. After separating, Honchak landed leg kicks and right hands. She clinched and pressed Hashi against the cage. Hashi reversed and scored a much-needed takedown into side control. Honchak scrambled up and Hashi attempted a guillotine choke. Honchak pulled her head free, but Hashi landed two right hands. Close round. 10-9 Hashi.

Round 4:
Honchak was more aggressive with her punches in the fourth round and she landed uppercuts in close. The fight returned to the clinch and Honchak landed knees to the thigh. She broke away and picked her shots with punches and leg kicks. In the clinch, Hashi punched over the top and Honchak replied with elbows. She kept Hashi backing up with jabs, but Hashi took her down just before the bell. 10-9 Honchak.

Round 5:
Neither woman could take an advantage in the clinch battles in round five and the fighters eventually separated. Honchak landed some of her best combinations of the fight and Hashi replied with right hands. She took Honchak’s back in the clinch and looked to drag her to the mat. Honchak stayed on her feet and landed three elbows to the temple. She pressed the action with leg kicks and knees to the body. The fight ended with Hashi attempting a takedown and Honchak defending with elbows. 10-9 Honchak.

Judge Calvin Caldwell: 50-45 Honchak. Judge John Hawksby: 50-45 Honchak. Judge Christy Gainen: 49-46 Honchak.

Winner: Barb Honchak by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) after five rounds. She improves to 10-2-0 and remains the Invicta FC Flyweight Champion.

 

Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Mizuki Inoue

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Rob Hinds. Kowalkiewicz jabbed in the early goings and Inoue responded with quick combinations. She landed overhand rights and Kowalkiewicz countered with a body kick. Leg kicks and fast combinations were exchanged and Kowalkiewicz landed another solid body kick. She flurried in close and landed a knee before Inoue could answer with uppercuts. A series of right hooks connected for Kowalkiewicz and she followed with more body kicks. Kowalkiewicz rushed forward with kicks and a lengthy combination, but Inoue circled away. 10-9 Kowalkiewicz.

Round 2:
Inoue countered strikes from Kowalkiewicz by clinching against the cage in round two. Kowalkiewicz broke free with a standing elbow and she followed with a side kick to the body. Kowalkiewicz avoided a kick and took Inoue’s back, but she was unable to suplex her to the mat. Inoue turned into the clinch and tripped Kowalkiewicz into side control. Kowalkiewicz scrambled up and Inoue hopped on her back. Kowalkiewicz flipped forward and Inoue maintained back control until the bell. 10-9 Inoue.

Round 3:
The final round began with both fighters landing quick leg kicks. Kowalkiewicz sprawled out of an Inoue takedown attempt and she countered a body kick with a flurry. More punches landed for Kowalkiewicz, but Inoue answered right back with jabs, hooks and a takedown attempt. She punched her way into a clinch and Kowalkiewicz broke away with a knee.

Both women landed right hands and Kowalkiewicz was the more active puncher, but Inoue ducked under many of the strikes. She clinched and Kowalkiewicz reversed position against the cage. The fighters separated and Kowalkiewicz mixed things up with punches and body kicks. Inoue responded with combinations and the entertaining fight ended with both women punching. 10-9 Kowalkiewicz, barely.

Judge Calvin Caldwell: 29-28 Kowalkiewicz. Judge Ben Wilson: 29-28 Kowalkiewicz. Judge John Hawksby: 29-28 Inoue.

Winner: Karolina Kowalkiewicz by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. She improves to 6-0-0.

 

Raquel “Rocky” Pa’aluhi vs Kaitlin Young

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Bruce Allen. Both women landed hard punches right away in round one and Young’s superior head movement played a key factor. She scored with a left-right combo that opened a cut below Pa’aluhi’s right eye. Young landed more two-punch combos and straight rights that snapped Pa’aluhi’s head back. A combination and a hard body kick scored for Young and Pa’aluhi began to bleed more heavily from her cheek and nose. She took Young’s back and dumped her to the mat, but Young stood back up before the bell. 10-9 Young.

Round 2:
Pa’aluhi closed the distance and worked for a takedown against the cage in round two. She got Young down and moved to side control. Pa’aluhi transitioned to mount and then to back control. She worked for a rear-naked choke and nearly got it, but Young broke Pa’aluhi’s grip. Pa’aluhi spun into an armbar and then took Young’s back again. She locked on a neck crank and Young escaped before time expired. 10-9 Pa’aluhi. Could be a 10-8.

Round 3:
Pa’aluhi pressed the action early in round three and she used her jab to set up combinations. Young fired back with right hooks, but her movement was much slower than in the opening round and Pa’aluhi tagged her with punches. She walked Young down and landed a hard combination in close. Pa’aluhi scored a takedown and punched from the top in half-guard. She mounted Young and dropped punches and elbows, then took her back. Young scrambled, but Pa’aluhi stayed on top and landed hard shots. She tried for another rear-naked choke late in the round. 10-9 Pa’aluhi.

Judge Calvin Caldwell: 29-28 Pa’aluhi. Judge Ben Wilson: 29-28 Pa’aluhi. Judge Christy Gainen: 29-28 Pa’aluhi.

Winner: Raquel Pa’aluhi by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 4-4-0.

 

Jodie Esquibel vs Nicdali “The Night Queen” Rivera-Calanoc

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Rob Hinds. The fight began with an exchange of leg kicks and Esquibel landed a quick combination. More kicks landed for Esquibel to the lead leg and body. She scored with a trio of lead left hooks and continued to find success with a variety of kicks. Rivera-Calanoc struggled to land anything as Esquibel kept her guessing with feints. She clinched with Esquibel and worked for a takedown against the cage. Rivera-Calanoc got Esquibel down to a knee very briefly, but Esquibel stood and bloodied her nose with punches. She landed a head kick in the final seconds. 10-9 Esquibel.

Round 2:
Rivera-Calanoc began to throw more leg kicks in round two, but Esquibel continued to get the better of the exchanges with quick punches and front kicks to the body. Rivera-Calanoc landed one-twos that were immediately countered by flurries of punches and more kicks from Esquibel. In the final two minutes, Esquibel continued to mix things up with kicks and punches. She took Rivera-Calanoc down and briefly struck from the top. The fight returned to the feet and Esquibel landed more kicks late in the round. 10-9 Esquibel.

Round 3:
Esquibel targeted the body with kicks and punches in the third round and she backed Rivera-Calanoc up with a front kick. Esquibel continued to dominate the striking exchanges with combinations and body kicks, and her quick movement allowed her to avoid nearly all of Rivera-Calanoc’s counters. Esquibel took her down very briefly and she landed a nice right cross after returning to her feet. Lead left hooks to the head and body scored for Esquibel, but Rivera-Calanoc countered with a flying guillotine choke. Esquibel managed to hold on until the bell. 10-9 Esquibel.

Judge Calvin Caldwell: 30-27 Esquibel. Judge Ben Wilson: 30-27 Esquibel. Judge Christy Gainen: 30-27 Esquibel.

Winner: Jodie Esquibel by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. She improves to 5-1-0.

 

Amber “The Bully” Brown vs “Lightning” Liz McCarthy

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Rob Hinds. McCarthy clinched right away, but Brown created space and landed a nice body kick. McCarthy closed in again and Brown scored with a series of knees. McCarthy eventually got Brown down and landed short strikes from the top. She postured up and landed more punches as Brown looked to set up an armbar from her back. McCarthy landed some solid ground and pound in the final 30 seconds. Close round. 10-9 McCarthy.

Round 2:
McCarthy clinched again in round two, but Brown landed a knee on the way in that opened a bad cut above McCarthy’s right eye. She began to bleed all over the place as she worked for a takedown against the fence. Brown landed more knees and she sprawled out to defend against a takedown. McCarthy fell to her back and Brown worked from her guard. McCarthy spun into an armbar and went belly-down. Brown escaped, but McCarthy wound up on top. The fighters exchanged strikes on the ground until the end of the close round. 10-9 Brown, barely.

Round 3:
McCarthy took Brown down in the final round and Brown targeted her damaged eye with punches and short elbows from the bottom. McCarthy scored with punches of her own and Brown eventually kicked her off and stood up. She landed knees on the feet and McCarthy clinched with her against the cage. She tripped Brown for a split second, but Brown returned to her feet and blasted McCarthy’s eye with a knee and a head kick. McCarthy got her down into side control and Brown countered with a late gogoplata attempt. Another very close round. 10-9 Brown.

Judge Calvin Caldwell: 29-28 Brown. Judge Ben Wilson: 30-27 Brown. Judge Christy Gainen: 29-28 McCarthy.

Winner: Amber Brown by Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. She improves to 4-1-0.

 

Amanda “The Lady Killer” Bell vs Maria Hougaard Djursaa

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Bruce Allen. Bell attacked Djursaa with a barrage of punches right away and Djursaa was forced to cover up. Bell landed more punches and Djursaa fell backwards. She attempted a heel hook on the ground and Bell punched free. She punished Djursaa with punches and elbows to the head and body. Djursaa tried to reverse position, but Bell kept her pinned down and continued to score with ground and pound. She mounted Djursaa in the final minute and landed more unanswered punches as Djursaa turtled up, and the fight was finally waved off.

Winner: Amanda Bell by TKO (Punches) at 4:56 of round one. She improves to 3-2-0.

 

Andrea “KGB” Lee vs Shannon Sinn

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Rob Hinds. The fight began with an exchange of leg kicks and Lee scored with a lead left hook and a body kick. She dropped Sinn with a big right cross and Sinn dove at Lee’s legs. Lee trapped her in an inverted triangle choke and landed punches and elbows to the body. Lee let the triangle go and continued to score with elbows. She transitioned to side control and briefly held on to a scarf hold. Lee landed short punches from top position and mixed in elbows. She kept Sinn pinned down and finished the round with knees to the body. 10-8 Lee.

Round 2:
Lee landed a body kick and lead left hooks in the second round as Sinn backpedalled and circled away. A combination landed for Lee and Sinn missed with a spinning back kick. Lee connected with a slashing elbow over the top and a lengthy flurry of punches. She mixed in body shots that kept Sinn guessing. Sinn clinched and landed knees to the body, but Lee broke away and fired off leg and body kicks. Sinn held her against the fence and both women landed knees before time expired. 10-9 Lee.

Round 3:
Lee opened the final round with kick-punch combos and she followed with stiff jabs and body kicks. Powerful hooks landed for Lee and Sinn circled backwards. Lee landed an elbow over the top and Sinn tried for a takedown from the clinch. She held Lee against the fence and Lee countered with knees and elbows. Sinn began to bleed from the nose and Lee stayed on her feet until the final bell. 10-9 Lee.

Judge Calvin Caldwell: 30-27 Lee. Judge Ben Wilson: 30-27 Lee. Judge Christy Gainen: 30-27 Lee.

Winner: Andrea Lee by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. She improves to 2-0-0.

 

Jamie Moyle vs Jenny Liou Shriver

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Bruce Allen. Moyle pressed forward aggressively with punching combinations and body kicks in the opening seconds. Shriver answered with punches of her own, but Moyle continued to walk her down with combinations and kicks to the lead leg and body. Moyle snapped Shriver’s head back with jabs and followed with four more body kicks. The fighters clinched and traded knees to the body in close.

Big knees scored for Moyle and she backed Shriver up against the cage with punches over the top. Shriver appeared to slow down and Moyle kept the pressure on with relentless offence. A nice combination and a kick to the upper body scored for Moyle and she punished Shriver with more knees. Moyle landed two leg kicks and followed with five straight knees to the face. Shriver tried to pull guard and Moyle stayed on her feet. 10-8 Moyle. Total domination on the feet.

Round 2:
The second round began with a clinch and Moyle landed two big knees and a head kick. In the ensuing minute, Moyle landed more knees to the body and backed Shriver up. Shriver slowed way down and struggled to land anything in return. She attempted a takedown, but Moyle reversed on the way down and took her back. Shriver rolled over and Moyle scored with elbows from side control.

Moyle stood and dropped a series of punches to Shriver’s face. A bloodied Shriver spun into an armbar and she had Moyle in some trouble, but Moyle pulled her arm free. Time was called after Shriver landed an illegal upkick to Moyle’s face. The fight continued and Moyle landed a body kick as Shriver returned to her feet before the bell. 10-8 Moyle.

Round 3:
Moyle opened round three with familiar knees to the body and Shriver tried unsuccessfully to pull guard. Moyle stayed up and landed hard knees to the face. Shriver finally got her down and Moyle immediately countered with an armbar attempt. She transitioned to mount and rained down punches and elbows. Shriver scrambled free and kicked Moyle off. The fighters stood and Moyle landed knees. Shriver dropped down for a heel hook and Moyle escaped. She took Shriver’s back and Shriver rolled for a kneebar. Moyle fought free and landed short punches late in the fight. 10-9 Moyle.

Judge Calvin Caldwell: 30-27 Moyle. Judge Ben Wilson: 30-27 Moyle. Judge Christy Gainen: 30-27 Moyle.

Winner: Jamie Moyle by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. She improves to 1-0-0.

 

“Killer” Kelly McGill vs Maegan “Mayhem” Goodwin

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Bruce Allen. The fight began with an exchange of jabs and Goodwin landed a quick combination. She clinched and threw short elbows while pinning McGill against the cage. McGill reversed position and the fighters separated. Goodwin used her reach advantage to keep McGill at bay with long jabs and right hands. McGill landed a big right cross, but Goodwin appeared to be unfazed. Goodwin connected with one-twos and McGill responded with single punches in the final minute. 10-9 Goodwin.

Round 2:
Goodwin opened round two with a combination and she just missed with a knee in close. McGill countered with a nice right hand and Goodwin kicked at her lead leg. A quick one-two scored for McGill and Goodwin clinched against the fence. She tried for a takedown, but McGill reversed on the way down and the fight returned to the feet. McGill tried to get Goodwin back down and Goodwin countered with knees. The fighters separated and Goodwin kicked to the body. She followed with a lunging combination and McGill cracked her with a left-right combo in return. Close round. 10-9 McGill.

Round 3:
McGill stayed out of range of Goodwin’s punches and landed a three-punch flurry early in the final round. She briefly took Goodwin down and landed a winging overhand right. Goodwin attempted a headlock takedown and wound up on the bottom. McGill worked from the top in side control and opened a bad cut on Goodwin’s hairline with elbows. She attempted an arm-triangle choke and passed to the opposite side. Goodwin tried to counter with an inverted triangle choke, but McGill pulled her head out and landed punches. She took Goodwin’s back, but Goodwin turned into her guard and finished the round with elbows. 10-9 McGill.

Judge Calvin Caldwell: 30-27 McGill. Judge Ben Wilson: 29-28 McGill. Judge Christy Gainen: 29-28 McGill.

Winner: Kelly McGill by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 2-0-0.