Undefeated Brazilian rising star Livia Renata “Livinha” Souza picked up the biggest victory of her career tonight in the main event of Invicta Fighting Championships 12 in Kansas City, Missouri. Souza submitted Katja “Killer Bunny” Kankaanpää to win the Invicta FC Strawweight Championship.

Tonight’s co-feature saw another Brazilian standout, Vanessa Porto, edge out Roxanne “The Happy Warrior” Modafferi in a flyweight rematch that was much closer than the judges’ scorecards suggested. At 145, Faith “The Immortal” Van Duin impressively submitted Amanda “The Lady Killer” Bell.

Souza (8-0-0) pulled Kankaanpää (10-2-1) to the mat early in round one and attacked from her back with a triangle choke attempt. When the fight returned to the feet, Souza scored with a hard right hook and she reversed a takedown soon after. From back control, Souza secured a body triangle and she worked for a rear-naked choke before finishing the round with ground and pound.

Rounds two and three were closer, and the fighters battled back and forth on the ground. Both landed punches and Kankaanpää fought off Souza’s attempts to finish the fight in the third round with a kneebar and a flying guillotine choke. The Finnish star landed some nice ground and pound and she appeared to take round three.

The close fight entered the championship rounds and Kankaanpää pressed forward aggressively with punches and knees until Souza pulled guard. She escaped from a Kankaanpää guillotine choke attempt, but Kankaanpää fared well from top position and she landed more punches. Souza eventually set up a triangle choke from her back that caught Kankaanpää off-guard. Unable to escape, and with Souza landing elbows from the bottom, Kankaanpää was forced to submit to the triangle choke at the 3:58 mark of round four.

Souza’s victory kept her unblemished record intact, but more importantly earned her the Invicta FC Strawweight Championship. The highly-skilled grappler now becomes the third Brazilian champion on the Invicta FC roster, joining feared featherweight titleholder Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino and atomweight ace Hérica Tibúrcio.

Flyweight rivals Porto (18-6-0) and Modafferi (17-12-0) engaged in a back-and-forth battle that was contested almost entirely on the feet. Both women landed kicks and punching combinations in round one until Porto secured a takedown. Modafferi was active from her back, and she landed elbows and tried for a triangle choke before the bell. Round two belonged to Porto, who mixed things up with punch-kick combos on the feet and dropped Modafferi with a counter right cross. Porto caught a kick later on and scored a takedown to seal the round in her favour.

Modafferi opened the final round with punches and a head kick attempt, which prompted Porto to fire back with kicks to the lead leg and body. The fighters continued to strike until the final 30 seconds when Porto took Modafferi down very briefly. Modafferi stood and she closed out the round with a big combination, but it was not enough to take the round or the fight. All three judges scored the bout 30-27 for Porto, who walked away with a Unanimous Decision victory and avenged her past loss.

Making her North American debut, Storm MMA champion Van Duin (7-1-0) kicked off her Invicta FC career with a slick submission win over Bell (3-3-0) in featured featherweight action. She took Bell down early in round one and escaped from an armbar and a kneebar, then attacked with a tight armbar of her own. Bell fought free and landed some powerful hammerfist strikes from the top before attempting a late-round heel hook as time ticked down.

Early in round two, Van Duin caught a kick and quickly took Bell down. Within seconds, she locked on a no-hooks rear-naked choke. Bell tried to spin free, but Van Duin tightened her grip and Bell was forced to tap out at the 38-second mark of round two. The impressive victory got Van Duin back on track following her first pro loss against Arlene “Angerfist” Blencowe in an August rematch.

Earlier on the card, Raquel “Lionheart” Pa’aluhi (5-4-0) posted her third straight win with a Unanimous Decision triumph over Ediane “India” Gomes (10-4-0). Pa’aluhi controlled most of round one with ground and pound and she dropped Gomes with a devastating knee to the body in the middle stanza. Gomes recovered, but Pa’aluhi blasted her with more punches and knees and tried for a rear-naked choke before the bell. Gomes rallied in round three and punched her way free of Pa’aluhi’s many triangle choke attempts, but it was not enough and all three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Pa’aluhi.

Sugar Creek Showdown champion Latoya “Black Mamba” Walker (5-0-0) missed weight for her Invicta FC featherweight debut, but still walked away with a Unanimous Decision verdict over TUF 18 alum Peggy “The Daywalker” Morgan (3-3-0). The uneventful fight featured sparse action in the first two rounds, though Walker did rock Morgan with a hard combination in round two. She avoided a standing rear-naked choke from Morgan in the final round and walked her down with punches until the end of the fight. Scores were 30-27 across the board for Walker, who remains unbeaten.

Returning to the Invicta FC cage as a strawweight, Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman (11-8-0) made short work of an overweight Jenny Liou Shriver (3-2-0) in a brief and one-sided fight. Schuckman rocked Shriver with a flurry early on and she staggered her again soon after with a right hook. As Shriver stumbled backwards, Schuckman pounced with knees and punches. She teed off on Shriver with left and right hooks until the fight was finally stopped at the 1:53 mark of round one.

In preliminary card action, Sharon “The Dream Catcher” Jacobson (3-1-0) outpointed Sugar Creek Showdown champ Delaney “Lil’ Scrappy” Owen (3-2-0) at 115 pounds. Both fighters were rocked by punches in round one, but Jacobson’s key takedowns and ground and pound allowed her to take an early lead. She dominated round two on the mat with more punches and submission attempts. Owen rocked Jacobson again in round three, but Jacobson took the fight to the ground and finished strong with elbows. Scores were 30-27 thrice for Jacobson, who took the Unanimous Decision win.

Colorado native Shannon Sinn (2-2-0) defeated former training partner Maureen “Baby Face” Riordon (0-2-0) in a flyweight grudge match. The competitive bout took place entirely on the feet and Sinn held an edge in the striking exchanges throughout. Riordon landed some solid punches of her own, but Sinn’s crisp right hands, counter hooks and knees to the body swayed the judges in her favour. Scores were 30-27 and 29-28 twice for Sinn, who picked up a much-needed victory.

Opening up the action, Sijara “Sarge” Eubanks (1-0-0) made a successful pro debut over short-notice replacement opponent Gina “Jellybean” Begley (0-1-0) in a bantamweight bout. Begley got off to a good start in round one and she kept Eubanks at bay with stiff jabs and leg kicks. The fighters traded strikes until Eubanks scored a takedown and she assaulted Begley with hard punches and hammerfists from the top. Begley turtled and was unable to survive the onslaught, forcing referee “Big” John McCarthy to halt the bout at the 4:59 mark of round one.

Full play-by-play for all bouts on tonight’s Invicta FC 12 card can be found here.

(Photo Credit: Invicta Fighting Championships)