Invicta Fighting Championships showcased its 27th all-female card tonight at the Kansas City Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Missouri. Invicta FC 27 was headlined by a bantamweight contender’s bout between Pannie “Banzai” Kianzad and former Strikeforce champion Sarah Kaufman.
In the flyweight co-feature, two-time Invicta FC title challenger Vanessa Porto battled Mariana Morais. At strawweight, highly-touted wrestler Sharon “The Dream Catcher” Jacobson took on once-beaten Canadian prospect Ashley Nichols. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for Invicta FC 27.
Sarah Kaufman vs Pannie “Banzai” Kianzad
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Mike England. Kaufman punched her way into an early clinch and both women landed knees to the body. The fighters traded one-twos and Kaufman scored with an overhand right. More knees were exchanged and Kaufman continued to score with flurries of punches and overhand rights. Kianzad landed a combination and a knee, but Kaufman remained effective with quick one-twos in the final minute. 10-9 Kaufman.
Round 2:
Early in round two, Kaufman landed a hard flurry and two knees to the face of Kianzad, who clinched and tried to back Kaufman up against the cage. Kaufman reversed position and took her down, but Kianzad countered with an armbar attempt from the bottom. The fighters stood and Kaufman landed short punches while looking to take Kianzad’s back. She backed Kianzad up with punches late in the round and connected with a solid right hook before the bell. 10-9 Kaufman.
Round 3:
Kianzad opened round three with a spinning backfist and a lead left hook. Kaufman flurried in return and finished with knees. She targeted Kianzad’s lead leg with kicks and knees before clinching with her against the cage. Kaufman continued to outbox a fatigued Kianzad and she mixed in more knees. Kianzad missed with a spinning backfist and Kaufman landed more combinations late in the fight. 10-9 Kaufman.
Judge Ross Swanberg: 30-27 Kaufman. Judge Henry Gueary: 30-27 Kaufman. Judge Marcus Danforth: 30-27 Kaufman.
Winner: Sarah Kaufman by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. She improves to 19-4-0, 1 ND.
Vanessa Porto vs Mariana Morais
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Greg Franklin. Porto threw single leg kicks and right hands in the opening minute as Morais darted in and out with punches from a distance. Porto took her down into back control and flattened her out. Morais initiated a scramble, but Porto took her back again and locked on a tight rear-naked choke. Morais could not escape and tapped out.
Winner: Vanessa Porto by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 4:19 of round one. She improves to 20-8-0.
Sharon “The Dream Catcher” Jacobson vs Ashley Nichols
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Mike England. Jacobson muscled Nichols down to the mat early on, but Nichols kicked her off and the fight returned to the feet. Nichols landed a big knee to the face and a lead left hand. She stunned Jacobson with a right hand and another knee. Jacobson dropped levels and tried for a takedown, but Nichols stuffed it. Jacobson got her down on her second try and Nichols kicked her off again. Jacobson landed an uppercut in a clinch and ate two knees in return. 10-9 Nichols.
Round 2:
Nichols threw three jabs and a head kick to open round two, but Jacobson caught the kick and took her down. She worked from the top in side control until Nichols escaped to her feet. Jacobson attempted another takedown, but Nichols reversed on the way down and briefly held top position. Jacobson swept and kept Nichols trapped against the base of the cage. Back on the feet, the fighters traded kicks and punches until Jacobson threw Nichols to the ground in the final ten seconds. Close round. 10-9 Jacobson.
Round 3:
Jacobson took Nichols down into side control in the final round and landed punches from the top. She spent most of the remainder of the round landing elbows to Nichols’s face. Nichols finally scrambled up to her feet with 30 seconds to go and tried for a last-second guillotine choke, but time expired. 10-9 Jacobson.
Judge Ross Swanberg: 30-27 Jacobson. Judge Henry Gueary: 29-28 Jacobson. Judge Marcus Danforth: 29-28 Jacobson.
Winner: Sharon Jacobson by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 5-2-0.
Ashley “Smashley” Cummins vs Stephanie “The Cyclone” Alba
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Greg Franklin. Cummins backed Alba up against the cage and landed knees to the body that led to a double-leg takedown. She moved to Alba’s half-guard and landed right hands to her face. Cummins spent the entire remainder of the round peppering Alba with punches and elbows from the top. 10-9 Cummins.
Round 2:
Cummins landed a kick to the upper body and took Alba back down in the second round. She worked for an arm-triangle choke from the top, but Alba defended well and scrambled up to her feet. Cummins landed knees to the body and took Alba down, then resumed working for an arm-triangle choke. She finished the round with elbows. 10-9 Cummins.
Round 3:
Cummins cracked Alba with a lead left hook and swiftly took her down in round three. She postured up with punches from Alba’s guard and kept her pinned down all the way until the end of the fight. 10-9 Cummins.
Judge Henry Gueary: 30-27 Cummins. Judge Ross Swanberg: 30-27 Cummins. Judge Marcus Danforth: 30-27 Cummins.
Winner: Ashley Cummins by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. She improves to 6-4-0.
Brogan “Killer Bee” Walker-Sanchez vs Cheri Muraski
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Mike England. Muraski rushed right in for an early takedown and ate a series of knees and elbows to the face for her efforts. She eventually got Walker-Sanchez down very briefly, but could not hold her there for long. The fighters stood and Muraski took Walker-Sanchez down after catching a kick. She pinned Walker-Sanchez against the base of the cage and threw short strikes from the top. Muraski took Walker-Sanchez’s back and looked for a standing rear-naked choke, but the bell sounded. 10-9 Muraski.
Round 2:
The fight returned to a clinch in round two and Walker-Sanchez landed a standing elbow. Muraski threw short knees and Walker-Sanchez punched over the top. Neither woman could secure a takedown, but Walker-Sanchez did find success with knees and elbows. Muraski took her down with 20 seconds to go, but she was unable to do anything with the position. Even round. 10-10.
Round 3:
Walker-Sanchez opened the final round with a side kick to the body before the fighters clinched once again. Short elbows landed for both women, but neither one could maintain an edge in the clinch battles against the fence. Late in the round, Walker-Sanchez landed knees to the body and dragged Muraski down to the mat. She held S-mount position just as time expired. 10-9 Walker-Sanchez, barely.
Judge Henry Gueary: 29-28 Walker-Sanchez. Judge Ross Swanberg: 29-28 Muraski. Judge Marcus Danforth: 29-28 Walker-Sanchez.
Winner: Brogan Walker-Sanchez by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. She improves to 5-0-0.
Felicia “FeeNom” Spencer vs Akeela Al-Hameed
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Greg Franklin. Al-Hameed opened the action with a solid combination that led to a clinch against the fence. The fighters battled back and forth for position and Spencer threw a head kick on the break. Al-Hameed answered with one of her own and she followed with a flurry. Spencer landed kicks to the face and upper body before shooting in for a takedown. She continued to mix up her strikes with punches and high kicks late in the round. 10-9 Spencer.
Round 2:
Spencer remained aggressive with kicks and jabs in round two, but Al-Hameed countered nicely with right hands over the top. Spencer held her opponent against the cage and dragged her down to a seated position. Al-Hameed stood and locked on a tight guillotine choke, but Spencer impressively countered with high knee strikes to the side of Al-Hameed’s head. She escaped from Al-Hameed’s grip and scored with a combination. Al-Hameed slipped and Spencer took top position in half-guard. She struck from the top until the bell. 10-9 Spencer.
Round 3:
Al-Hameed caught a hook kick from Spencer and took her down early in the final round. She dove for a guillotine choke, but Spencer countered by rolling into top position in side control. She landed short elbows, but lost the position in a scramble and Al-Hameed easily fought off a weak armbar attempt. Spencer used rubber guard from the bottom that set up another scramble and a leglock attempt from Al-Hameed. The round ended with Spencer on top throwing right hands. Close round. 10-9 Spencer by a slim margin.
Judge Marcus Danforth: 30-27 Spencer. Judge Ross Swanberg: 30-27 Spencer. Judge Henry Gueary: 30-27 Spencer.
Winner: Felicia Spencer by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. She improves to 4-0-0.
Mallory Martin vs Tiffany “Rainbow Renegade” Masters
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Mike England. Both women landed combinations early in the fight and Martin scored with a short left hook that briefly knocked Masters off-balance. Martin kept the pressure on, but Masters struck from a distance and landed a grazing head kick. Masters began to bleed from the nose as Martin tagged her with jabs, and Martin avoided most of Masters’s lunging punches. She took Masters down into half-guard and landed short elbows to the face. Masters tried to counter with a leglock attempt, but Martin punished her with more elbows before the bell. 10-9 Martin.
Round 2:
Martin took Masters back down in round two and resumed throwing elbows from the top. She mounted Masters and landed hard punches and elbows as Masters turtled up. Martin continued to throw unanswered punches until the fight was waved off.
Winner: Mallory Martin by TKO (Punches) at 3:36 of round two. She improves to 2-2-0.
Konklak “Loma Lookboonmee” Suphisara vs Mellissa “Lil’ Dynamite” Wang
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Greg Franklin. Suphisara landed a nice knee early on, but Wang fired back with a series of jabs that backed her up. Suphisara threw kicks and Wang shot in for a takedown, but it was Suphisara who tossed Wang to the mat. She allowed her to stand and dropped her with a right hook and a knee that appeared to land when Wang still had a knee down. Suphisara secured a rear-naked choke on a dazed Wang, then switched to mount and dropped punches. Wang gave up her back and Suphisara hunted for another choke. Wang spun into Suphisara’s guard and spent the remainder of the round striking from the top. 10-9 Suphisara.
Round 2:
Wang worked for takedowns in the second round and Suphisara countered with knees to the body. She continued to punish Wang with knees and an elbow that forced Wang to back away. Wang tried unsuccessfully to pull guard and Suphisara forced her to stand up. Time was called after a knee from Suphisara landed under the jaw of Wang while she was still a grounded fighter. Action resumed and Wang landed a flurry over the top. Huge knees scored for Suphisara and Wang was unable to take her down. 10-9 Suphisara.
Round 3:
Suphisara continued to fight off Wang’s takedown attempts with knees to the body and elbows in round three. A fatigued Wang slowed down as she tried in vain to get Suphisara down to the mat. Time was called after another illegal knee from Suphisara, and this time she was docked one point. The fight continued and Suphisara spent the ensuing minute shrugging off takedown attempts. She landed a nice combination of punches and knees, and the fight ended in a clinch against the fence. 9-9.
Judge Marcus Danforth: 29-26 Suphisara. Judge Ross Swanberg: 29-27 Suphisara. Judge Henry Gueary: 29-27 Suphisara.
Winner: Konklak Suphisara by Unanimous Decision (29-26, 29-27, 29-27) after three rounds. She improves to 1-0-0.
Helen “Iansa” Peralta vs Jade “The Asian Sensation” Ripley
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Mike England. Peralta opened the action with leg and body kicks as Ripley struggled to land anything while throwing sloppy punches from a distance. In a clinch, Peralta dropped Ripley to a knee with a right hook to the jaw. Ripley regained her footing and wobbled backward, but Peralta teed off with punches. Ripley wilted against the cage and the fight was stopped.
Winner: Helen Peralta by TKO (Punches) at 2:22 of round one. She improves to 1-0-0.