Invicta FC Atomweight Champion Ayaka Hamasaki made a successful first defence of her 105-pound title in the main event of tonight’s Invicta Fighting Championships 16 card in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hamasaki survived a series of submission scares and finished Amber “The Bully” Brown in round three.
In other action tonight, Brazilian standout Jennifer Maia avenged a past loss and picked up the biggest victory of her career. Maia rallied late to defeat Vanessa Porto and captured the Invicta FC Interim Flyweight Championship. At 115 pounds, Angela “Overkill” Hill earned a crushing knockout victory.
Hamasaki (13-1-0) took Brown (6-2-0) down very early in tonight’s championship headliner, but the challenger countered Hamasaki’s ground and pound by trapping the champion in a triangle choke. She threw elbows to the sides of Hamasaki’s head until Hamasaki escaped and locked on a keylock from the top. Brown refused to submit and she swept back into top position, where she closed out the round strong with hammerfist strikes.
Brown countered a right hand from Hamasaki by tying her up against the cage in round two. She landed knees to the body and dragged Hamasaki down into back control. Hamasaki initiated a scramble and she secured a kimura that allowed her to take top position in Brown’s guard. However, Brown remained very active off of her back and she trapped Hamasaki in another tight triangle choke as time ran out.
Hamasaki reversed a takedown in the third round and she once again worked for a kimura on the mat. This time, she used the hold to sweep into side control. From there, she passed to North-South position, where she latched onto a tight armbar. Brown tried to roll to escape, but Hamasaki maintained her grip and wrenched back on Brown’s arm, forcing Brown to tap out at the 2:52 mark of round three.
Tonight’s victory solidified Hamasaki’s place as the top female atomweight in MMA today. She has won four straight fights since dropping down to 105 pounds in 2014. In defeat, Brown put forth an excellent showing and she established herself as a future star in the division.
In the co-main event, Maia (13-4-1) weathered an early storm of strikes from Porto (18-7-0) en route to a well-deserved Unanimous Decision victory after five rounds. Maia was dropped and nearly finished by an overhand right from Porto in the early goings, but she battled back to her feet and exchanged power punches with Porto before the bell.
The second round began with Porto landing kicks to Maia’s lead leg and she followed with a takedown. Both women attempted armbars on the mat, but neither one could secure a finish. The fighters were stood up following an illegal upkick from Maia and Porto secured a takedown into mount.
From that point forward, Maia took control of the fight on the feet and on the ground. An early exchange of strikes in round three culminated with Porto landing a hard right hand, but Maia countered with right hooks of her own that forced Porto to shoot in for a takedown. Maia scrambled into a crucifix position and landed elbows, then attempted a late armbar.
In rounds four and five, Maia outstruck Porto on the feet by landing quick combinations. When Porto managed to get the fight to the ground, Maia attacked with an armbar and a guillotine choke. She continued to look for a finish until the end of the fight and hunted for a kimura before the bell.
After five hard-fought rounds, scores were 49-46 and 48-47 twice for an emotional Maia, who was crowned as the Invicta FC Interim Flyweight Champion. She has won four in a row since suffering a controversial decision loss at Invicta FC 10.
Stepping in on short notice, Hill (4-2-0) earned a big victory in her 115-pound contender’s bout against former Invicta FC strawweight title challenger Stephanie “Snowflake” Eggink (4-3-0), who returned to action after having a baby seven months ago. The opening round was contested entirely on the feet and Hill held an edge in the exchanges by landing overhand rights and crisp combinations. Eggink’s best success came in the form of kicks to Hill’s leg and body.
The second round was more of the same and Hill countered more of Eggink’s kicks by landing right hands. A big right hook sent Eggink careening to the canvas. Referee Kim Winslow failed to intervene right away and Hill landed two more punches to the face of a barely-conscious Eggink before the fight was finally waved off at the 2:36 mark of round two.
Since joining the Invicta FC roster following a disappointing stint in the UFC, Hill has won back-to-back fights in spectacular fashion. She previously knocked out Alida Gray at Invicta FC 15 in January.
Rebounding from a tough loss in an Invicta FC bantamweight title fight in July, Mexican knockout artist Irene Aldana (6-2-0) picked up her sixth stoppage victory by dominating Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke (3-4-0, 1 NC). Aldana landed right hands and leg kicks early in the fight as Duke struggled to find her range. A right hook rocked Duke and she retreated to the cage. Aldana swarmed on her with punches to the body and Duke fell to the mat, forcing an end to the fight at the 3:08 mark of round one.
Popular flyweight veteran Roxanne “The Happy Warrior” Modafferi (19-13-0) earned a well-deserved Split Decision victory over recent Invicta FC strawweight title challenger DeAnna “The Argentine Assassin” Bennett (8-2-0) at 125 pounds. Bennett edged out round one with a takedown and ground and pound, but she faded in the final ten minutes and Modafferi picked her apart on the feet with flurries of punches and a variety of kicks. Judge Patricia Morse Jarman scored the fight 29-28 for Bennett, but she was overruled by judges Marcos Rosales and Glenn Trowbridge, who both had it 29-28 for Modafferi.
Jinh Yu Frey (5-1-0) made a strong case for a future title shot with a close decision win over former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion Hérica Tibúrcio (9-4-0). Frey landed one-two combinations throughout the opening round as Tibúrcio targeted her lead leg with powerful kicks. The second stanza was closely contested on the feet until Frey dropped Tibúrcio at the bell with a big left hand. Tibúrcio kicked away at Frey’s leg again in round three, and she threw her to the mat shortly before the bell. In spite of the late rally from Tibúrcio, scores were 29-28 and 30-27 twice for Frey, who took the Unanimous Decision win.
Earlier on the card, Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio (9-6-0) made a successful flyweight debut with a late-fight submission win over Andrea “KGB” Lee (4-2-0). The first round belonged to Lee, who mixed up her strikes well with punches, kicks and knees. D’Alelio had greater success in round two by taking Lee down and threatening with an armbar before the bell. In round three, Lee rocked D’Alelio early on with punches, but D’Alelio scored a key takedown that allowed her to transition to Lee’s back. She sunk in a rear-naked choke and Lee tapped out at the 4:21 mark of the third round.
Moving up in weight, unbeaten prospect Aspen Ladd (3-0-0) made a big statement in her bantamweight debut by destroying “Killer” Kelly McGill (2-1-0). Ladd mauled McGill on the ground throughout the opening ten minutes. She landed punches, knees and elbows, and attempted armbars and rear-naked chokes. McGill was on defence throughout the fight and Ladd took her back down in round three. She landed a barrage of elbows and punches until the fight was waved off at the 1:47 mark of round three.
Opening up the card, Ashley “Doll Face” Greenway (1-0-0) eked out a razor-thin Unanimous Decision victory over fellow pro debutant Sarah “Switch Kick” Click (0-1-0) at 115 pounds. The opening round was a cautious one and the fighters traded kicks and punches on the feet. Click walked Greenway down with combinations in the second round, and she appeared to be up on the scorecards heading into round three. Greenway completely dominated the final five minutes with straight armbars and triangle chokes, as well as ground and pound on the mat. The competitive bout went to the judges and it was Greenway who took the win with scores of 30-26 and 29-28 twice.
Full play-by-play for all bouts on the Invicta FC 16 card can be found here.
(Photo Credit: Invicta Fighting Championships)