Atomweight prospect Tessa “The Typhoon” Simpson kicked off her Invicta FC career with a close and competitive decision win tonight at Invicta Fighting Championships 18 in Kansas City, Missouri. Simpson edged out Simona “The Pitbull” Soukupova in the Invicta FC 18 Fight of the Night.
Both Simpson and Soukupova pocketed an extra $1500 in bonus money for their spirited performances in the bout, which Soukupova nearly stole with a late rally. Unbeaten strawweight Alexa Grasso and featherweight contender Megan Anderson each earned $1000 Performance of the Night bonuses.
Simpson (5-1-0) took a two-round lead on the scorecards by outstriking Soukupova (5-4-1) with crisp combinations and body kicks in the opening ten minutes, and she appeared to be well on her way to a clear-cut decision win thanks to her varied aresenal of attacks. Soukupova had other ideas, however, and she pressed the action with hard punches in round three that kept Simpson on the defensive. As Simpson’s faced swelled up, Soukupova cracked her with a standing elbow and dropped her with a right hook. Simpson made it to the bell, but Soukupova looked to have done enough to secure a 28-28 draw.
The official judges at cageside saw things differently, however, and none awarded Soukupova with a 10-8 score in round three. Judges Brett Miller and Marcus Danforth both saw the fight 29-28 for Simpson. Judge Henry Gueary unbelievably scored the bout 29-27 for Simpson, with an unwarranted 10-8 tally in round one. While the scoring was bizarre and controversial, tonight’s matchup between Simpson and Soukupova was a deserving recipient of Fight of the Night honours.
In tonight’s main event, Grasso (8-0-0) outstruck recent TUF 23 hopeful Jodie Esquibel (5-2-0) for three rounds en route to a commanding Unanimous Decision victory. Grasso hurt Esquibel with a liver kick in round one and she remained a step ahead of the American in the exchanges. In round three, Grasso targeted Esquibel’s damaged nose with punches and knees that caused blood to flow freely. A game Esquibel soldiered on until the final bell, but Grasso took home a Unanimous Decision victory with scores of 30-26 and 30-27 twice, and also secured a Performance of the Night bonus.
The second Performance of the Night award went to Australia’s Anderson (7-2-0), who destroyed Peggy “The Daywalker” Morgan (4-4-0) in a lopsided featherweight contest. Anderson rocked Morgan with right hands early on and dropped her with a left hook. Morgan, with her jaw rapidly swelling up, battled back to her feet and did her best to counter Anderson’s strikes. Anderson was relentless, however, and she sent Morgan crashing to the canvas with a combination. Two final hammerfists sealed the deal and Anderson secured the knockout win at the 4:09 mark of round one.