Invicta Fighting Championships returned to the Police Athletic League in Kansas City, Kansas today for Invicta on AXS TV: “Rodriguez vs Torquato.” The event was headlined by a vacant flyweight championship bout between Mexico’s Karina Rodriguez and Brazilian standout Daiana Torquato.
In the co-main event, Invicta FC Atomweight Champion Alesha “Half Pint” Zappitella put her title on the line against Brazil’s Jéssica Correa Delboni. Elsewhere on the main card, Juliana “Killer” Miller met Claire “Grizzly” Guthrie at 125 pounds. MMARising,com has live play-by-play for the card.
Invicta FC Flyweight Championship
Karina Rodriguez vs Daiana Torquato
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Marcio Laselva. The fighters exchanged three-punch combos and leg kicks during the opening minute, and Torquato briefly backed Rodriguez up with an overhand right. Soon after, Torquato landed a knee in a Thai clinch and she backed Rodriguez up to the cage with a barrage of punches. Rodriguez stayed on her feet and answered back with two right hands, and the fighters traded leg kicks after separating. Torquato finished each of her punching combinations with a kick to Rodriguez’s lead leg, which turned red on both the inside and outside. Rodriguez threw a combination and Torquato countered with an overhand right. A clinch battle followed, with both women landing knees, and Torquato backed Rodriguez up with three overhand punches late in the round. 10-9 Torquato.
Round 2:
Rodriguez had better success with leg kicks early in the second round, but Torquato continued to finish her combinations with attacks to Rodriguez’s left leg. She began to target Rodriguez’s calf in addition to kicking the inside and outside of her knee. Torquato countered a kick from Rodriguez with a lead left hook that backed Rodriguez up. Rodriguez jabbed and both women landed hard flurries of punches. Late in the round, Torquato backed Rodriguez up again with a four-punch combo, but Rodriguez knocked her down with a right hook just before the bell. Close round. 10-9 Rodriguez due to the last-second knockdown.
Round 3:
Rodriguez was aggressive in round three and she stalked forward with quick punches and a chopping leg kick. Torquato landed three punches and a leg kick, and she followed with another combination as Rodriguez moved forward. Both women landed kicks and Rodriguez fired off a fast flurry of punches. As the round entered its final minute, Torquato landed a left-right combo that appeared to stagger Rodriguez momentarily. Rodriguez recovered and she attacked with knees in a clinch before the bell. 10-9 Rodriguez by a very slim margin.
Round 4:
The fight remained on the feet in round four and Rodriguez held a slight edge in the early punching exchanges. Both women landed right-left combos and Torquato mixed in occasional kicks to Rodriguez’s left leg, which continued to redden. Torquato landed two right hands and Rodriguez replied with an overhand right. Torquato tried to initiate a clinch, but Rodriguez circled to her left and she opened a cut beside Torquato’s right eye with a counter hook. Both fighters landed one-two combos in the final seconds. 10-9 Rodriguez.
Round 5:
In the final round, Rodriguez kept her distance and she landed right hands while Torquato looked to set up her punches with leg kicks. Rodriguez avoided a clinch attempt from Torquato and resumed striking from a distance. Torquato tried two more times to clinch with Rodriguez against the cage and Rodriguez pushed her away both times. With 90 seconds to go, Torquato dropped levels and tried again for a takedown. Rodriguez easily stuffed it and the fighters exchanged combinations. Rodriguez followed up with a one-two that halted Torquato’s forward movement. Torquato closed the distance again in the final seconds, but Rodriguez’s counterpunching remained effective and she tagged Torquato with a nice combination before the final bell. 10-9 Rodriguez.
Winner: Karina Rodriguez by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 49-46, 48-47) after five rounds. She improves to 9-4-0 and becomes the new Invicta FC Flyweight Champion.
Invicta FC Atomweight Championship
Alesha “Half Pint” Zappitella vs Jéssica Correa Delboni
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Marcio Laselva. The fighters exchanged lead left hooks and leg kicks, and Zappitella circled on the outside. Delboni landed a three-punch combo and another leg kick. She knocked Zappitella off-balance with an inside-leg kick, but Zappitella secured a front headlock as she returned to her feet and used it to back Delboni up against the fence. Delboni broke free with a knee and she followed with an overhand right that prompted Zappitella to drop levels in search of a takedown. Delboni fought her off, but Zappitella used a headlock throw to get her down. She landed left hands to Delboni’s face as Delboni got back to her feet, and the round ended with Delboni landing a right hand. 10-9 Delboni.
Round 2:
Zappitella caught a kick and tried to clinch in the second round, but Delboni countered with a right hand and she landed another one soon after. Zappitella snapped Delboni’s head back with a hard jab and she connected with a nice right hand soon after. As Zappitella lunged forward with a left hook, Delboni countered with a quick one-two. She landed a hard right hand soon after, but Zappitella clinched and scored with knees to Delboni’s upper body before the bell. 10-9 Zappitella.
Round 3:
Delboni fought off an early takedown attempt from Zappitella in round three, but Zappitella tagged her with a jab-cross combo and circled to her right. Delboni landed a lead left uppercut and she stuffed a takedown attempt. Zappitella landed a one-two and Delboni immediately answered with a combination of her own. Zappitella continued to circle to her right and she landed an overhand right. Delboni connected with another combination, then fought off a takedown attempt and stunned Zappitella with a left hand. She swarmed on Zappitella with more punches and the round ended with a clinch against the cage. 10-9 Delboni due to the late rally.
Round 4:
Delboni landed a hard kick to the inside of Zappitella’s left leg early in the fourth round. She landed another leg kick and Zappitella responded with two punches. A hard jab snapped Zappitella’s head back and Delboni easily avoided a takedown attempt. She pursued Zappitella with punches and sprawled out of another Zappitella takedown. Zappitella landed a right-left combo and Delboni fired right back with three punches before sprawling out of a takedown attempt. On the feet, Zappitella jabbed and Delboni kicked at her left leg. Delboni landed combinations of punches and leg kicks in the final 30 seconds to close out the round strong. 10-9 Delboni.
Round 5:
In the final round, both women landed punching combinations and Delboni avoided a clinch attempt. She scored with a quick flurry and Zappitella answered back immediately with a combination of her own. Delboni stepped forward with a lead left hook that forced Zappitella to clinch. She attempted a headlock throw and Delboni defended well. Delboni broke free from the clinch and she attacked Zappitella’s lead leg with two kicks. When Zappitella closed the distance and clinched, Delboni landed a hard knee to the body. As the fight entered its final minute, Delboni landed combinations of leg kicks and lead left hooks, followed by a pair of overhand rights late in the round. 10-9 Delboni.
Winner: Alesha Zappitella by Split Decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-48) after five rounds. She improves to 9-2-0, 1 ND and remains the Invicta FC Atomweight Champion.
Claire “Grizzly” Guthrie vs Juliana “Killer” Miller
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Zach Teiberis. The fighters clinched right away and Miller backed Guthrie up against the cage. She landed elbows to the side of Miller’s head and then followed with knees to the body. Miller was forced to break away from the clinch and Guthrie cracked her with a combination. Miller caught a body kick and backed Guthrie up to the cage again, but Guthrie’s takedown defence was solid and she once again thwarted Miller’s attempts. After a brief separation, Guthrie landed an elbow and Miller tied her up in another clinch. Guthrie broke free again and Miller landed two leg kicks, but she fell after attempting a body kick. Miller stood and Guthrie stunned her with a short right hand. Miller dropped levels for a takedown and Guthrie landed elbows to the side of her head. 10-9 Guthrie.
Round 2:
Miller initiated a clinch against the cage in round two and Guthrie countered with short right hands and knees. Miller locked on a standing kimura and tried to drag Guthrie down to the ground. Miller wound up on the bottom, but she maintained her grip on the kimura and used it to take Guthrie’s back. Guthrie spun into Miller’s guard and briefly struck from the top before standing up. Miller followed and she went right back to the clinch. She got Guthrie down for a split second and took her back on the way up. Miller pulled Guthrie down to the mat in the final seconds and maintained back control until the bell. Closer round. Still 10-9 Guthrie.
Round 3:
Guthrie landed an overhand right and avoided a spinning wheel kick attempt from Miller. Punches were exchanged and Miller landed some of her best strikes of the fight, but Guthrie responded with overhand rights and she briefly controlled the clinch. Miller reversed and took Guthrie down into the scarf hold position. She then transitioned to Guthrie’s back, but Guthrie was able to shake her off and she stood up. Miller took Guthrie down and she tried to pass to side control. Guthrie got back to half-guard and Miller struck from the top. Guthrie locked on an arm-triangle choke from the bottom, but Miller escaped with 20 seconds to go and both women landed punches on the ground until the end of the fight. 10-9 Miller by a slim margin.
Winner: Claire Guthrie by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 3-1-0.
Josee “Skull Crusher” Storts vs Maria Jose “Majo Leona” Garcia Favela
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Zach Teiberis. Storts looked to close the distance and she landed leg kicks in the opening 30 seconds. She initiated a clinch after landing a combination of punches and threw knees to Favela’s body. Storts attempted a body-lock takedown, but she wound up on the bottom and quickly scrambled up to her feet. Storts continued to work for a takedown against the cage, but Favela landed a nice knee from a Thai clinch and then took partial back control. She tried to set up a rear-naked choke, but fell off of Storts’s back and Storts wound up on top position on the ground. She threw short punches from Favela’s half-guard until Favela escaped to her feet. Favela broke free from a clinch with two knees shortly before the bell. Close, back-and-forth round. 10-9 Storts.
Round 2:
Favela scored with a right hand early in the second round and she prevented Storts from taking her down. Favela landed knees to Storts’s chest and then a head kick that forced Storts to back away. She rushed forward again, however, and finally got Favela down against the cage. A scramble followed and Favela used a headlock transition to put Storts on the bottom. Storts landed an upkick and the fighters returned to their feet. Favela connected with an overhand right and Storts responded with a body kick. Another competitive round. 10-9 Favela due to damage.
Round 3:
Storts used a step-in knee to set up an overhand right in round three, but Favela landed jab-cross combos in return and she circled away from Storts’s strikes. A right hand and a lead left hook scored for Favela, which prompted Storts to clinch in search of a takedown. Favela almost pulled her leg out, but Storts tripped her at the last second and that allowed Storts to take top position in Favela’s half-guard. She mounted Favela and threw short elbows to the sides of Favela’s forehead. With 40 seconds to go, Storts locked on a mounted arm-triangle choke. Favela stayed calm and escaped, but Storts maintained mount and she rained down elbows in the final five seconds. 10-9 Storts.
Winner: Josee Storts by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 3-0-0.
Fatima “The Archangel” Kline vs Ariana “Kidd Diamond” Melendez
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Marcio Laselva. Kline caught a kick and pushed Melendez down to the mat right away. From Melendez’s half-guard, Kline threw short right hands to her body and head. She eventually stood up, then dropped down into side control and took Melendez’s back as Melendez tried to stand up. Kline trapped Melendez in a body triangle and she locked on a rear-naked choke. Melendez tried to roll to her right, but she could not escape from the choke and tapped out.
Winner: Fatima Kline by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:00 of round one. She improves to 1-0-0.
Elise “The Piece” Pone vs Chrissy “The Doll” Yandolli
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Zach Teiberis. Cautious jabs and leg kicks were exchanged during the opening minute as the fighters looked to find their range. Yandolli landed a front kick to the body and followed with a quick flurry of punches. Pone responded with a hard leg kick and she pressed forward with two more kicks to Yandolli’s left leg. Both women landed kicks to the body and Pone continued to attack Yandolli’s lead leg. Pone landed two more leg kicks and then knocked Yandolli off-balance with a front kick to the chest. Late in the round, Pone landed three consecutive leg kicks and a hard one-two. Yandolli answered with an overhand right before the bell. 10-9 Pone.
Round 2:
Pone landed a head kick from a southpaw stance in the second round and that led to a brief clinch. Yandolli broke free and she landed two front kicks, then countered a Pone leg kick with a right hook. Pone backed Yandolli up to the cage with a combination, then unloaded with punches to Yandolli’s body as Yandolli covered up. Pone held Yandolli in place with her left hand and landed a series of rights to Yandolli’s face and body until the fight was stopped.
Winner: Elise Pone by TKO (Punches) at 2:07 of round two. She improves to 1-0-0.