Invicta Fighting Championships 53 Live Play-By-Play & ResultsInvicta Fighting Championships returned to ReelWorks Denver in Denver, Colorado with its latest all-female event tonight. The Invicta FC 53 card was headlined by an atomweight championship bout between new titleholder Jillian “Lionheart” DeCoursey and challenger Rayanne Amanda dos Santos.

In the bantamweight co-feature, “Big Bad” Olga Rubin and “Grizzly” Claire Guthrie squared off in a battle between top contenders. Former atomweight champion Jéssica “The Queen” Correa Delboni met “Dynamite” Danielle Taylor at 115 pounds. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.

 

Invicta FC Atomweight Championship

Rayanne Amanda dos Santos vs Jillian “Lionheart” DeCoursey

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Joel Ojeda. Dos Santos had considerable success on the feet in the first half of round one by darting in and out with lead left hooks and straight rights. DeCoursey landed a few leg kicks in response, but they did not slow dos Santos down and she connected with another strong right hand. Dos Santos took DeCoursey down, but DeCoursey kicked off of the cage and rose to her feet. Dos Santos jumped guard with a guillotine choke and she held DeCoursey in it until the bell. 10-9 dos Santos.

Round 2:
Dos Santos reversed a clinch in round two and fought off a double-leg takedown attempt from DeCoursey. She opened a cut above DeCoursey’s left eye with a short strike in close and she pushed DeCoursey away after landing a knee to the body. Dos Santos scored with a lead left hook and two vicious right hands that forced DeCoursey to shoot for a takedown. The left side of her face was covered in blood and dos Santos took top position in half-guard. She almost got to mount, but DeCoursey defended and so dos Santos transitioned to back control and a late-round rear-naked choke attempt. 10-9 dos Santos.

Round 3:
DeCoursey struggled to land anything significant in the third round and dos Santos connected with a right hook. She landed two leg kicks and avoided a body kick from DeCoursey. Dos Santos scored with a three-punch combo and DeCoursey answered with a knee. She followed with kicks to dos Santos’s leg and body, then a front kick to her face. Dos Santos landed an overhand right, but DeCoursey caught a body kick and landed a leg kick in response. Two more kicks scored for DeCoursey and dos Santos closed the distance. DeCoursey landed a body kick and a lead left hook with her back against the cage. Much closer round. 10-9 DeCoursey.

Round 4:
The pace slowed somewhat in the fourth round and the fighters traded occasional jabs during the opening two minutes. Dos Santos landed a right hook and DeCoursey shot in for a takedown. Dos Santos countered by taking her back and she sunk in one hook. DeCoursey tried to stand up and dos Santos kept her down in a seated position. She turned over into top control and moved to DeCoursey’s half-guard. DeCoursey scrambled up to a knee and dos Santos maintained back control until the bell. 10-9 dos Santos.

Round 5:
Time was called in the final round when DeCoursey’s mouthpiece was knocked out. Action resumed and dos Santos jabbed while circling to her right. She landed a nice overhand right and DeCoursey answered with a jab-cross combo. She followed with a front kick to dos Santos’s face and one to her body. Dos Santos jabbed and DeCoursey landed another body kick. With ten seconds to go, dos Santos landed a big right hook and took DeCoursey down. She stood over her and threw two punches to DeCoursey’s body, then tried to cartwheel past her guard. 10-9 dos Santos.

Winner: Rayanne Amanda dos Santos by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 48-47) after five rounds. She improves to 14-6-0 and becomes the new Invicta FC Atomweight Champion.

 

“Big Bad” Olga Rubin vs “Grizzly” Claire Guthrie

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Joe Coca. Rubin landed two early kicks, but Guthrie caught the second one and she backed Rubin up to the cage in a clinch. Guthrie landed a right hand and Rubin turned her around before scoring with a knee to the body. She held Guthrie in a front headlock, but Guthrie freed her neck and worked for a takedown against the cage. The fighters traded knees to the body and short uppercuts in close. Rubin landed a body kick after breaking free and Guthrie responded with a right hook and two knees. Rubin fought off a takedown attempt late in the back-and-forth round. 10-9 Guthrie by a narrow margin.

Round 2:
Rubin slowed down in the second round as the fighters once again battled in clinches against the cage, with Guthrie landing short knees and right uppercuts. Rubin eventually took Guthrie’s back, but she could not maintain the position. Guthrie pinned her against the cage again and she eventually countered a trip attempt from Rubin with a takedown of her own. Rubin countered with a buggy choke from the bottom and Guthrie appeared to be okay. Within seconds, however, she abruptly tapped out and the fight was over.

Winner: Olga Rubin by Submission (Buggy Choke) at 4:23 of round two. She improves to 9-3-0.

 

Jéssica “The Queen” Correa Delboni vs “Dynamite” Danielle Taylor

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Joe Coca. Delboni jabbed throughout the first half of round one and briefly landed knees during a clinch against the cage. Taylor missed with a looping left hook and Delboni remained the aggressor with her jab and overhand rights. Delboni landed a combination in close and scored with a hard right hook shortly before the bell. 10-9 Delboni.

Round 2:
Delboni had more success with jabs in the second round, as well as kicks to Taylor’s lead leg and body, and Taylor stuck to throwing single strikes in response. She did land a solid right hook, but Delboni jabbed and followed with another leg kick. She threw a pair of three-punch flurries and two more leg kicks, but Taylor fired back with a hard left hook. 10-9 Delboni.

Round 3:
In the final round, Delboni jabbed early on and Taylor landed a leg kick and a right hook. Delboni kept Taylor on the defensive, but neither woman landed anything significant and Delboni eventually tied Taylor up in a clinch. Taylor broke free once and Delboni clinched with her a second time. She landed a left hook on the break and then followed with a right hand. The fight ended with both fighters throwing quick punching combinations. 10-9 Delboni.

Winner: Jéssica Correa Delboni by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 13-4-0.

 

Monique Adriane vs Nicole Geraldo

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Joel Ojeda. Adriane established her jab and she used it to counter Geraldo each time she took a step forward. Geraldo landed a leg kick and a jab that led to an exchange of quick punches in close. A long jab landed for Geraldo and Adriane fired back with a one-two. Geraldo landed an overhand right and grazed with a spinning back kick to the body. She threw a spinning backfist and a right hook, then closed out the round with two knees to the body. Close opening round. 10-9 Adriane by a narrow margin, despite Geraldo’s late rally.

Round 2:
Adriane was effective with counterpunching throughout the first three minutes. Geraldo tried to close the distance and Adriane repeatedly scored with jab-cross combos and she sprawled out of a Geraldo takedown attempt. Adriane finished a combination with a knee, then stuffed another takedown. In the final seconds, Adriane landed a four-punch combo and avoided a kick from Geraldo. 10-9 Adriane.

Round 3:
Geraldo shot in for a takedown and Adriane countered by taking her back. She locked on a tight face crank across Geraldo’s lower jaw and Geraldo was in trouble. She managed to push Adriane’s bicep up enough to alleviate pressure, but Adriane stayed on her back and continued to hunt for a rear-naked choke while punching the side of Geraldo’s head. Adriane finished the round with a series of right hands while maintaining back control. 10-9 Adriane.

Winner: Monique Adriane by Unanimous Decision (30-27 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. She improves to 6-2-0.

 

Elise “The Piece” Pone vs Liana “Li” Ferreira Pirosin

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Joel Ojeda. Quick kicks were exchanged right away and Pirosin tied Pone up in a clinch. Pirosin took Pone down and transitioned to her back. Pone reached back and held Pirosin’s head in a headlock. Pirosin freed her neck and Pone latched on to Pirosin’s left arm. Pirosin worked for a rear-naked chile while holding Pone in place. Pirosin tried to set up an armbar from the back, but time expired. 10-9 Pirosin due to control.

Round 2:
Pone closed the distance with a hard combination and Pirosin clinched with her against the cage. She took Pone down and briefly held back control before Pone stood back up. Pirosin held Pone against the cage and Pone landed short elbows to her face. The fighters were separated and Pone bloodied Pirosin’s nose with a combination. Pirosin secured another clinch and Pone broke free with three elbows. She walked forward with a combination and held Pirosin against the fence. Pone threw shoulder strikes to Pirosin’s face and a spinning back elbow in the final seconds. 10-9 Pone.

Round 3:
Pone was the aggressor on the feet in round three. She landed a three-punch flurry and a body kick, then followed up with more punches and backed Pirosin up against the cage. The fighters separated and Pone kicked at the right side of Pirosin’s body. Pirosin landed a combination and Pone, completely unfazed, blasted her with punches in response before clinching again. Pirosin turned Pone around and kneed her in the body. Pone reversed the clinch and landed knees of her own. After a brief separation, Pirosin initiated one more clinch and kneed Pone in the body. Pone turned her around and landed knees of her own. The fighters battled for position and separated in the final 15 seconds. Pone landed two body kicks and a final punching combination. 10-9 Pone.

Winner: Elise Pone by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 3-1-0.

 

Elisandra “Lili” Ferreira de Oliveira vs Flor “Compean” Hernandez

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Joe Coca. Ferreira jabbed and landed two right hooks as Hernandez charged forward with overhand punches and clinched. Ferreira reversed position and kneed Hernandez in the body. She secured a body lock and took Hernandez down into back control. She tried to set up a rear-naked choke and punched the side of Hernandez’s head. Hernandez eventually turned over into Ferreira’s guard. Ferreira trapped Hernandez’s right arm and elbowed from the bottom as Hernandez threw left hands. Late in the round, Ferreira postured for an armbar. 10-9 Ferreira.

Round 2:
After trading jabs on the feet, Ferreira used a one-two to close the distance and she swept out Hernandez’s leg for a slick takedown. Ferreira briefly struck from the top, then stood over Hernandez and kicked at her legs. Hernandez was brought back to her feet and Ferreira jabbed while keeping her distance. She finished a late-round combination with a kick to the body. 10-9 Ferreira.

Round 3:
Time was called right away in the final round when Hernandez was kicked in the groin. The fight resumed after a minute and Hernandez pressed forward with a right hook. Ferreira circled and used her jab to keep Hernandez at bay, then shot in and scored a double-leg takedown. Hernandez sat up and punched the side of Ferreira’s head as Ferreira held her down. Ferreira slammed Hernandez down once more and opened a cut on her left cheek with short punches. Hernandez eventually pushed Ferreira off and landed two upkicks before the end of the fight. 10-9 Ferreira.

Winner: Elisandra Ferreira de Oliveira by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. She improves to 6-2-0.

 

“Kobra” Ky Bennett vs Kendal “The Crocodile” Holowell

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Joe Coca. Quick punches were exchanged right away and Bennett landed four consecutive elbows during a clinch against the cage. She landed more strikes in close until Holowell took her down. Bennett continued to elbow the side of Holowell’s head until Holowell transitioned to Bennett’s back. She then switched to a belly-down armbar, but Bennett easily avoided it and stood up. She got Holowell down in the final minute and moved to back control herself. The round ended with Bennett landing short punches to the side of Holowell’s head. 10-9 Bennett.

Round 2:
Bennett tied Holowell up in a clinch in round two and resumed battering her with elbows. Holowell bent over and Bennett threw more elbows and punches. Bennett kneed her in the body as Holowell repeatedly put her hands down on the mat. Holowell eventually flopped to her back and Bennett teed off with elbows and punches until Holowell briefly stood up. Bennett landed numerous unanswered punches while holding Holowell in a side headlock, and the lopsided fight was mercifully stopped.

Winner: Ky Bennett by TKO (Punches) at 4:04 of round two. She improves to 3-2-0.