Fresh off of a dominant stoppage victory in her July pro debut, Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke faces off against fellow bantamweight prospect Marciea “Black Widow” Allen at Invicta Fighting Championships 3 on October 6th in Kansas City, Kansas. MMARising.com confirmed plans for the fight today.
Duke’s Muay Thai skills were on full display at Invicta FC 2 in July as she wore down opponent Suzie “La China” Montero with knees before finishing her with ground and pound in the third round. Allen made a successful pro debut by submitting Chandra Engel in quick fashion this past weekend.
Duke (1-0-0) is one of many former amateur champions on the Invicta FC 3 card. The Kentucky native held titles for Tuff-N-Uff and Absolute Action MMA during her time as an amateur, which saw her rack up a 5-2 record that included four stoppage wins. At 5’11”, Duke is one of the tallest female competitors in MMA and she has made good use of her reach advantage in recent fights. That was particularly evident in her pro debut against Montero, as Duke prevented Montero from landing much of anything on the feet and battered her opponent with knees when the fighters clinched.
Allen (1-0-0) posted a nearly identical 5-3 record as an amateur and she, too, is a former Tuff-N-Uff women’s champion. Allen finished three of her amateur opponents and her defeats all came against past or present titleholders. After winning the Tuff-N-Uff bantamweight title in July 2011, Allen had planned to close out her amateur career in a March bout with Duke, but she was forced to withdraw from the fight and did not return to action until this past weekend. Facing fellow pro debutant Engel, Allen submitted her foe with a triangle choke in three minutes.
The bantamweight division has been a key part of each Invicta FC card to date and the winner of the bout between Duke and Allen will take another step up the ranks in October. Both fighters possess well-rounded skill sets and each will be looking to keep her unblemished pro record intact.
Invicta Fighting Championships 3 takes place on October 6th at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. The event is headlined by an Invicta FC Atomweight Championship bout between Jessica Penne and Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama.
Invicta Fighting Championships 3 Fight Card (to date; subject to change):
– Jessica Penne vs Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama [Atomweight (105-Pound) Championship]
– Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler vs Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio [135 Pounds]
– Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak vs Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly [125 Pounds]
– Tara LaRosa vs Vanessa Porto [125 Pounds]
– Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith vs Cat “Alpha” Zingano [135 Pounds]
– Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson vs Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman [105 Pounds]
– Julia “The Jewel” Budd vs Elaina “Beef” Maxwell [145 Pounds]
– Carla Esparza vs Lynn “Lights Out” Alvarez [115 Pounds]
– Ashley “Smashley” Cummins vs Joanne Calderwood [115 Pounds]
– Amy “Lil’ Dynamite” Davis vs Stephanie “Macaquinha” Frausto [105 Pounds]
– Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke vs Marciea “Black Widow” Allen [135 Pounds]
– Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres vs Kaiyana Rain [115 Pounds]
– Katalina Malungahu vs Taylor “No Mercy” Stratford [145 Pounds]
(Photo Credit: Elite Photography)