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Invicta FC 12 Results: Livia Renata Souza Submits Katja Kankaanpää to Claim Strawweight Title

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Kansas City, Mo. – Invicta Fighting Championships returned to the Municipal Auditorium on Friday, April 24 for Invicta FC 12: Kankaanpää vs. Souza. The event streamed live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.

A new champion was crowned in the strawweight division as Brazil’s Livia Renata Souza submitted Finland’s Katja Kankaanpää in the fourth round. Souza attacked the champion from the opening bell, taking the fight to the ground and taking Kankaanpää’s back. Kankaanpää showed heart and defended rear-naked choke attempts. The momentum swung toward Kankaanpää as the fight progressed. She used a smothering top game in the middle frames, delivering short shots and keeping Souza from mounting offense. In round four, Souza again found herself on her back, but she slapped on a triangle choke and Kankaanpää was forced to tap and relinquish her belt.

Brazilian Vanessa Porto exacted revenge on Roxanne Modafferi, claiming a decision win in the pair’s rematch. Porto used her leg kicks to slow Modafferi’s movement and mixed in takedowns in each of the first two rounds. Modafferi countered with flurries, bloodying the nose of Porto. A right hand from Porto clipped Modafferi in round two, but she survived and pushed hard in the third round. Modafferi’s efforts were not enough as Porto took the fight on the judges’ scorecards.

New Zealand’s Faith Van Duin earned a big win in her Invicta debut, submitting Amanda Bell in the second round with a schoolyard choke. Van Duin put Bell on the mat early in the fight and threatened with an armbar. Bell escaped and reversed the position, dropping big hammerfists on the Kiwi. In the second round, Van Duin caught a kick and took Bell down again. She locked onto Bell’s neck and coerced a tap.

Raquel Pa’aluhi continued her march up the bantamweight ladder, edging Brazilian Ediane Gomes by unanimous decision. The Hawaiian scored with right hands and a big throw in the opening stanza, but Gomes countered with a heel hook attempt. In round two, Pa’aluhi hurt Gomes badly with a body shot and flurried hard for a finish. Gomes managed to recover and put together a strong final round. It wasn’t enough; however, as Pa’aluhi took home the victory on the scorecards.

Featherweight Latoya Walker remained unbeaten, edging Peggy Morgan by unanimous decision. Morgan used her reach to keep Walker at bay early, but Walker found her range and connected repeatedly with her overhand right. She rocked Morgan badly in round two, but could not find the finish. Morgan’s face wore the damage from Walker’s heavy shots as the fight went the distance.

Lacey Schuckman returned to the Invicta cage and needed less than two minutes to score a TKO win over Jenny Liou. Schuckman was aggressive early with her strikes, wobbling Liou with a flurry. She was patient with her follow-up punches, battering Liou against the cage and forcing the stoppage.

In her Invicta debut, strawweight Sharon Jacobson used a mix of aggressive striking and powerful wrestling to defeat a scrappy Delaney Owen. Jacobson overpowered Owen early, but Owen showed resolve and clipped Jacobson with a heavy shot that damaged her right eye. Jacobson went to her wrestling game and was able to claim a sweep on the scorecards.

Former training partners Shannon Sinn and Maureen Riordon went to war, with Sinn claiming the unanimous decision win. The two flyweights traded heavy shots from the opening bell, with Sinn landing more frequently. Riordon never stopped marching forward, but Sinn’s combinations and clinch work were the difference on the scorecards.

In a battle of promotional newcomers, Sijara Eubanks used her grappling prowess to set up a finish with her hands, handing Gina Begley a first-round TKO loss. Begley scored early on the feet, but once Eubanks took the fight to the mat, Eubanks delivered heavy shots and forced the referee to intervene.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Livia Renata Souza def. Katja Kankaanpää by submission (triangle choke). Round 4, 3:58 – for strawweight title
Vanessa Porto def. Roxanne Modafferi by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Faith Van Duin def. Amanda Bell by submission (schoolyard choke). Round 2, 0:38
Raquel Pa’aluhi def. Ediane Gomes by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Latoya Walker def. Peggy Morgan by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Lacey Schuckman def. Jenny Liou by TKO (strikes). Round 1, 1:53
Sharon Jacobson def. Delaney Owen by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Shannon Sinn def. Maureen Riordon by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Sijara Eubanks def. Gina Begley by TKO (strikes). Round 1, 4:59

About Invicta FC:

Invicta Fighting Championships is a world championship, all-pro mixed martial arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible match-ups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport. For more information, visit InvictaFC.com, follow Invicta on Twitter (@InvictaFights) and like Invicta on Facebook (Facebook.com/InvictaFights).

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Fighting Words: Shannon Sinn

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Quickly becoming addicted to MMA after her first introduction, Invicta Flyweight Shannon Sinn is ready to prove herself against top shelf competition. Her first challenge; Andrea K. Lee at Invicta FC 9 November 1st.

 

Corey Smith: You initially got involved in mixed martial arts looking for a satisfying workout after a high school career in track and field. What aspect of MMA did you first take up? What were your first impressions?
Shannon Sinn: Initially I took to grappling. It just clicked with me. I loved it. I was excited to enter as many tournaments as I could. It was finally a way to compete again.

 
CS: Most fighters have a home gym, along with several others that they may train one specific aspect of MMA at. Where are you currently training?
SS: I am training out of Grinders Submission Fighting in Thornton, CO.

 

 

CS: After roughly a three year amateur career, you turned professional in 2014. What were the main lessons you learned as an amateur?

SS: I would have to say I learned to have patience. I struggled getting fights and/or losing opponents my first 2 1/2 years. I had to learn that although I wasn’t always getting to fight at the end of a long camp I was still advancing and becoming a better fighter.
 

CS: What led to the decision to turn professional this year?

SS: I decided to turn pro because I believed there would be a lot more opportunity to get fights and because I’m not getting any younger.
 

CS: After two pro fights, what are the major differences between being an amateur and a professional?

SS: I have already had many more fight offers as a professional than I did as an amateur. Getting paid to do something I was going to do anyway is also a perk!
 

CS: After signing with Invicta FC, what are initial goals within the organization?

SS: I want to show the organization that I am a good fit by putting on great/exciting fights. I also want to come out and win my debut.

 

 

CS: How has your experience been like thus far with the company?

SS: So far everything has been great. They are on top of everything and are in constant communication with my camp.
 

CS: For your Invicta FC debut, you face off against Andrea K. Lee at Invicta FC 9 on November 1st, what do you believe is the key to your matchup?

SS: I’m going to have to stick to my game plan. I think this is a great match up for all of the fight fans.
 

CS: What is your mood on fight night? Do you have any routines or superstitions that you have to perform?

SS: On fight night I am typically pretty calm.  Luckily I am not superstitious. I can’t imagine having to worry about other routines outside of the fight. I have had teammates who were over the top with superstitions and it was exhausting to watch.

 
CS: Who generally accompanies you to the cage? What type of feedback and coaching do you prefer from your corners?
SS: At the cage I have my head trainer/ boyfriend Albert Rosales, my ground coach Brian Zehler, and either my stand up coach Rick Lopez or teammate Joey Welch.

SS: They all play perfect roles in the locker room and cage side. I have a couple that are really good at hyping me up and another who keeps me calm in focused.

SS: I like honest coaching in the corner. If I’m losing the fight, I want to know that. I don’t want it sugar coated.
 

CS: Aside from fight preparation, how much MMA do you watch purely for enjoyment?

SS: I watch a ton of MMA. I am at every local fight in Colorado and don’t usually miss an event that is televised. Slightly addicted??

 

CS: Outside of the gym and MMA, what types of activities do you enjoy for fun? What helps you to relax?

SS: I enjoy running, weekend getaways, and going to other sporting events. Hanging out with my family seems to balance everything out for me. I love spending time with them.

 
CS: Lastly, MMA takes a team to succeed alone inside the cage. Who would you like to thank?
SS: Albert has been the key to my success. I also have to thank my teammates, friends, family, all my coaches, my sponsors, and lastly Jeff Cisneros for going out of his way to find, and more often than not, fly in opponents to fight.

Invicta FC 9 takes place November 1st live from the  RiverCenter in Davenport, Iowa.

Tickets are on sale via the Ticketmaster link below.

The full card will air live via UFC Fight Pass. Click below to subscribe to UFC FightPass.

 

 

 

 

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