Invicta FC 10 Official Weigh-in Results and Photo Gallery

On Thursday, Dec. 4, Invicta Fighting Championships hosted the weigh-ins for Invicta FC 10: Waterson vs. Tiburcio which takes place Friday, Dec. 5, from the Arena Theatre in Houston.

In the night’s main event, Invicta FC atomweight champion Michelle Waterson (12-3) will face Brazilian challenger Herica Tiburcio (8-2).

Waterson is coming off the first defense of her title, a TKO victory over Yasuko Tamada (15-9) in September. The win marked the champion’s 10th finish in 12 career victories.

Tiburcio, currently riding a three-fight winning streak, was slated to make her promotional debut at Invicta FC 9, but visa issues forced her off the card. Six of the 22-year-old challenger’s career wins have come via submission.

Red-hot bantamweight contender Tonya Evinger (14-5), coming off a first-round submission of Ediane Gomes, meets Belgium’s Cindy Dandois (5-1) in the co-main event.

The eight-fight event will stream live and exclusively via UFC Fight Pass beginning at 9 p.m. ET on Friday.

Below is a photo gallery shot by Invicta FC’s Esther Lin.

Below are the results of the event’s weigh-ins.

Michelle Waterson (105) vs. Herica Tiburcio (105) – for atomweight title
Tonya Evinger (134.75) vs. Cindy Dandois (135)
Roxanne Modafferi (125) vs. Andrea K. Lee (125.5)
Jennifer Maia (124) vs. DeAnna Bennett (125)
Andria Wawro (147)* vs. Peggy Morgan (145)
Alida Gray (115) vs. Alexa Grasso (115.25)
Jinh Yu Frey (106.25)* vs. Cassie Robb (105.25)
Rachael Ostovich (126) vs. Evva Johnson (125)

* – Wawro and Frey were fined 25 percent of their fight purse

Invicta FC 10 Loses Charmaine Tweet vs. Faith Van Duin

Houston – A medical concern identified by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has forced the cancellation of the Invicta FC 10 featherweight bout between Canada’s Charmaine Tweet (6-4) and New Zealand’s Faith Van Duin (4-1) that was slated for Dec. 5 in Houston.

Invicta FC 10 streams live on UFCFIGHTPASS.com from the Arena Theatre in Houston on Friday, Dec. 5 and is headlined by Invicta FC atomweight champion Michelle Waterson (12-3) taking on Brazilian challenger Herica Tiburcio (8-2). In the co-headline bout, red-hot bantamweight contender Tonya Evinger (14-5) meets Belgium’s Cindy Dandois (5-1).

Tickets for Invicta FC 10 are on sale now and can be purchased at the venue box office, via charge-by-phone by calling 713-772-5900 or online at arenahouston.com.

For more information, visit InvictaFC.com.


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).

Irene Aldana Out of Invicta FC 10, Bout With Marion Reneau Moved to 2015

Kansas City, Mo. – Due to a severe case of bronchitis that required hospitalization, Invicta Fighting Championships has announced that Mexican bantamweight Irene Aldana (4-1) has been forced out of a planned match-up with Marion Reneau (4-1) at Invicta FC 10 on Dec. 5 in Houston.

The bout has been rescheduled for early 2015.

Invicta FC 10 streams live on UFCFIGHTPASS.com from the Arena Theatre in Houston on Friday, Dec. 5 and is headlined by Invicta FC atomweight champion Michelle Waterson (12-3) taking on Brazilian challenger Herica Tiburcio (8-2). In the co-headline bout, red-hot bantamweight contender Tonya Evinger (14-5) meets Belgium’s Cindy Dandois (5-1).

Tickets for Invicta FC 10 are on sale now and can be purchased at the venue box office, via charge-by-phone by calling 713-772-5900 or online at arenahouston.com.

For more information, visit InvictaFC.com.


About Invicta FC:

Invicta Fighting Championships is a world championship, all-pro mixed martial rts (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).

Andrea Lee Replaces Vanessa Porto at Invicta FC 10

Kansas City, Mo. – After being notified of an unforeseen delay in visa processing, Invicta Fighting Championships today announced that flyweight title contender Vanessa Porto (17-6) will no longer face veteran Roxanne Modafferi (16-11) at Invicta FC 10 on Dec. 5.

Rather than waiting for the visa issue to be resolved, Invicta FC officials have tapped rising prospect Andrea Lee (2-0) to replace Porto. Lee, the 2013 Women’s National Golden Gloves Champion, impressed in her Invicta debut, a victory over Shannon Sinn at Invicta FC 9 in November.

Porto is expected to return to the Invicta cage in early 2015 at Invicta FC 11.

Invicta FC 10 streams live on UFCFIGHTPASS.com from the Arena Theatre in Houston on Friday, Dec. 5 and is headlined by Invicta FC atomweight champion Michelle Waterson (12-3) taking on Brazilian challenger Herica Tiburcio (8-2). In the co-headline bout, red-hot bantamweight contender Tonya Evinger (14-5), coming off a first-round submission of Ediane Gomes, meets Belgium’s Cindy Dandois (5-1).

Tickets for Invicta FC 10 are on sale now and can be purchased at the venue box office, via charge-by-phone by calling 713-772-5900 or online at arenahouston.com.

For more information, visit InvictaFC.com.


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).

Press Contact:
Eric Jackman
718.354.9024
eric@jacktaylorpr.com
or press@invictafc.com

Invicta FC 10 Full Card Announced for Friday, December 5

Kansas City, Mo. – Invicta Fighting Championships today announced the full fight card for Invicta FC 10: Waterson vs. Tiburcio, which will stream live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass from the Arena Theatre in Houston on Friday, Dec. 5.

In the night’s headline bout, Invicta FC atomweight champion Michelle Waterson (12-3) will face Brazilian challenger Herica Tiburcio (8-2).

Waterson is coming off the first defense of her title, a TKO victory over Yasuko Tamada (15-9) in September. The win marked the champion’s 10th finish in 12 career victories.

Tiburcio, currently riding a three-fight winning streak, was slated to make her promotional debut at Invicta FC 9, but visa issues forced her off the card. Six of the 22-year-old challenger’s career wins have come via submission.

Red hot bantamweight contender Tonya Evinger (14-5), coming off a first-round submission of Ediane Gomes, meets Belgium’s Cindy Dandois (5-1) in the co-headline bout.

The full fight card for Invicta FC 10 can be found below:

Atomweight Title Fight: Michelle Waterson (12-3) vs. Herica Tiburcio (8-2)
Bantamweight: Tonya Evinger (14-5) vs. Cindy Dandois (5-1)
Flyweight: Vanessa Porto (17-6) vs. Roxanne Modafferi (16-11)
Flyweight: Jennifer Maia (9-3-1) vs. DeAnna Bennett (5-0)
Featherweight: Charmaine Tweet (6-4) vs. Faith van Duin (4-1)
Bantamweight: Irene Aldana (4-1) vs. Marion Reneau (4-1)
Featherweight: Peggy Morgan (2-2) vs. Andria Wawro (3-1)
Strawweight: Alexa Grasso (5-0) vs. Alida Gray (4-1)
Atomweight: Jinh Yu Frey (2-1) vs. Cassie Robb (0-2)
Flyweight: Rachael Ostovich (1-1) vs. Evva Johnson (1-0)

Tickets for Invicta FC 10 are on sale now and can be purchased at the venue box office, via charge-by-phone by calling 713-772-5900 or online at arenahouston.com.

For more information, visit InvictaFC.com.


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).

Press Contact:
Eric Jackman
718.354.9024
eric@jacktaylorpr.com
or press@invictafc.com

Invicta FC 9 Results: Honchak Retains Title, Kowalkiewicz Edges Inoue

On Saturday, Nov. 1, Invicta Fighting Championships hosted Invicta FC 9: Honchak vs. Hashi from the RiverCenter in Davenport, Iowa. The nine-fight event streamed live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.

In the night’s main event, Invicta flyweight champion Barb Honchak successfully defended her 125-pound title with a hard-fought decision win over Japan’s Takayo Hashi. Honchak’s strategy from the very beginning was to force Hashi against the fence and grind her out. Honchak was able to impose her will on the challenger and score with short punches and knees from the clinch. Hashi earned takedowns late in the third and fourth rounds, but she was unable to hold the champion on the ground. Honchak let her hands go late in the fifth frame, leaving no doubt who had won the contest.

The night’s co-main event featured the Invicta return of Japanese strawweight Mizuki Inoue, who welcomed unbeaten Polish fighter Karolina Kowalkiewicz to the Invicta cage. Kowalkiewicz used her length to keep Inoue at range during the first round, scoring with combinations and leg kicks. In the middle stanza, Inoue was able to score with a hip toss and put Kowalkiewicz on her back. Kowalkiewicz was able to survive the tough position and the round. The final frame saw Kowalkiewicz return to landing on the feet, but Inoue fired back. When it was all said and done, Kowalkiewicz claimed the narrow split decision win.

Stepping into the cage on just a week’s notice, Hawaii’s Raquel Pa’aluhi survived a tough first round and earned the nod over Kaitlin Young on the scorecards. Young battered Pa’aluhi in the opening frame, opening up multiple cuts on the Hawaiian’s face. Pa’aluhi bounced back in rounds two and three with takedowns. Pa’aluhi threatened to finish the fight with a rear-naked choke and strikes, but Young was able to survive to the final bell.

Jodie Esquibel put together one of the best performances of her career, outstriking Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc and earning a lopsided, unanimous decision win. Esquibel used her speed and footwork to land combination after combination and frustrate Rivera-Calanoc. The Jackson’s MMA fighter mixed in takedowns and survived a late guillotine attempt from Rivera-Calanoc to claim the victory.

Atomweights Amber Brown and Liz McCarthy engaged in a back-and-forth war that saw Brown eke out the win via split decision. McCarthy repeatedly took the fight to the ground with her wrestling, but Brown landed the more effective strikes. A knee from Brown opened a large cut over McCarthy’s right eye in round two, leading to a bloody affair.

Amanda Bell returned to the Invicta cage and scored a first-round TKO over promotional newcomer Maria Hougaard-Djursaa. Bell came out firing and overwhelmed the Danish fighter. Once on the mat, Bell rained punches and forced the referee to halt the bout late in the opening stanza.

Veteran striker Andrea K. Lee used her stand-up game to get the better of fellow flyweight Shannon Sinn. Lee dropped Sinn early and battered her throughout the remainder of the contest to take home the win on the scorecards.

Strawweight Jamie Moyle scored an impressive decision win in her pro debut, battering Jenny Liou Shriver for three rounds. Shriver had no answer for Moyle’s striking and suffered her first career loss.

Kelly McGill spoiled the pro debut of Maegan Goodwin in the first fight of the evening. The bloody affair saw McGill open up Goodwin with an elbow, helping her seal the decision win and move to 2-0.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Barb Honchak def. Takayo Hashi by unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45) – for flyweight title
Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Mizuki Inoue by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Raquel Pa’aluhi def. Kaitlin Young by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Jodie Esquibel def. Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Amber Brown def. Liz McCarthy by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Amanda Bell def. Maria Hougaard-Djursaa by TKO (strikes). Round 1, 4:56
Andrea K. Lee def. Shannon Sinn by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Jamie Moyle def. Jenny Liou Shriver by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Kelly McGill def. Maegan Goodwin by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

‘Cyborg’ Justino Injured, Waterson vs. Tiburcio to Headline Invicta FC 10

Kansas City, Mo. – Invicta Fighting Championships today announced that Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino (12-1) injured her left ankle, suffering a full thickness rupture of the anterior talofibular ligament, and has been forced to withdraw from her scheduled bantamweight debut in the main event of Invicta FC 10 on Dec. 5.

Justino has not competed in MMA since July of 2013 when she defeated Marloes Coenen  (22-6) via fourth-round TKO at Invicta FC 6 to capture the Invicta FC Featherweight Championship.

Invicta FC Atomweight Champion Michelle Waterson (12-3) now headlines Invicta FC 10 when she faces Brazilian challenger Herica Tiburcio (8-2).

Waterson is coming off the first defense of her title, a TKO victory over Yasuko Tamada (15-9) in September. The win marked the champion’s 10th finish in 12 career victories.

Tiburcio, currently riding a three-fight winning streak, was slated to make her promotional debut at Invicta FC 9, but visa issues forced her off the card. Six of the 22-year-old challenger’s career wins have come via submission.

Invicta FC 10 will take place from the Arena Theatre in Houston on Friday, Dec. 5. Tickets for the event go on sale Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 10 a.m. CT and can be purchased at the venue box office, via charge-by-phone by calling 713-772-5900 or online at arenahouston.com.

Additional bouts for the event will be announced in the coming weeks.

Invicta FC 9 Official Weigh-in Results

On Friday, Oct. 31, Invicta Fighting Championships hosted the weigh-ins for Invicta FC 9: Honchak vs. Hashi which takes place Saturday, Nov. 1, from the RiverCenter in Davenport, Iowa.

The event will be headlined by Invicta flyweight champion Barb Honchak who will look to make the second defense of her 125-pound title as she squares off with Japan’s Takayo Hashi.

Honchak captured Invicta gold at Invicta FC 5 in April 2013 by dominating Brazil’s Vanessa Porto. The 35-year-old extended her current winning streak to eight with a one-sided performance against Leslie Smith in December. The win marked Honchak’s fourth victory under the Invicta banner. In addition to her wins over Porto and Smith, Honchak also holds notable victories over Invicta veterans Aisling Daly and Felice Herrig.

Hashi will be making her Invicta FC debut. The 36-year-old is unbeaten in her last three fights, topping veterans Roxanne Modafferi and Shizuka Sugiyama along the way. Hashi previously competed at bantamweight and has faced Invicta alums Cat Zingano, Tara LaRosa and Sarah Kaufman.

The night’s co-main event will feature the Invicta return of Japanese strawweight Mizuki Inoue, who welcomes unbeaten Polish fighter Karolina Kowalkiewicz to the Invicta cage. The 20-year-old Inoue bested Bec Rawlings at IFC 6 last July. Kowalkiewicz took her record to 5-0 in May, submitting Invicta veteran Jasminka Cive.

The nine-fight event will stream live and exclusively via UFC Fight Pass beginning at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Below are the results of the event’s weigh-ins.

Barb Honchak (124.4) vs. Takayo Hashi (124.8) – for flyweight title
Mizuki Inoue (115) vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (115)
Kaitlin Young (145) vs. Raquel Pa’aluhi (145)
Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc (105.2) vs. Jodie Esquibel (105.8)
Amber Brown (105.6) vs. Liz McCarthy (105.2)
Amanda Bell (145.6) vs. Maria Hougaard-Djursaa (148.6)*
Shannon Sinn (125.4) vs. Andrea K. Lee (125)
Jenny Liou Shriver (115.8) vs. Jamie Moyle (115)
Kelly McGill (135.8) vs. Maegan Goodwin (138.8)*

* – Hougaard-Djursaa and Goodwin elected not to cut any additional weight and were fined 25 percent of their fight purses

Herica Tiburcio Forced Out of Invicta FC 9, Bout with Ayaka Hamasaki Scrapped

Kansas City, Mo. – The atomweight contest between Brazil’s Herica Tiburcio (8-2) and Japan’s Ayaka Hamasaki (10-1) has been scratched from this Saturday’s Invicta FC 9 event, as visa issues for Tiburcio have forced the 22-year-old off the card at the last minute.

Tiburcio was slated to make her promotional debut for Invicta FC, currently riding a three-fight winning streak. Hamasaki, who previously fought for the organization at Invicta FC 6 in July of 2013, was looking for her second win in a new division after dropping to atomweight earlier this year.

Invicta FC 9 takes place from the RiverCenter in Davenport, Iowa. The event will stream live via the UFC’s digital network, UFC Fight Pass. In the night’s main event, Invicta flyweight champion Barb Honchak (9-2) will make the second defense of her 125-pound title as she squares off with Japan’s Takayo Hashi (15-4). The night’s co-main event will feature the Invicta return of Japanese strawweight Mizuki Inoue (8-2), who welcomes unbeaten Polish fighter Karolina Kowalkiewicz (5-0) to the Invicta cage.

Cindy Dandois Out of Invicta FC 9, Kaitlin Young to Face Raquel Pa’aluhi

Kansas City, Mo. – Invicta Fighting Championships today announced that Belgian bantamweight Cindy Dandois (5-1) was forced to withdraw from her Invicta FC 9 match-up with Kaitlin Young (7-8-1) due to visa issues.

Stepping in on short notice to face Young on Nov. 1 is Raquel Pa’aluhi (3-4), fighting out of Hawaii. The bout, originally contracted for bantamweight, will now be contested at featherweight.

“I’m disappointed that Cindy is not able to fight on this card, but we’ll bring her back [to compete] at our next event,” said Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp. “Kudos to Raquel for taking on a veteran like Kaitlin Young with just a week’s notice. We love that kind of warrior spirit at Invicta and those two are going to put on a show next Saturday night.”

Dandois is expected to fight later this year at Invicta FC 10 on Dec. 5 against an opponent to be named at a later date.

Invicta FC 9: Honchak vs. Hashi streams live on UFC Fight Pass from The RiverCenter in Davenport, Iowa on Saturday, Nov. 1 and is headlined by Invicta FC Flyweight Champion Barb Honchak (9-2) defending her title against Japanese veteran Takayo Hashi (15-4). In the co-main event, strawweight submission specialist Mizuki Inoue (8-2) returns to Invicta to take on undefeated newcomer Karolina Kowalkiewicz (5-0) of Poland.

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).

Press Contact:
Eric Jackman
718.354.9024
eric@jacktaylorpr.com
or press@invictafc.com