Two Fighters Join Phoenix Series 3 Tournament Lineup
Kansas City, Kan. – The lineup for PHOENIX SERIES© 3 on March 6 has undergone some changes.
The event, which features the fastest-paced format in mixed martial arts, includes an eight-woman, single-elimination tournament in the INVICTA FC® bantamweight division. Two of the tournament athletes, Auttumn Norton and Erin Harpe, have been forced off the fight card. Stepping into the tournament field will be Julia “Chicago” Ottolino (1-0) and newcomer Gillian “Valkyrie” Noll (1-1).
The San Antonio-based Ottolino made her professional debut at Invicta FC 36, defeating Megan Cawley by decision. Noll, who hails from Idaho, will make her first promotional appearance having split her first two pro outings after a lengthy amateur career.
As a result of the change, Ottolino’s original opponent in one of the night’s reserve bouts, Serena “The Southpaw Outlaw” DeJesus (1-1), will square off Romanian newcomer Florina “Count Cuddles” Moeller (1-1), who now trains out of Kansas.
In addition to the bantamweight tournament, PHOENIX SERIES© 3 also features a bantamweight title clash between undefeated 24-year-old phenom Lisa “Battle Angel” Verzosa (5-0) and The Ultimate Fighter alum Julija Stoliarenko (8-3-1) of Lithuania.
As was previously announced, all fights for the event will utilize open scoring.
PHOENIX SERIES© 3 takes place from Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. The event streams live on UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m. CT. Tickets to the event can be purchased through Eventbrite.
The updated fight card can be found below:
Bantamweight Title: Lisa Verzosa vs. Julija Stoliarenko
Bantamweight Tournament Final: TBD vs. TBD
Strawweight: Amber Brown vs. Sharon Jacobson
Strawweight: Kay Hansen vs. Liana Pirosin
Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal: TBD vs. TBD
Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal: TBD vs. TBD
Bantamweight Reserve Bout No. 2: Mitzi Merry vs. Morgan Hickam
Bantamweight Reserve Bout No. 1: Serena DeJesus vs. Florina Moeller
Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal: TBD vs. TBD (Randomly Drawn)
Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal: TBD vs. TBD (Randomly Drawn)
Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal: TBD vs. TBD (Randomly Drawn)
Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal: TBD vs. TBD (Randomly Drawn)
PHOENIX SERIES© 3 Quarterfinalists
Brittney Victoria
Claire Guthrie
Gillian Noll
Hope Chase
Julia Ottolino
Kerri Kenneson
Taneisha Tennant
Taylor Guardado
About Invicta FC:
Invicta Fighting Championships (invictafc.com) 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. Follow Invicta on Twitter (@InvictaFights), Facebook (InvictaFights), and Instagram (@InvictaFC) for all the latest information.