Invicta FC 44: A New Era Hits Pay-Per-View on Aug. 27 with Two Title Fights
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Invicta Fighting Championships will host a historic night of women’s mixed martial arts action for Friday, Aug. 27. The world’s premier combat sports organization for women returns to pay-per-view for the first time in eight years for Invicta FC 44: A New Era. The event will take place from Memorial Hall in Kansas City and is headlined by two championship match-ups.
A new Invicta FC strawweight champion will be crowned as top contenders Emily “Gordinha” Ducote (9-6) and “Dynamite” Danielle Taylor (11-5) square off for the 115-pound belt. The second half of Invicta FC 44’s double main event will see Lisa “Battle Angel” Verzosa (6-1) take on Phoenix Tournament winner Taneisha “Triple Threat” Tennant (3-1) to decide the new queen of Invicta’s bantamweight division.
Beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Friday, Aug. 27, Invicta FC 44: A New Era will be distributed on pay-per-view via traditional cable and satellite carriers. Digital customers around the world can pre-order the event immediately from FITE for $19.99 in the United States, $14.99 in Canada and $9.99 in the rest of the world.
The live Invicta FC 44 Prelims will be broadcast in the U.S. on AXS TV and streamed for free worldwide on Invicta FC’s YouTube channel beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Both platforms will also premiere a special Countdown to Invicta FC 44 documentary the week before the live event.
Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp said, “I’m excited for our athletes to showcase their skills on pay-per-view again. These title fights feature some of the most talented women in mixed martial arts and I can’t wait to watch these amazing match-ups.”
Haunted by two near misses in challenges for the Bellator MMA and Invicta crowns in the past, Oklahoma strawweight Ducote is determined to become a world champion in her third opportunity.
She said, “It’s my time to show off everything I’ve been working on. Danielle’s tough. We’ve both fought the best and this is a good match-up – but I will walk through whatever I need to walk through to get this championship.”
Meanwhile Taylor, who has beaten contenders including Jessica Aguilar, Jessica Penne and Seo Hee Ham, responded, “At the end of day she has never faced my speed and power. I believe I can stop everything she throws at me then put her out. They will announce me as the new Invicta strawweight champion.”
Portland, Oregon-based bantamweight Verzosa has spent the majority of her professional career under the Invicta banner, earning her fifth promotional win over Raquel Canuto in her last outing. The lone loss of her career came in a heartbreaking split decision in her previous Invicta title challenge in 2020, and “Battle Angel” is determined to go one better on Aug. 27.
“I’m super excited to have another title shot and prove to myself I can be champion,” expressed the 25-year-old. “Nobody has the heart that I do — that’s why I win.”
Having earned her title shot by beating three opponents one night, New York’s Tennant is equally confident. “My style of fighting will have her looking like an amateur. She’s never been hit like I hit before.”
Also featured on the five-fight main card will be a flyweight bout between Guam’s Brogan “Killer Bee” Sanchez (6-2) and UFC veteran Mara Romero Borella (11-9) of Italy, strawweight Jodie Esquibel (6-6) returns to the promotion following a four-fight run in the UFC to face off with fellow firefighter Kelly “Wildfire” D’Angelo (4-4), and Phoenix Tournament veteran Serena “The Southpaw Outlaw” DeJesus (3-2) meets another Octagon alum in Californian Lauren “Princess Tiger” Mueller (5-3).
Prior to the pay-per-view card, the Invicta FC 44 Prelims will be headlined by a flyweight clash featuring Florida’s Caitlin “Ginger” Sammons (3-1) and knockout artist Helen “Iansã” Peralta (3-2). Also on the preliminary card, Canada’s “Queen of the North” Katie Saull (3-4) meets Brazil’s Monique Adriane (4-2) in an atomweight affair and New Mexico featherweight Kayla “Danger” Yontef (debut) makes her professional debut opposite fellow newcomer Carlene Chandler (debut) of Stockton, Calif.
The fight card for Invicta FC 44: A New Era can be found below:
Strawweight Title: Emily Ducote vs. Danielle Taylor
Bantamweight Title: Lisa Verzosa vs. Taneisha Tennant
Flyweight: Brogan Sanchez vs. Mara Romero Borella
Strawweight: Jodie Esquibel vs. Kelly D’Angelo
Bantamweight: Serena DeJesus vs. Lauren Mueller
Flyweight: Caitlin Sammons vs. Helen Peralta
Atomweight: Katie Saull vs. Monique Adriane
Featherweight: Kayla Yontef vs. Carlene Chandler
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.
About Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc.
Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc. is a globally integrated multi-platform media company with offices and studios in Los Angeles, Denver, Nashville, New York, Kansas City and Toronto. Anthem’s portfolio includes AXS TV, a leading music, entertainment and lifestyle television channel and digital media company; Fight Network, the world’s premier combat sports channel; IMPACT Wrestling, one of the world’s leading wrestling organizations specializing in original programming and live events; Invicta Fighting Championships, the world’s premier all-women mixed martial arts promotion; Game+, the leader in Esports and gaming content; GameTV, the home of game shows and competition-based reality series; and HDNet Movies, which features theatrically released films and documentaries. Anthem also has a significant ownership interest in Pursuit Channel, one of the top outdoor channels in the U.S.