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Press Release – KANSAS CITY, Kan. (July 19, 2012) – Twenty-four year old Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman (7-4) of Lakewood, Colo. will replace Jasminka Cive in a flyweight (115 pounds) matchup with undefeated Ayaka Hamasaki (7-0) of Yamaguchi, Japan at the Invicta FC 2: Baszler vs. McMann women’s professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event at Memorial Hall in Kansas City on Sat., July 28. Cive was unable to secure the visa necessary for her to travel from her native Austria, in time for the event.
“I’m actually glad this opportunity came up at the last minute because I’m prepared for the fight,” said Schuckman, who is trained by her husband, Randall “The Green Machine” Schuckman, a recent winner of the Colorado State Golden Gloves Boxing tournament. “I’m always in the gym training with professional MMA fighters and professional boxers, so the timing of this fight is perfect. I also think this matchup is a big step up for me, one that I need take my career to another level.”
Schuckman has earned a name for herself as a mixed martial artist by competing in three different weight classes – atomweight (105 pounds), flyweight and super flyweight (125 pounds). She is looking to become the first female fighter to hold a top 10 ranking in three different weight classes.
Before making her professional debut in 2009, Schuckman competed as a Muay Thai fighter. She has also ventured into professional boxing, notching her first-career win by way of first round TKO over Venus Gutierrez on Nov. 11, 2011.
In her last MMA start on Dec. 17, 2011, Schuckman tapped out Michelle Blalock with a guillotine choke in the second round (1:02) of their matchup in Broomfield, Colo. The win was Schuckman’s fourth by way of submission.
The 30-year-old Hamasaki, a reigning champion in Japanese women’s MMA promotion JEWELS, holds a second-degree black belt in Judo. Since her professional debut in 2009, she has been tearing through the ranks of competitors in Japan.
“I have no problem about the opponent change,” said Hamasaki. “I am just bit concern because it’s my first fight abroad. But regardless of the opponent, I want to give everything I got in this fight and that is all I care about now.”
On Dec. 17, 2010, Hamasaki emerged the winner of a four-woman, single-elimination tournament, earning unanimous decisions over Sakura Nomura and Seo Hee Ham, respectively. Hamasaki is coming off a first-round submission (kimura) win over Yuka Tsuji at a JEWELS event.
Tickets for Invicta FC 2: Baszler vs. McMann, priced from $25, are available for purchase at Memorial Hall box office (913) 549-4853), online at Ticketmaster.com and InvictaFC.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000.
In the bantamweight main event, 2004 Olympic Wrestling Silver Medalist and undefeated MMA star Sara McMann (5-0) of Gaffney, SC. and battle-tested submission wizard Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler (14-6) of Sioux Falls, SD.
In the co-main event, Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano (18-9) of Tokyo, Japan will square off with Japanese Jiu-Jitsu black belt and Cesar Gracie-protégé Alexis Davis (11-5) of Colborne, Ontario Canada at bantamweight.
In other main card action, U.S. Marine and rising bantamweight star Liz “Girl-rilla” Carmouche (6-2) of San Diego, Calif. will square off with St. Louis Park, Minnesota’s Kaitlin Young (7-5-1), who earned “Fight of the Night” honors at the inaugural Invicta FC event on April 28.
Submission specialist Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio (5-2) of San Jose, Calif. will lock up with streaking superstar Vanessa Porto (14-4) of Sao Paulo, Brazil at bantamweight.
In another bantamweight scrap, power striker Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (3-2-1) of Pleasant Hill, Calif. will battle fellow hard-hitting KO artist Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes (6-2) of Salvador, Bahia Brazil
American prospects Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak (5-2) of East Moline, Ill. and undefeated Bethany Marshall (4-0) of Newport News, Va. will meet in a super flyweight matchup.
Julia “The Jewel” Budd (2-2) of Port Moody, British Columbia Canada will face Elina Nilsson (2-2) of Gothenburg, Sweden at featherweight (145 pounds).
In the opening main card bout, Jiu-Jitsu champion and former high school wrestling star Carla Esparza (6-2) of Redondo Beach, Calif. will square off with Sarah “White Tiger” Schneider (6-5) of Kansas City, Mo. in a flyweight tilt.
The Invicta FC event will kick off with a five-bout preliminary card. In a bantamweight matchup between two undefeated future stars, Sarah Moras (2-0) of Kelowna, British Columbia Canada will face Raquel Pennington (1-1) of Colorado Springs, Colo.
After compiling a 5-2 record under amateur status, 25-year-old Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke (0-0) will make her much-anticipated professional debut against unbeaten 30-year-old Suzie Montero (1-0) of Pompano Beach, Fla. at bantamweight.
One-half of the 26-year-old twin MMA fighter duo, Jocelyn “Lights Out” Lybarger (0-0) of Phoenix, Ariz. will make debut under professional status opposite Cheryl Chan (0-0) of Surrey, British Columbia Canada at super flyweight.
In one of two atomweight (105 pounds) matchups, Nicdali Calanoc-Rivera (7-6) of Tulsa, Okla. will take on Angelica Chavez (4-1) of Albuquerque, N.M. In the other, Jessica Philippus (0-0) of Marshall, Mo. will battle Liz McCarthy (0-0) of Tigard, Ore.
All bouts have been approved by the Kansas State Athletic Commission.
About Invicta Fighting Championships:
Invicta Fighting Championships is a world championship 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 and sports aficionado Janet Martin, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible matchups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport.