International Fight Week’s busy schedule kicked off Thursday night with Invicta 13, live from Las Vegas. It was a card that boasted three title fights and plenty of talent, which is why it was anticipated by many.
In the main event, Cris “Cyborg” Justino retained her belt in violent fashion by knocking out Faith van Duin. The other two title bouts saw new champions crowned, as Tonya Evinger took the vacant 135-pound strap and Ayaka Hamasaki took the atomweight title from Herica Tiburcio.
This card saw some great things and some not-so-great things. However, it was overall entertaining, worth the time and showed why Invicta is a premiere organization in the world.
With that, lets examine the best and worst from Invicta 13.
Worst: “Supernova” Fizzles…Again
Marina Shafir had a lot of hype, but she also had detractors based on her last fight against Amanda Bell. She was knocked out quickly, but people thought she could recover from that and retrieve the hype she had previous to that loss.
In less than a minute in her Invicta debut, The Supernova from Moldova fizzled. It was quick, but it was not painless.
Shafir was again exposed on the feet by pro debutant Amber Leibrock, who dropped Shafir quickly with an aggressive onslaught. Shafir, dazed, grabbed for a leg lock, but was pounded into oblivion from top position by Leibrock.
Shafir went out cold and away went the hype she had left.
The Four Horsewomen (Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke and Shafir), outside of Rousey (obviously), have been largely unsuccessful since the launch of their “stable.” They have been getting starched left and right, a pattern they need to change in a hurry.
We will see where Shafir goes from here.
Best: Pacing of the Show
I will get this out of the way now. The pacing of Invicta shows is absolutely prime.
There is not much filler. Yes, they don’t have commercial breaks to answer to, but they don’t waste time.
It was seven fights, yes, but three were five-round title fights. I wish UFC events, which seem like marathons, would be well-paced so we don’t have to spend an eternity watching every show.
Worst: “The Female Conor McGregor“
I heard it once on the telecast and I contemplated tearing my ears off like a modern-day Vincent van Gogh. It was cringeworthy once, even more so multiple times.
Then fight time came. A female Conor McGregor, Catherine Costigan is not.
Yes, we get it. She talked a little trash and is from Ireland. I guess that constitutes us giving her that pre-fight moniker.
With that type of pre-fight hype, something I wasn’t buying into since I have actually seen her fight, Costigan really needed to deliver on the big stage.
However, less than four minutes in her Invicta debut, she did nothing to instill confidence that she is worthy of top-10 ranking at 105.
Back to the drawing board for The Alpha Female.
Best: “Sexy Scramble” Uses Her Tuckus
First of all, I am not sure what to make of the nickname Sexy Scramble that Pannie Kianzad now has, but it seems like something IHOP may try to trademark for a new egg platter.
Anyways, Kianzad, the Cage Warriors Bantamweight Champion, entered Invicta tonight with all sorts of hype. That hype was answered how it should have been, as she dominated her bout with Jessy-Rose Clark with superior boxing and grappling.
The most memorable part of the fight, though, was a top position move that commentator Julie Kedzie referred to as the “butt bomb.” Sure, it’s not the “H-Bomb” that Dan Henderson violently flings around, but it was an innovative way to make her opponent uncomfortable and inflict some damage.
Kianzad literally used what we have to call a butt strike. She actually committed a ground-and-pound attack by smashing her rear-end into Clark’s face.
Overall, her performance solidified her top-prospect status at bantamweight. Don’t let the butt strikes overshadow the fact that she has an extremely bright future.
Worst: Kim Winslow
Is there much to say here? This is nothing new from the controversially awful referee.
If she stood up fighters that were grappling and actually advancing position one more time, I was going to teleport to Las Vegas, remove her from the cage and ref the bout myself.
As the late-great Patrice O’Neal would say, “She stinks!”
Best: Julie Kedzie Behind the Mic
Speaking of Julie Kedzie, she continues to grow as an MMA announcer and it’s great to listen to.
Invicta FC’s broadcasts have improved each time out, and a lot of that has to do with Kedzie. Not only does she have a great personality, but she also has a lot of knowledge on the sport and can elaborate on things so well.
I had my reservations about her, especially since it’s weird that a matchmaker is the voice of the broadcast, but she definitely belongs in there.
Worst: 11 p.m. ET Start Time
No explanation needed here. This event started late and kept us MMA-crazy losers up past our bedtime!
Best/Worst: Cris Cyborg Crushes…Again
If you know anything about MMA, and you don’t need to know much, you probably predicted a quick night for Cris “Cyborg” Justino. I am talking sub-minute type of quick night.
If so, you predicted correctly. Not that it was a difficult guess to venture.
Here is why it’s the best: Cyborg is the most violent female athlete in the world today. There is no dispute to that; not even Ronda Rousey is that violent, although she is equally effective.
It’s great to watch Cyborg destroy things like a nuclear bomb, but that’s where this becomes a worst part.
She has no competition to speak of, other than Rousey at this point, of course.
How many times can we watch Cyborg defeat somebody who is obviously overmatched? Her last two bouts came against Charmaine Tweet and Faith van Duin, and they weren’t competitive. At all.
The future must bring competition and I am not sure there is anybody that can compete with Cyborg. We all know the only way she fights Rousey is at 135 pounds, so that should be her main focus.
It’s good for her, the fans and I guarantee it would be highly profitable for her. I am talking seven-figure payday, son.
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