In anticipation of the all-female mixed martial arts promotions second event, this video shows some behind the scenes footage from Invicta Fighting Championship 1. This artistic piece put together via MMAFighting.com, shows off some of the best and worst moments from the inaugural event. Invicta FC heads back to Kansas City tonight with the official weigh-ins for Saturday’s Invicta FC 2 event. The footage was put together by E.Casey Leydon, with additional photography by Esther Lin, and the music was by Candles of Paradise.
In anticipation of the all-female mixed martial arts promotions second event, this video shows some behind the scenes footage from Invicta Fighting Championship 1. This artistic piece put together via MMAFighting.com, shows off some of the best and worst moments from the inaugural event. Invicta FC heads back to Kansas City tonight with the official weigh-ins for Saturday’s Invicta FC 2 event. The footage was put together by E.Casey Leydon, with additional photography by Esther Lin, and the music was by Candles of Paradise.
Female fighter Carla Esparza (6-2) is scheduled to compete this weekend on the all women’s Invicta Fighting Championship 2 card versus submission ace Sarah Schneider. Esparza talks about her transition from wrestling as an All American to competing as a mixed martial artist. Fans will get to watch this bout, plus the entire card, as it streams for free at Invictafc.com on July 28 starting at 6pm EST.
Female fighter Carla Esparza (6-2) is scheduled to compete this weekend on the all women’s Invicta Fighting Championship 2 card versus submission ace Sarah Schneider. Esparza talks about her transition from wrestling as an All American to competing as a mixed martial artist. Fans will get to watch this bout, plus the entire card, as it streams for free at Invictafc.com on July 28 starting at 6pm EST.
Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will defend her title on August 18 in San Diego when she faces former champion Sarah Kaufman. Helping to prepare her for this fight is striking coach Edmond Tarverdyan who details some of the training his fighter is going through, as well as some of his other fighters such as Manny Gamburyan, and boxer Vanes Martirosyan. These discussions and more from Tarverdyan in this interview from MMAInterviews.tv.
Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will defend her title on August 18 in San Diego when she faces former champion Sarah Kaufman. Helping to prepare her for this fight is striking coach Edmond Tarverdyan who details some of the training his fighter is going through, as well as some of his other fighters such as Manny Gamburyan, and boxer Vanes Martirosyan. These discussions and more from Tarverdyan in this interview from MMAInterviews.tv.
Press Release – KANSAS CITY, Kan. (July 23, 2012) – Invicta Fighting Championships will stream its much-anticipated Baszler vs. McMann, 14-fight women’s professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event, live in its entirety and free of charge to a worldwide audience on the promotion’s website, InvictaFC.com, from Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. on Saturday, July […]
Invicta Fighting Championships logo
Press Release – KANSAS CITY, Kan. (July 23, 2012) – Invicta Fighting Championships will stream its much-anticipated Baszler vs. McMann, 14-fight women’s professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event, live in its entirety and free of charge to a worldwide audience on the promotion’s website, InvictaFC.com, from Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. on Saturday, July 28.
Returning to the Invicta FC broadcast booth to call the action will be the trio that called the fights during Invicta FC’s inaugural event on April 28 – Showtime MMA voice Mauro Ranallo, light heavyweight superstar “King Mo” Lawal and women’s MMA sensation Julie “Fireball” Kedzie.
Additionally, Raquel Pa’aluhi (2-2) of Wa’anae, HI will replace Leslie Smith, who has withdrawn from the event due to a fractured wrist, against hard-hitting KO artist Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes (6-2) of Salvador, Bahia Brazil in a bantamweight (135 pounds) main card bout.
“We are excited about delivering a stacked women’s fight card to a global audience for the second time in a three month span,” said Invicta FC President and Co-Founder Shannon Knapp. “The live stream is an excellent way of supporting Invicta FC’s mission of providing women mixed martial artists with a major platform to showcase their skills on and to support the growth of women’s MMA far and wide.”
Ranallo, the lead commentator for Strikeforce on Showtime as well as for Canada’s The Score Fighting Series and a former commentator for Japan’s Pride Fighting Championships, will serve as the play-by-play announcer during the live stream of the event.
Lawal is a former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion who recently signed an unprecedented dual contract with Bellator Fighting Championships and professional wrestling league TNA. A former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler for Oklahoma State University, the 31-year-old has gained recognition for his technical knowledge of MMA and his meticulous attention to fighters’ styles.
Like Lawal, Kedzie brings a wealth of MMA fight experience with her to the show. A student of famed trainer Greg Jackson, the 31-year-old has been competing as a professional since 2004 and holds a career record of 16-9.
The live stream on InvictaFC.com will begin at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST with the event’s six-bout preliminary card and continue with the eight-bout main card.
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 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.
JEWELS champion Ayaka Hamasaki (7-0) of Yamaguchi, Japan will head to Kansas City, Kan. to square off with Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman (7-4) of Lakewood, Colo. in a flyweight (115 pounds) matchup
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 (125 pounds) 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. at flyweight.
The preliminary card will begin with a matchup between Sarah Moras (2-0) of Kelowna, British Columbia and 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 her 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 Rivera-Calanoc (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 (www.InvictaFC.com) 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.
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 […]
Invicta Fighting Championships logo
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.
With the Summer Olympics fast approaching, one might think that former Judo bronze medalis, and current Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey would be itching to compete once again for her country against the worlds best. Rousey grew up around Judo with her mother, Ann Maria Rousey DeMars, becoming the first (and currently only) American […]
Ronda Rousey
With the Summer Olympics fast approaching, one might think that former Judo bronze medalis, and current Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey would be itching to compete once again for her country against the worlds best.
Rousey grew up around Judo with her mother, Ann Maria Rousey DeMars, becoming the first (and currently only) American to win at the World Judo Championships, back in 1984. Eventually Ronda would follow in her mothers foot steps, competing around the world for many years finally making it to the Olympics in 2008.
At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China Rousey would became the first American to win an Olympic medal in Women’s judo since the sport was added as official sport back in 1992.
Speaking to Tatame.com Rousey tells them that she is happy with her current career as a mixed martial artist and has no regrets of leaving the mat for the cage.
“The success is really a journey, it’s not a destination. I had that problem with Judo, when I was so focused on the destination that I didn’t care if I was miserable. I mean, I cared, but I thought that was how I was supposed to be. I’m not willing to be miserable for four years. I wouldn’t be sitting around like ‘oh man, I wish I could go back four years so I could be in there too’”.
The Olympic Games are scheduled for London between July 27th and August 12th, bringing many athletes to England. Being there once, when the event was held in China, four years ago, Ronda avoids comparisons between the Olympic medal and the Strikeforce belt.
“They’re both equal, just different”, sums up. “The Olympic medal I felt like it was more that I was coming to peace with myself and getting some closure on my Judo career and everything that just happened. I had an unconventional upbringing, so I had to do Judo. At the end of the fight I would go like kiss the mat and laugh. Everyone was like “that’s so weird. Why is she doing that? It’s like middle-eastern thing”. I just kinda knew that was the last time I would be there. I was really like kissing goodbye. I just knew deep down it wasn’t for me anymore”.
Rousey is currently scheduled to defend her title for the first time on August 18 when she faces former title holder Sarah Kaufman in the main event of the Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman event at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California on SHOWTIME.
