Invicta FC 6 marks the all-female promotion’s first trek into the world of televised pay-per-view, and “Rowdy” Bec Hyatt is “absolutely psyched” that her fight against Mizuki Inoue will be part of that card on Saturday night in Kansas City, Mo. “I knew it was coming and I kept going, ‘Please don’t be the show that […]
Invicta FC 6 marks the all-female promotion’s first trek into the world of televised pay-per-view, and “Rowdy” Bec Hyatt is “absolutely psyched” that her fight against Mizuki Inoue will be part of that card on Saturday night in Kansas City, Mo. “I knew it was coming and I kept going, ‘Please don’t be the show that […]
Ever since Al Gore invented the internet, print media has slowly walked The Green Mile towards obscurity. Major publications have gone belly up and my kids will probably miss out on cracking open the Sports page while drinking a nice cup of coffee in the morning because newspapers are fading quick. Many magazines have had to resort to gimmicky publicity stunts to keep their heads above water, sling a few more issues, and make payroll for the next month. Whether it is the first photo of some garbage-ass (yeah, I’m bringing it back) reality star’s child or coaxing a pseudo-celebrity with a possible substance abuse problem to get naked, print publications are truly scraping the bottom of the barrel. [Ed. note:Good thing we’re above stuff like that.]
Potentially proving this point is the picture above which surfaced on The UG yesterday showing a photo-shoot of everyone’s favorite transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox with the caption:
GQ Magazine photoshoot today with a true Pioneer of Women’s Mixed Martial Arts.. Fallon Fox – Future UFC and Invicta FC Champion
Look for huge spread feature story in GQ Mag, October 2013!! Jen Wenk comes on board now Nike backing, GQ magazine.
Ever since Al Gore invented the internet, print media has slowly walked The Green Mile towards obscurity. Major publications have gone belly up and my kids will probably miss out on cracking open the Sports page while drinking a nice cup of coffee in the morning because newspapers are fading quick. Many magazines have had to resort to gimmicky publicity stunts to keep their heads above water, sling a few more issues, and make payroll for the next month. Whether it is the first photo of some garbage-ass (yeah, I’m bringing it back) reality star’s child or coaxing a pseudo-celebrity with a possible substance abuse problem to get naked, print publications are truly scraping the bottom of the barrel. [Ed. note:Good thing we’re above stuff like that.]
Potentially proving this point is the picture above which surfaced on The UG yesterday showing a photo-shoot of everyone’s favorite transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox with the caption:
GQ Magazine photoshoot today with a true Pioneer of Women’s Mixed Martial Arts.. Fallon Fox – Future UFC and Invicta FC Champion
Look for huge spread feature story in GQ Mag, October 2013!! Jen Wenk comes on board now Nike backing, GQ magazine.
Do not let that creepy-ass crying baby fool you. I am not a bigot, or a racist or a sexist or an extremist and I think the left as well as the right wing political factions are both blinded by their own arrogance. I just HATE people in general. White, black, brown, yellow, purple, bi, gay, straight, democrat, republican, gentile or Jew [Ed. note: You forgot greasers] — I am an equal opportunity hater of all things that are idiotic regardless of race, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or creed. I HATE all of you (except ALF – donate, you deadbeats). That being said, IF the alleged photo is indeed for GQ, the caption that accompanies that picture is the stupidest thing I have ever read. So, excuse me while I write this out and I guess I’ll start at the beginning.
For starters, there is zero evidence (other than the pic and caption) of a GQ feature story and photo spread of Fallon Fox set to appear in a future issue. Most of the time when photos are leaked for an upcoming/anticipated magazine issue, they may surface initially on an underground forum post (like the aforementioned) but they don’t stay there for long before big name media outlets (like CagePotato.com) poach the story. Secondly, the backdrop and the overall photo quality appear to be fairly inexpensive, if not damn cheap for a publication of GQ’s notoriety. Seriously, is that a high school drama club stage? Strike 1.
Finally, when it comes to former UFC PR Director Jen Wenk’s involvement in this ordeal, I have very little to stand on. The only thing I can say is she left the UFC to start her own PR agency and the last I heard, she was affiliated with the Blackzilians but I’m too tired to do any more research at this semi-lucid moment. Now, IF Nike is on board, my Spider senses are telling me that Fox’s involvement in this could be a possible publicity grab for the company’s new #BeTrue line which is in support of the Lesbian and Gay community. (See here for more photo evidence.) The apparel giant recently brought on NBA player Jason Collins, who recently came out to promote the #BeTrue fashion line, and Nike could also be trying to capitalize on the unique story of Fox. Regardless, there is just too much speculation to grant any of this as gospel. Strike 3.
“We are excited about bringing the Invicta FC brand of women’s world championship Mixed Martial Arts to television for the first time with this tremendous rematch between two of the world’s top women fighters,” said Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp. “This is yet another step forward for women’s MMA and we are extremely proud to be leading the charge.”
“Invicta FC 6,” presented by Invicta Fighting Championships, is being distributed in North America by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 9:00 p.m. ET – 6:00 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DISH, Avail-TVN in the United States and Bell TV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $14.95.
The price is slightly higher than Invicta’s iPPV offerings in the past, but at least you’ll actually be able to see the fights this time. Check out the full Invicta FC 6 lineup after the jump, and let us know…would you pay for it?
(Related video: “ThugRose training for INVICTA FC 6,” via hypeordie)
“We are excited about bringing the Invicta FC brand of women’s world championship Mixed Martial Arts to television for the first time with this tremendous rematch between two of the world’s top women fighters,” said Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp. “This is yet another step forward for women’s MMA and we are extremely proud to be leading the charge.”
“Invicta FC 6,” presented by Invicta Fighting Championships, is being distributed in North America by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 9:00 p.m. ET – 6:00 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DISH, Avail-TVN in the United States and Bell TV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $14.95.
The price is slightly higher than Invicta’s iPPV offerings in the past, but at least you’ll actually be able to see the fights this time. Check out the full Invicta FC 6 lineup after the jump, and let us know…would you pay for it?
MAIN CARD — Pay-per-view, 9 p.m. ET Marloes Coenen vs. Cristiane Santos – for inaugural featherweight title
Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Claudia Gadelha (strawweight title eliminator)
Sarah D’Alelio vs. Lauren Taylor (bantamweight)
Leslie Smith vs. Jennifer Maia (flyweight title eliminator)
Jessica Penne vs. Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc (atomweight)
Joanne Calderwood vs. Sarah Schneider (strawweight)
Ediane Gomes vs. Julia Budd (featherweight title eliminator)
Bec Hyatt vs. Mizuki Inoue (strawweight)
PRELIMINARY CARD — Ustream, 7 p.m. ET
Miriam Nakamoto vs. Duda Yankovich (bantamweight) Rose Namajunas vs. Tecia Torres (strawweight)
Ashley Cummins vs. Emily Kagan (strawweight)
Mollie Estes vs. Veronica Rothenhausler (featherweight)
Cassie Robb vs. Livia Von Plettenberg (atomweight)
The accusation inspired BloodyElbow’s Brett Brookhouse to do some deep digging about Atchley’s behavior, and if you have the time, you should read his first two reports here and here. In short, Atchley is accused of being a despicable scumbag by a wide range of female MMA fighters who have had the great displeasure of encountering him. Here are the highlights…
– According to LaRosa, Atchley stole sponsorship money from Maurice Smith, and was once caught on tape at a casino stealing money out of the purse of a woman he was dating, who happened to be the mother of one of Ivan Salaverry’s students. These incidents led to a falling out between Atchley and Salaverry. Atchley responded by sending Salaverry some rather impolite textmessages, in which he promises to blackball all of the female fighters that train at Salaverry’s gym from competing for Invicta or Strikeforce.
– After LaRosa turned down Atchley’s offer to manage her, due to the fact that she was already managed by Monte Cox, Atchley physically accosted LaRosa twice during the weekend of Invicta 3:
The accusation inspired BloodyElbow’s Brett Brookhouse to do some deep digging about Atchley’s behavior, and if you have the time, you should read his first two reports here and here. In short, Atchley is accused of being a despicable scumbag by a wide range of female MMA fighters who have had the great displeasure of encountering him. Here are the highlights…
– According to LaRosa, Atchley stole sponsorship money from Maurice Smith, and was once caught on tape at a casino stealing money out of the purse of a woman he was dating, who happened to be the mother of one of Ivan Salaverry’s students. These incidents led to a falling out between Atchley and Salaverry. Atchley responded by sending Salaverry some rather impolite textmessages, in which he promises to blackball all of the female fighters that train at Salaverry’s gym from competing for Invicta or Strikeforce.
– After LaRosa turned down Atchley’s offer to manage her, due to the fact that she was already managed by Monte Cox, Atchley physically accosted LaRosa twice during the weekend of Invicta 3:
“At Invicta, I was coming down the elevator and into the lobby to go out and cut weight. Everybody was standing around in a group just chatting in the lobby, and I stopped by to say ‘hi’ to everyone. And he grabbed me by the sweater and said ‘What’s this? Where are all your sponsors? How’s that management working out for you?’ and all this rude stuff. And, before I could do anything, Ivan [Salaverry] pulled me away from him. He just looked like an ass, I’m not sure what his intentions were there.”
“Later, when I was flying home, I was flying back to Seattle. I guess Brett was on the same flight as me, I didn’t even realize it. I was walking to my truck and he comes up behind me and beside me, and he grabs my bags, and he tries to carry them or tries to help or whatever. I told him to get away from me and stay away from me, and I pulled my stuff away from him, and he got all belligerent and stupid. I’m sure there’s tape on the Seattle airport security cameras.”
– Jessamyn Duke, a former client of Atchley’s, claims that Atchley was constantly drunk, and once shoved her mother. HER MOTHER, YOU GUYS:
“He actually physically shoved my mom once when they were having an argument. For some reason, he approached my mom when they were in the lobby of the hotel and they started having this argument, and he started telling her that he made me, and I’ve changed and all this stuff. And my mom being…well, my mom, she didn’t take too kindly to that. And she was trying to leave and get out of the way, and he actually shoved her trying to talk to my sister. It was insane and HIGHLY unacceptable to put your hands on a woman like that and move her physically. That was one of my first serious red flags where it was like ‘this is not okay.’”
– Duke also says that Atchley once pulled a Caraway (allegedly) and assaulted one of her opponents before a fight, grabbing and shoving her.
– Duke says that Atchley sexually harassed a close friend of hers.
– According to Duke, Atchley illegally sent Alexis Davis’s confidential UFC contract to Duke, in an effort to dissuade her from trying out for The Ultimate Fighter.
– When Duke tried to cut ties with Atchley, Atchley started sending her bills for “stupid stuff” like the printing costs of her sponsorship banners, and threatened her with a lawsuit after she asked that her name be removed from his website.
– According to two different sources, Atchley once ran up a bar tab for a couple hundred dollars at a hotel bar, ran out without paying, and left a relative of Alexis Davis’s to pick up the tab.
– According to an Invicta and Strikeforce fighter who chose to remain anonymous, Atchley was constantly drunk, shared other fighters’ confidential contract details with her, and lied about how much money other fighters were making.
– According to Sarah Maloy, Atchley made physical advances on her and “implied that he would get me [an Invicta] contract without hiring him as a manager under inappropriate circumstances.”
– Amateur fighter Alyssa Vasquez claims Atchley sent her sexually aggressive text messages, and forced a kiss on her during a creepy encounter at a bar.
Brett Brookhouse promises lots more updates to come, as female fighters continue to speak out against Atchley, who should probably be banned from the sport, if even half of this stuff is true. (It should come as no surprise that Atchley has offered a general denial of all this stuff.) In the meantime, enjoy this incredible quote from Tara LaRosa:
“I’m not afraid of this guy. He’s an idiot…Yeah, he threatens to sue you for slander, defamation of character, libel, whatever. He can go fuck himself. He is not gonna sue shit. I’ve been around for a long ass time. This guy is nobody. He’s not going to ruin my career, and I’m not going to let this guy do the same shit to other people…I’m sorry I didn’t say anything earlier. It’s weird. It’s like some Harry Potter situation. Like everybody’s afraid to say Voldemort’s name. What the hell? He’s Brett Atchley! He’s fuckin’ nobody! What’s he gonna do to you? Cast a spell?“
(Somehow we have a feeling that this is not how things went down.)
I know, I know, we already agreed to stop talking about this. But upon stumbling across the story of Fallon Fox allegedly terrorizing several Invicta fighters backstage at Invicta FC 5, I figured I had to break protocol just this once. Because, regardless of whether you support Fallon Fox’s right to compete in MMA as a woman or not, you should know that when all is said and done, Fox might be a tad bit unstable as a human being. Who saw this coming, amiright?
That is of course, according to Invicta FC strawweight Bec Hyatt, who recently posted the following parable on her Facebook page. As stated by Hyatt, Fox was spotted lurking around the hotel lobby that several Invicta fighters were staying at on the morning of Invicta FC 5, presumably looking for a fight or at the very least, to stir some shit up. I’ll let Becca tell the story:
It’s true that Fallon & I had a “run in” on fight morning in the hotel lobby. Nothing physical, just an unwelcome distraction from my fight later that night. Long story short… I was on my phone Facebook training, as I do, when my husband told me to look up to the second floor balcony. Sure enough I was greeted by Fallon (along with another female fighter??) staring meanie daggers at me & if looks could kill… boy would I be dead LOL!! A Fallon Fox mean mug makes Jasminka Cive’s look child’s play 😉
(Somehow we have a feeling that this is not how things went down.)
I know, I know, we already agreed to stop talking about this. But upon stumbling across the story of Fallon Fox allegedly terrorizing several Invicta fighters backstage at Invicta FC 5, I figured I had to break protocol just this once. Because, regardless of whether you support Fallon Fox’s right to compete in MMA as a woman or not, you should know that when all is said and done, Fox might be a tad bit unstable as a human being. Who saw this coming, amiright?
That is of course, according to Invicta FC strawweight Bec Hyatt, who recently posted the following parable on her Facebook page. As stated by Hyatt, Fox was spotted lurking around the hotel lobby that several Invicta fighters were staying at on the morning of Invicta FC 5, presumably looking for a fight or at the very least, to stir some shit up. I’ll let Bec tell the story:
It’s true that Fallon & I had a “run in” on fight morning in the hotel lobby. Nothing physical, just an unwelcome distraction from my fight later that night. Long story short… I was on my phone Facebook training, as I do, when my husband told me to look up to the second floor balcony. Sure enough I was greeted by Fallon (along with another female fighter??) staring meanie daggers at me & if looks could kill… boy would I be dead LOL!! A Fallon Fox mean mug makes Jasminka Cive’s look child’s play
As you’d all know though, I have a chip on my shoulder myself & am very stubborn, so I gladly partook in the silent staring contest for a minute or so until I inquired as to why she was actually staring at me. Fallon replied with “I’ll do what I want”, to which I laughed, said she is a joke & went back to my Facebook training in preparation of the nights contest. I can’t remember exactly what Fallon then said, but it was along the lines of “I’m coming down there” in an angrier tone & as she went to put on her jacket, Invicta Fighting Championships matchmaker Janet Martin came out of an elevator & started talking to me. When I looked back up, Fallon & her friend were gone. The second half of our exchange was caught on camera but I won’t be releasing it
To Fallon’s credit, she did apologize to me at the after party but it was an unwelcome distraction to my fight as when it all sunk in, I was actually more pissed off about what happened in the lobby then all the stuff my opponent had said to me LOL!! I couldn’t even enjoy my popcorn at the movies I’m only a 115lbs fighter but if I won’t back down to my much bigger & more skilled fighter husband, I certainly am not backing down to Fallon Fox!!
So what’s the moral of this story, kids? You can take the dick out of the girl, but…actually no, you can’t.
The story, which first started circulating on MiddleEasy’s Sunday Morning Rumor Mill last weekend, was quickly passed along to the UG by none other than Hyatt herself, who later stated that she only held off as long as she did to avoid giving Fox anymore publicity for her extracurricular activities than she has already received. Mission accomplished, you guys!
Invicta FC put on its fifth event last night, closing out a very successful first year for the promotion. A thirteen-fight card at Kansas City’s Ameristar Casino highlighted Invicta’s swelling roster of talented fighters and solidified the promotions reputation for delivering entertaining MMA bouts. The show featured debuts of three champs from Strikeforce and Bellator, plus a pair of Invicta championship matchups. And it fucking rocked.
The card started with a pair of quick submissions, including CagePotato’s own Rose Namajunas, who set the internet on fire with a twelve second flying armbar victory. According to initial reports, that is the 5th fastest victory in MMA history, and fastest in the women’s division. Namajunas was understandably jubilant in her win, saying later that she would like all of her fights to be of the blink-and-you-missed-it variety. She also pointed out that she was still a prospect just starting out at 2-0, and that title talks could wait until she gained more experience.
Obligatory. PicProps: Patrick Walters, CP OG
Invicta FC put on its fifth event last night, closing out a very successful first year for the promotion. A thirteen-fight card at Kansas City’s Ameristar Casino highlighted Invicta’s swelling roster of talented fighters and solidified the promotions reputation for delivering entertaining MMA bouts. The show featured debuts of three champs from Strikeforce and Bellator, plus a pair of Invicta championship matchups. And it fucking rocked.
The card started with a pair of quick submissions, including CagePotato’s own Rose Namajunas, who set the internet on fire with a twelve second flying armbar victory. According to initial reports, that is the 5th fastest victory in MMA history, and fastest in the women’s division. Namajunas was understandably jubilant in her win, saying later that she would like all of her fights to be of the blink-and-you-missed-it variety. She also pointed out that she was still a prospect just starting out at 2-0, and that title talks could wait until she gained more experience.
Also on the preliminary card was a bout between Miriam “The Queen of Mean” Nakamoto and Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke, a matchup between relative newcomers to MMA with extensive striking backgrounds. Nakamoto scored a KO victory in the first round with a pair of blistering knees, but there was some controversy when the second knee strike landed on a downed Duke. Shannon Knapp explained at the presser that the first (legal) knee that landed was considered the knockout blow, but said she would review the fight later. Nakamoto earned Knockout of the Night honors, adding insult to Duke’s injury and keeping her up on Twitter into Saturday morning.
Kicking off the main card was a matchup between popular Australian fighter Bec Hyatt and Austrian striker Jasminka Cive. The two had brought some personal heat to the matchup, including a pre-fight facedown with Invicta commentator Julie Kedzie. Hyatt squashed the beef with an armbar victory in the first round, and will look to rebuild momentum for another shot at Invicta’s 115 pound title.
And then came the upsets. First out was Kaitlin Young, a seasoned pro whose 7-7-1 record belies a career fighting top-ranked women, including Miesha Tate, Gina Carano, Julie Kedzie, and Liz Carmouche. Young dropped a decision to surging Lauren Taylor, and now carries a losing record for the first time in her career.
Zoila Frausto-Gurgel fell victim next, losing a decision in her Invicta debut against Brazilian Jennifer Maia. Frausto-Gurgel was visibly frustrated with the decision and the question marks surrounding her. Zoila competed successfully at 115 pounds under the Bellator banner, but the weight cut was notably difficult. 125 was supposed to be her playground, with a clear shot toward title contention, and that path is no longer so straight and easy.
The upset parade almost continued into the next fight, between former 135 pound queenpin Sarah Kaufman and Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith, a three round war that went to the judges and resulted in a razor-thin split decision for Kaufman. Smith, who was a virtual unknown training under Ceasar Gracie a year ago, is now perhaps the most dangerous opponent a bantamweight woman can accept. On the other hand, taking a fight with Smith guarantees a crowd-pleasing war and a potential Fight of the Night bonus. The controversial decision (which the crowd loudly disagreed with) brought a bit of awkwardness to the press conference after the fights. Smith, while not willing to directly criticize the decision, pointed out that the UFC could rightly lose confidence in one of “their” fighters (Kaufman), if she had such a narrow decision win over a mere “Invicta fighter” like herself. (For the record, Smith would have won under Stockton Rules.) Meanwhile, Kaufman held a frozen smile, too polite to argue in a civilized setting like a press conference. A rematch between the two was discussed (and literally applauded by the gathered media), under either the UFC’s banner or Invicta’s.
There would be no upset for Cris Cyborg’s Invicta debut. Matched up with Aussie tough Fiona Muxlow, Cyborg put on a blazing display of aggression that lasted a shade over three and a half minutes, at which point Big John McCarthy decided that, no, this Australian lady is not going to crack Cyborg’s fists with her skull, and called the fight. It was announced at the post-fight that Cyborg will move on to compete in Invicta’s inaugural 145 pound title fight against Marloes Coenen in July, while Muxlow works on regaining hand-eye coordination and vowel sounds. She did not attend the press conference after the fights.
Speaking of inaugural titles, Invicta held its first 125 pound title fight between Vanessa Porto and Barb Honchak. After the public execution of Cyborg’s fight, the crowd got a bit restless with the more technical striking exchange. Honchak looked to counter Porto’s vicious leg kicks with combinations, and built up a commanding lead on the cards for a unanimous decision win and the Strawweight Championship.
Closing out the night was Jessica Penne’s first title defense of her Atomweight belt, against Jackson’s MMA fighter Michele Waterson. In interviews leading up to the fight, Penne downplayed the importance of the title and any sense of ego about being the champ, but her enjoyment of her status as queen of the 105ers was as blatant as the #firstever hashtag she used to describe her reign. Not that Penne was resting on her laurels: she was a hard-training, well-rounded, athletically-gifted champ, and she’d earned the belt. Waterson, while an exciting fighter that has a bigger kicking repertoire than Hwoarang and Baek Doo Son combined, looked to be smaller and incapable of fending off Penne’s solid grappling attack.
Oh, how wrong we were. Waterson was quite capable, thank you, and proved it by gutting out an armbar attack from the champ that appeared to snap Waterson’s arm. Waterson would go on to pull out a sneaky-fast armbar transition of her own in the fourth round, earning a quick tap and a shiny new belt as the #secondever Atomweight Champion.
All in all, it was another soaring success for Invicta. While there were complaints about unstable streaming, they were a tiny percentage of the problems Invicta faced in its first iPPV venture. More and more people are realizing that, yes, there is depth of talent in the ladies’ division. All you have to do is showcase it. Invicta’s first year has proven that the athletes are ready for a bigger stage, and the promotion is ready to provide it. While there may be growing pains, like adjusting to a television deal that’s looking increasingly likely to happen. Like it or not, Invicta FC is here to stay.
I’m only a 115lbs fighter but if I won’t back down to my much bigger & more skilled fighter husband, I certainly am not backing down to Fallon Fox!!
