Transgender MMA Fighter Fallon Fox Threatened Bec Hyatt at Invicta FC 5

Although there was seemingly no end to the highlights of Invicta FC 5, it turns out that there was more action brewing in the locker room.Several rumors from within the all-women’s MMA promotion claim that infamous transgender fighter Fallon Fox was tr…

Although there was seemingly no end to the highlights of Invicta FC 5, it turns out that there was more action brewing in the locker room.

Several rumors from within the all-women’s MMA promotion claim that infamous transgender fighter Fallon Fox was trespassing at the April 5 card in Kansas City, reportedly attempting to bully several of the female competitors in attendance.

According to Bec Hyatt (via Facebook), Fox even sought her out to personally threaten her.

Hyatt’s husband first noticed Fox in the event area on the morning of the card, “staring daggers” at the one-time Invicta FC strawweight contender—which lead to both athletes having the following exchange:

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 🙂

Hyatt also relayed that Fox appeared at the Invicta FC 5 after-party, attempting to apologize for her actions.

MiddleEasy first made the story public in their Sunday Rumor Mill column, stating that an “aggressive” Fox was trying to confront Invicta fighters (unknown to CEO Shannon Knapp), claiming that she had a crew from AXS TV with her:

Fallon Fox showed up to the last Invicta FC event and managed to get inside the area designated for fighters. She acted aggressive towards some of the fighters, so an Invicta FC exec asked her to leave but she refused.

Allegedly Fox claimed she had an AXS TV crew with her (which was false) and from what I’ve been told she wanted to get a confrontation with a fighter on camera to set up a future fight in Invicta.

Robert Sargent of women’s MMA-focused website MMA Rising further corroborated the report, claiming that his own sources attested to the rumor.

Of course, this incident is far from the first time that the 37-year-old Fox, a male-to-female transgendered former Navy operations specialist, has made major headlines for herself in the MMA community.

Fox’s gender status was first given public notice in an ESPN profile earlier this March, prompting outspoken reactions from many prominent UFC personalities.

Stand-up comedian and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan had the most to say about Fox during an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, arguing that she was “a man without a dick” and should be fighting with men.

Former NFL player and heavyweight prospect Matt Mitrione was suspended by the UFC after expressing his distaste for Fox on The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting), calling her “a disgusting freak” who lied on a license application to “beat up” women.

Even Ronda Rousey commented on the entire issue in an interview with the New York Post, saying that while she didn’t agree with Mitrione‘s tone, she also thought that Fox had no business competing in the women’s MMA division.

 


McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist. His work has appeared in NVisionPC World, MacworldGamePro1UP, MMA Mania & The L.A. Times.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Invicta FC 5: Michelle Waterson Upsets Jessica Penne, Wins Atomweight Title

Pulling off the biggest win in her MMA career, Michelle Waterson won the Invicta Fighting Championship’s atomweight championship in a thrilling victory over Jessica Penne on Friday during Invicta FC 5.”Karate Hottie” Waterson was a notable underdog in …

Pulling off the biggest win in her MMA career, Michelle Waterson won the Invicta Fighting Championship’s atomweight championship in a thrilling victory over Jessica Penne on Friday during Invicta FC 5.

“Karate Hottie” Waterson was a notable underdog in the match, giving up several inches in arm- and leg-length against the dangerous Penne.

Throughout the match, Penne put Waterson in trouble multiple times with various submissions and some heavy striking, beating down on her undersized opponent at several intervals. 

Waterson nearly lost the bout in Round 3, as Penne managed to sink in an extremely tight armbar attempt with her challenger completely exposed on her back.

But Waterson refused to tap, instead letting her arm pop in and out of position, surviving to the third round and eventually making her comeback with a submission of her own.

Just under three minutes into the fourth round, Waterson managed to grab Penne with a strong armbar, tightening up the hold in a split-second motion. Penne quickly tapped, giving Waterson the hard-fought win.

Once referee John McCarthy stopped the bout, an incredibly happy Waterson broke down in tears, huddled over in wracking sobs before celebrating with famed MMA coach Greg Jackson.

As a visibly dejected Penne looked on, Waterson gave a tearful post-fight interview, pouring her heart out after Invicta FC president and founder Shannon Knapp placed a brand-new Invicta title belt around the champion’s waist:

You just can’t quit. Even when you feel like you can’t go on. Jessica Penne is a f***ing awesome fighter, and I really want to thank her for thanking the fight.

You just gotta believe in yourself. Don’t let nobody take that away from you. Throughout my whole training camp, I had to tell myself I could hang with her, that I could push back. It was a great fight.

Waterson’s win marks a fifth straight victory on her 11-3 professional MMA record, as well as her first-ever MMA world championship.

Competing in various martial arts practices (karate, muay Thai, wushu) over the years, Waterson is a seasoned veteran of several regional MMA promotions, including Ring of Fire, King of the Cage and Strikeforce.

Along with her combat sports background, the Colorado native is also notable for her modeling work.

Moreover, Waterson has also solidified herself one of the best female MMA fighters in the world, with Jessica Penne losing just a handful of months after first capturing the Invicta atomweight title against formerly undefeated Jewels featherweight champion Naho Sugiyama of Japan.

 


McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist. His work has appeared in NVisionPC World, Macworld, GamePro, 1UP, MMA Mania & The L.A. Times.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 157’s Liz Carmouche Breaks Down Invicta FC 4 with King Mo, Julie Kedzie

Just ahead of the Invicta FC 4 card on Saturday, the company hosted a special guest for its last preview show, with UFC 157 headliner Liz Carmouche joining the crew.Carmouche herself is a former Invicta FC fighter, earning a call to the UFC on the back…

Just ahead of the Invicta FC 4 card on Saturday, the company hosted a special guest for its last preview show, with UFC 157 headliner Liz Carmouche joining the crew.

Carmouche herself is a former Invicta FC fighter, earning a call to the UFC on the back of a stellar 2-0 stretch in the all-women’s promotion.

Alongside fellow Strikeforce veterans Muhammed Lawal and Julie Kedzie, Carmouche talked at length about the fight card from top to bottom, giving especially some high praise to strawweight headliner Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza:

I think it’s definitely going to have to go to Carla. I’ve trained with her personally and she’s a tough little person… Her wrestling is just unstoppable. I really think that cancels out Bec [Hyatt], unfortunately. So I’m definitely going to have to give this to Carla. But I think it’ll be a good fight.

Australian prospect Bec Hyatt stepped into the match as a late replacement after two opponents fell out of the event, making her a clear underdog.

However, “King Mo” Lawal anticipates that viewers might be in for a surprise, noting that the unpredictable nature of the matchup might swing in Hyatt’s favor:

[With] Bec stepping in to take this fight on short notice, obviously, she’s very confident. There’s probably something she knows that we don’t know. She comes from Australia, [has a] good kickboxing background, good jiu-jitsu. Maybe she can pull it off, land a knee, land a submission. We won’t know until Saturday.

Esparza and Hyatt will headline Saturday night’s card ahead of 12 other fights, including a noteworthy rematch between bantamweights Shayna “Queen of Spades” Baszler and Alexis Davis. You can catch Bleacher Report MMA‘s live blog right over here, with recaps to follow this weekend.

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Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt Live Results and Play-by-Play

Invicta FC 4 kicks off this Saturday night on Jan. 5 from Kansas City’s Memorial Hall, and we’re here to bring you live, round-by-round updates throughout the card.Saturday’s main event features a title bout for the Invicta Strawweight Championship bet…

Invicta FC 4 kicks off this Saturday night on Jan. 5 from Kansas City’s Memorial Hall, and we’re here to bring you live, round-by-round updates throughout the card.

Saturday’s main event features a title bout for the Invicta Strawweight Championship between top-ranked Carla Esparza and Australian prospect Bec “Rowdy” Hyatt. In the co-main event, pound-for-pound MMA veterans Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler and Alexis Davis will rematch from a previous March 2010 bout.

Our live coverage starts at 3:45 p.m. PT/6:45 p.m. ET on Bleacher Report MMA.

If you want to watch the event live, you can purchase a pay-per-view ticket via Ustream at Invicta FC’s main website. Here’s our current schedule for the main and preliminary cards.

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Invicta FC 3 Results: Nine Thoughts About This Weekend’s All-Women MMA Card

Even though it shared a crowded weekend with the UFC, ONE FC, and former WWE star Dave Bautista, the Kansas City-based Invicta FC kept itself from getting lost in the shuffle.Throughout the night, the action was punctuated with quick finishes, all-out …

Even though it shared a crowded weekend with the UFC, ONE FC, and former WWE star Dave Bautista, the Kansas City-based Invicta FC kept itself from getting lost in the shuffle.

Throughout the night, the action was punctuated with quick finishes, all-out brawls, and some great displays of skill between world-ranked fighters.

Altogether, there were a few major upsets, the crowning of a new pound-for-pound champion, and the appearance of a particularly frightening potential bantamweight dark horse. 

If you missed it, here are a few thoughts, highlights, and general notes plucked from the 14-fight regional card.

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