–Battle -tested veteran
Nicdali Calanoc-Rivera (7-6) of Tulsa , Okla. will replace Kikuyo Ishikawa in an atomweight (105
pounds) preliminary card matchup against Angelica Chavez (4-1) at the Invicta
Fighting Championships 2: Baszler vs. McMann all-women’s professional Mixed
Martial Arts (MMA) event at Memorial Hall in Kansas City , Kan.
on Sat., July 28.
Ishikawa withdrew from the bout due to an undisclosed
reason.
“I think it’s a great matchup. Styles make fights and our
two styles match up well for an exciting fight,” said the 27-year-old
Calanoc-Rivera, who is trained by her husband, retired MMA fighter and
kickboxer, Travis “The Dark Knight” Calanoc.
“He’s been with me since day one,” said Calanoc-Rivera of
her husband, a former U.S. Marine, whom she said laughed after she had
initially approached him about becoming an MMA fighter. After all, she had no
previous experience in contact sports.
Determined to prove she could handle a drastic career
change, Calanoc-Rivera put herself through her husband’s boot camp training,
doing everything from six-mile runs in 100 degree weather to sparring with
Calanoc and getting KO’d.
“I stood up after the KO and he asked me again if I really
wanted to fight and I told him ‘Yes,” said Calanoc-Rivera, who trained for two
years before making her debut in MMA competition. “I’ve always been attracted
to pushing my body to its limits. I like seeing the results.”
To strengthen the quality of her training camp for fights,
Calanoc-Rivera often brings in superstar Miesha Tate, a seasoned wrestler who
has helped Calanoc-Rivera add ground fighting skills to her kickboxing base in
order to become a more complete MMA fighter.
Calanoc-Rivera’s start will be her second for Invicta FC.
She competed at the promotion’s historic, inaugural event on April 28, losing
by submission (kimura) in the second round (3:47) of a matchup with Amy Davis.
The 25-year-old Chavez also comes from a household immersed
in the martial arts world. Her father, Melcor, is a Grandmaster of Kajukembo
Karate, a Hawaiian style of combat that combines traditional Japanese Karate,
Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, Chinese Kenpo and western boxing. The hybrid discipline has
been dubbed “The art from the streets, for the streets.”
“Having my father as my head coach and cornerman is an
awesome experience,” said Chavez, who holds a fifth degree black belt in Kajukembo.
“I grew up watching him train champions, so the dojo was my playground. It was
only a matter of time before I started competing.”
Chavez made a splash debut in the cage on Feb. 20, 2009,
submitting Stephanie Palmer with a keylock in the second round (1:37) of their
matchup in Albuquerque .
Over the course of the next two years, Chavez reeled off three more consecutive
victories, all by way of first round submission.
On Aug. 13, 2011, Chavez suffered the first defeat of her
career, losing a split decision to Diana Rael. Her start on July 28 will be
Chavez’s first since the loss and, like Calanoc-Rivera, she is hungry to get
back into the win column.
“Nicdali always brings it to a fight, so it’s going to be a
tough and exciting battle for me,” said Chavez. “I’ll be well-prepared and
ready to fight at my best.”
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 (135 pounds) 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.
JEWELS champion Akaya Hamasaki (7-0) of Yamaguchi ,
Japan will head to Kansas City , Kan. to
square off with fellow undefeated star Jasminka “Impressive” Cive (5-0) of Graz , Styria Austria in a flyweight (115 pounds)
matchup
Hard-hitting KO artist Amanda Nunes (6-2) of Salvador , Bahia Brazil
will make her Invicta debut against sensational finisher Milana Dudieva (8-1)
of Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia Russia
in a bantamweight battle.
Kelly Kobold (18-3-1) of St. Paul ,
Minn. will face off with streaking submission
expert Vanessa Porto (14-4) of Sao
Paulo , Brazil
at bantamweight.
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. in a
flyweight tilt.
The Invicta 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 (1-0) 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.
Jessica Philippus (0-0) of Marshall ,
Mo. will battle Liz McCarthy (0-0) of Tigard , Ore.
at atomweight.
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.
About JEWELS:
Founded in 2008 as the successor of Smack Girl.(An event
promotion company called Marvelous Japan, Inc purchased all of the rights of
Smack Girl, formed partnership with DEEP, then re-started as JEWELS) The
headquarters is located in Tokyo ,
Japan . JEWELS
is the only all women’s MMA promotion in Japan now and since its foundation
on 2008 JEWELS has successfully promoted 19 professional MMA shows, and also, several
grappling and amateur events as well.
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