Esparza effectively weathered the storm brought on by the 23-year-old Hyatt, who took the title fight on just over a week’s notice after Esparza’s original opponent, Claudia Gadelha, was forced to withdraw from the matchup due to a broken nose sustained in training. Hyatt was originally slated to face Joanne Calderwood on the main card.
Esparza repeatedly took Hyatt down whenever the Australian attempted to explode on her feet. Esparza controlled the action on the ground, but was unable to finish Hyatt at any point.
In the bantamweight (135 pounds) co-main event and a much-anticipated rematch, Alexis Davis (13-5) of Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada avenged a 2010 loss to fellow top contender Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler (15-8) of Sioux Falls, S.D., putting Baszler to sleep with a rear-naked choke in the third round (:58) of their matchup.
Davis and Baszler engaged in a competitive battle on the mat for much of the first two rounds before finishing the second stanza on their feet, exchanging blows.
In the outset of the third frame, the two traded shots on their feet again before Baszler slipped and gave Davis the opportunity to take Baszler’s back and secure the finishing hold. Baszler refused to tap out and, instead, went to sleep, prompting the referee to stop the action at the 58 second mark of the round.
In other Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt main card action, Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (5-2-1) of Pleasant Hill, Calif. engaged Raquel “Rocky” Pennington (3-3) of Colorado Springs, Colo. in a three-round firefight, outslugging Pennington to earn a unanimous decision victory in bantamweight action.
Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio (7-3) of San Jose, Calif. effectively neutralized the dangerous punching power of Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes (7-3) of Salvador Bahia, Brazil, taking the bantamweight fight to the mat repeatedly before earning a unanimous decision. An illegal upkick to the face by Nunes in the second round cost her a point on each of the judges’ scorecards.
Ediane Gomes (9-2) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. notched her second consecutive Invicta FC victory and her third straight win overall, by taking a unanimous decision from Hiroko Yamanaka (12-3) of Kisarazu, Japan in a featherweight (145 pounds) tilt.
Joanne Calderwood (5-0) of Glasgow, Scottland used her long reach to keep Muay Thai champion and Matt-Lindland protégé Livia Von Plettenberg (1-1) at bay and punish Von Plettenberg with a mix of front kicks to the face and knee and elbow strikes for the majority of three rounds before being awarded a unanimous decision.
In preliminary card action, Veronica Rothenhausler (1-0) of Reno, Nev. made an explosive professional debut, crumbling Katalina Malungahu of Las Vegas, Nev. to the canvas with a right hand to the chin in the first round (1:12) of their featherweight matchup.
Complete Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt Results:
Main Card:
Carla Esparza def. Bec Hyatt via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Alexis Davis def. Shayna Baszler via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, :58
Leslie Smith def. Raquel Pennington via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Sarah D’Alelio def. Amanda Nunes via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Ediane Gomes def. Hiroko Yamanaka via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Joanne Calderwood def. Livia Von Plettenberg via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Preliminary Card:
Cassie Rodish def. Stephanie Frausto via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 1:04
Tamikka Brents def. Amanda Bell via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jodie Esquibel def. Liz McCarthy via majority decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Rose Namajunas def. Emily Kagan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:44
Tecia Torres def. Paige Van Zant via unanim! ous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Veronica Rothenhausler def. Katalina Malungahu via KO (punch) – Round 1, 1:12
Laura Marcusse-Sanko def. Cassie Robb via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:07
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment