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411’s Invicta 15 Report 1.16.16

January 17, 2016 | Posted by Robert Winfree

Hello everyone and welcome to 411mania’s LIVE coverage of Invicta FC 15. I’m Robert Winfree and I’ll be providing you with updates as I see them. Thanks for reading along, I know Invicta doesn’t have the biggest fan base but you usually get solid action from them. There’s two titles up for grabs tonight, as Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino defends the featherweight belt in the main event against promotional newcomer Daria Ibragimova and Livia Souza goes for her first title defense against DeAnna Bennett. There was actually supposed to be one more fight on this card but that feel apart when Ediane Gomes suffered complications during her weight cut and it was scrapped. We should be in for a generally good night of fights though. This event comes to the world from the OC Fair & Event Center in Cosa Mesa, California with the usual commentary duo of TJ DeSantis and Invicta matchmaker Julie Kedzie on the mic.

Megan Anderson lost her promotional debut when she was submitted by Cindy Dandois but had a four fight winning streak going before that and looks to rebound from that loss with her first Invicta win tonight. Amber Liebrock had a successful professional debut in Invicta when she finished her opponent in July of last year, a win tonight would keep her undefeated and in the rather anemic featherweight division could set her up for bigger things this year.

Featherweight Bout: Megan Anderson (4-2, 145.3 lbs.) vs. Amber Leibrock (1-0, 145.7 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Both women flashing the jab early. Leibrock lands a right hand then another. Anderson has no head movement and Leibrock is finding her chin. Anderson lands a jab, Leibrock goes over the top of it with a right. Leibrock lands a right that wobbles Anderson, they clinch and Leibrock lands some lefts against the fence. Anderson lands a knee and a right that wobbles Leibrock, we’ve got some brawling in the pocket then they clinch again this time Anderson has Leibrock against the cage. Some knees being traded but both women getting their wind back a bit here. The ref breaks them after a bit and we’re at distance again. They push into the clinch again, Anderson has Leibrock on the fence again. Anderson working more knees now, much more active than the previous clinch exchange. Knees to the body traded. Anderson drops for a double leg, Leibrock able to avoid it. Round ends in the clinch.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Anderson

ROUND TWO: Anderson lands a leg kick, Leibrock just misses a left hook. Anderson moving forward this round, lands a left and gets the clinch. Anderson with some rights to the body as Leibrock winds up against the fence. Some jockeying for position, Leibrock has double under hooks but doesn’t seem to know how to use that to her advantage. Leibrock trying for a standing head lock, Anderson gets free of that and resumes working knees. The ref separates them from the clinch. Anderson lands another low leg kick, that lead leg might be hurt a little. Anderson lands a body kick then starts to flurry against the fence. Leibrock lands a front kick that gets Anderson to push into the clinch. Leibrocks nose is bleeding a little more now. Anderson breaks and lands an elbow. Leibrock reaches for a double leg that stalls out on the fence and Anderson spins her around. Anderson lands a knee to the head. Leibrock getting slowly out worked from the clinch position. Anderson breaks and lands a hard combination. Anderson tries to flurry, Leibrock grabs the clinch but Anderson lands some hard knees to the body as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Anderson, 20-18 Anderson overall

ROUND THREE: Anderson comes out aggressively, lands a body kick then pushes Leibrock into the fence and lands some short elbows. Leibrock tries for a trip that’s reversed by Anderson and Anderson is on top now. Leibrock trying to throw up a triangle choke, her legs are up high enough but Anderson has both arms in and Leibrock isn’t close to actually locking it up. Anderson pulls out then stands and make Leibrock get up. Anderson lands a couple of punches then a high kick before they clinch. Anderson starts teeing off with elbows to the head, a couple of knees to the head drop Leibrock and the ref stops this one.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Megan Anderson via TKO, knees, at 2:33 of Round 3

Anderson gets an interview. She says the win feels amazing, she feels she proved that she belongs here and thanks her coaches and new camp and hopes she made them proud. She talks us through the finishing sequence, says she knew at the least she needed the round and went for it the final round. She says she’s been working on her wrestling a lot and felt her conditioning held up as she wasn’t tired in the third round.

Angela Hill is riding a two fight losing streak that saw her get cut from the UFC, but given her inexperience Invicta might be a better home for her while she develops and tonight she’s looking to break that losing streak and get her Invicta career going with a win. Alida Gray is also riding a two fight losing streak, to Jessica Aguilar and Alexa Grasso the latter in her Invicta debut and she’s after an impressive win here.

Strawweight Bout: Angela Hill (2-2, 115.1 lbs.) vs. Alida Gray (4-2, 115.9 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Touch of gloves to get us going. Gray pawing the jab early, lands a leg kick then Hill lands a right. Hill lands another right. Hill lands a right again, those are starting to hurt Gray. Hill lands a leg kick. Hill lands another right then a left hook. Gray’s letting Hill fight from the outside and basically pick her apart. Another hard right from Hill, that hurt now she flurries against the fence, a knee to the body crumples Gray and the ref saves her from taking more punishment.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Angela Hill via TKO, strikes, 1:39 of Round 1

Mic time for Hill, that was a pretty impressive debut for her. She says she’s really happy get a win especially after two losses but she’s looking forward to growing as a fighter. She walks us through the finish, specifically that she was able to avoid prolonged clinch exchanges with the judoka Gray.

Lacey Shuckman had a successful Invicta fight in April of last year when she TKO’d Jenny Liou, she’s 1-2 in Invicta overall, and while she’s been trading wins and losses lately a second win in Invicta would display some consistency and set the rest of the strawweights on notice. Mizuki Inoue is 1-2 in Invicta and while she’s lost her last two Invicta fights both have been fun striking battles and she’s coming off of a win in Japan when she defended the DEEP strawweight title so she’ll be looking to capitalize on that win and get her Invicta career back on track with a win.

Strawweight Bout: Mizuki Inoue (9-3 1 NC, 114.3 lbs.) vs. Lacey Schuckman (11-8, 114.9 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Schuckman comes out and quickly pushes into the clinch and gets Inoue on the fence. Schuckman gets a spinning double leg and lands in side control. Inoue gives up her back, Schuckman has full back mount and is looking for the choke. Schuckman got too high and Inoue escapes and takes Schuckman down, landing in her half guard. Inoue with some lefts to the body and head, she’s trying to pass straight into mount. Inoue into mount now and starts teeing off. Schuckman rolls to a knee, Inoue tries to get the back but slips off and winds up on bottom. Inoue quickly throws up an armbar though, Schuckman trying to keep it bent and Inoue is working for a roll. Inoue has the arm extended but loses her grip and Schuckman tries for an inverted triangle from the bottom. Inoue able to move into north/south position and get her head out. Inoue back into side control and lands some lefts. Inoue setting up another armbar, gets into position and tries to lean back and crank on it but Schuckman is free again. Inoue scrambles to top position while Schuckman sits on the fence. Schuckman back up and Inoue lands some knees, then they trade as the round ends. Schuckman landed a punch after the bell, might have been legal though given when she threw it.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Inoue

ROUND TWO: Kicks being traded early, Inoue lands a left kick to the body then they clinch on the fence. Both women land some short rights then they separate. Inoue being the aggressor so far. Schuckman tries for a trip, Inoue avoids it and throws Schuckman to the mat landing in side control. Inoue with some knees to the body. Inoue lands some left hammer fists. Inoue into full mount now. Inoue postures up and lands a few punches. More punches from Inoue and Schuckman gives up her back. Inoue trying to set up from back mount, decides more punches is the way to go. Schuckman trying to roll, she’s bleeding from the nose now. Inoue trying to set up a choke, switches to the armbar again but Schuckman stays heavy and gets her arm out. Inoue quickly scrambles back on top and lands a few more punches. Elbows now from Inoue, Schuckman thinks about a heel hook but Inoue rolls out and resumes landing punches from half guard. Schuckman back to full guard now. Schuckman sweeps to top position, Inoue threatens with a leg lock to get back on top as Schuckman avoids it. Schuckman trying to set up a knee bar from half guard, Inoue avoids it and lands another quick flurry from top to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Inoue, 20-18 Inoue overall

ROUND THREE: Both women throwing early. Inoue lands a body kick. Schuckman lands a right but ate at least two punches to do so. Inoue rushes into the clinch. Schuckman lands an elbow, Inoue returns it. Inoue looking for trips, drops for a double leg and lands in half guard. Schuckman going for a guillotine but Inoue is on the safe side of half guard so it’s unlikely to be a finishing hold. Inoue with some rights to the body, Schuckman holding the head but bails on the choke. Inoue postures up and lands a right. Inoue quickly passes to full mount and lands a couple of punches. Schuckman covering up and on a hip and Inoue is landing hammer fists. Inoue goes for the armbar again, Schuckamn setting up a defense for it. Inoue getting a proper arm position and starts working to extend the arm. Schuckman tries to roll but Inoue sticks with the armbar and Schuckman verbally taps.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Mizuki Inoue via verbal Submission, armbar, at 3:41 of Round 3

Fun grappling exchanges, Inoue now gets an interview with her translator. She says she upped her game a lot before this fight after losing her last Invicta fight. Asked what about Schuckman made her predict a submission win she says she wasn’t quite as confident in her striking but knew her grappling would be better. Asked about a phantom tap in the first round when she was in the inverted triangle she didn’t even realize it looked like she’d tapped.

Amber Brown is riding a three fight winning streak, two of those in Invicta, and a third consecutive win here would set her up well for a possible title shot later this year. Shino VanHoose is making her Invicta debut here on just 10 days notice, she just snapped a three fight losing streak to gain some momentum coming into tonight and a win over the streaking Brown would be a great way to make that debut.

Atomweight Bout: Amber Brown (5-1, 105.7 lbs.) vs. Shino VanHoose (4-3, 105.3 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Brown fighting southpaw, lands a stiff left quickly. VanHoose lands a body kick. Another body kick from VanHoose. Brown moves into the clinch, VanHoose lands a knee to the body. There’s some fighting between a standing arm triangle from Brown and VanHoose trying to wrap that arm around for a head lock. Knees to the body being traded. VanHoose tries a trip, uses it to get Brown on the fence. Brown has a standing arm in guillotine position, she’s not jumping for it but using it to control. VanHoose hits an inside trip and gets on top but Brown wraps up guard and goes for the guillotine, it takes a second or two for her squeeze to really get to VanHoose, then VanHoose has to tap.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Amber Brown via Submission, guillotine choke, at 2:36 of Round 1

Interview time for Brown. She says she feels awesome and this shows that hard work pays off. She says she’s not the type of fighter to get psyched out and the late notice change of opponents didn’t phase her at all. She jokes she should have known that trip was coming and is grateful to have a hold of the choke when it happened. Brown puts over VanHoose then says she wants a title shot next. She thanks her family, friends, and team to close the interview.

Raquel Pa’aluhi is riding a three fight winning streak, the last two of those being in Invicta, and a win here could set up a showdown with Invicta bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger. Colleen Schneider missed weight for this fight, she had a very hard cut and still missed, and while she lost her last time in Invicta she’s riding a three fight winning streak and had she made weight a title shot could have been on the line for her as well here.

We’ve got a delayed start to this fight, the ambulance for the event isn’t there for a reason not given out and you can’t have a fight without an ambulance present. On the plus side Tonya Evinger is on commentary for this fight and the three way conversation helps kill the time.

Bantamweight Bout: Raquel Pa’aluhi (5-4, 135.5 lbs.) vs. Colleen Schneider (9-6, 136.2 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Schneider has two inches of height on Pa’aluhi. Touch of gloves to get us going. Schneider lands a side kick to the body, Pa’aluhi lands an inside leg kick. Schneider switching her stance frequently. Pa’aluhi pushes into the clinch looking for a takedown against the cage. Pa’aluhi lands a left as they separate. Pa’aluhi lands a right and tries a single leg against the fence then gets the back for a moment, then into an attempted double leg. Pa’aluhi hits an elevated double leg, she eats an up kick as she was standing and Schneider back to her feet. Pa’aluhi was bleeding from the nose before that kick, bleeding a little more now. Pa’aluhi pushes into the clinch quickly and starts working knees to the body. Schneider lands a right elbow in close then Pa’aluhi lands a glancing right as they break. Schneider circling, lands an outside leg kick. Pa’aluhi struggling to contain the movement of Schneider and the bleeding from around the bridge of the nose is bothering her now. Spinning back kick to the body then another body kick from Schneider, Pa’aluhi gets the clinch though and starts looking for a takedown. Pa’aluhi bails on that and lands a knee to the body. They trade as they separate. Schneider’s doing a great job of inflicting damage this round while Pa’aluhi’s offense has been stifled. Schneider lands a body kick but Pa’aluhi gets a takedown. Schneider back up but Pa’aluhi gets the back standing, and lands some punches as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Schneider

ROUND TWO: Both women miss kicks to start the second. Pa’aluhi catches a kick and gets a takedown. Schneider back up but Pa’aluhi has the rear waist lock against the fence. Pa’aluhi lands some knees to the thigh then gets a trip. Schneider back up, Pa’aluhi lands a knee as she does. Pa’aluhi drops for another double leg against the fence, Schneider fights it off and they separate. Pa’aluhi walking forward, Schneider looking to jab, Pa’aluhi lands a right then Schneider lands an uppercut before Pa’aluhi shoots for a takedown. Pa’aluhi to the rear waist lock again, working some knees and punches as they’re in the clinch. Schneider able to turn into Pa’aluhi. Pa’aluhi lands a knee to the body, Schneider struggling to get out of the clinch so far this round. Pa’aluhi spins Schneider down for a moment, Schneider back up and they separate. Schneider working the jab now, Pa’aluhi’s face is swelling now. Pa’aluhi lands a body kick. Schneider still circling, Pa’aluhi’s left eye is swelling badly as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Pa’aluhi, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: There’s a pretty impressive hematoma on the left eyebrow of Pa’aluhi coming into the third. Pa’aluhi grabs an inside leg kick, lands a body kick after a quick exchange in the clinch. Pa’aluhi lands a leg kick. Schneider lands a right, she’s aiming for that eye. Schneider lands a right that wobbles Pa’aluhi, Schenider tries to follow up but Pa’aluhi gets her down. Schneider back up but is against the fence. Schneider lands a knee to the body as they break. Schneider lands a glancing spinning back kick but Pa’aluhi has the clinch off of it. Pa’aluhi looking for a takedown against the fence, lands a knee to the body as well. Pa’aluhi goes for a double leg and gets Schneider down again. Schneider back to her feet, still held on the fence by Pa’aluhi. Schneider able to spin out of the clinch. Leg kicks traded, Schneider lands a couple of punches as Pa’aluhi pushes into the clinch. Knees to the body traded, Schneider spins free of the clinch and lands a right hand. Pa’aluhi into the clinch again, lands a knee to the head. Schneider lands a knee to the body then separates. Pa’aluhi lands a leg kick. Schneider lands a right then eats a leg kick. Schneider lands another right, they trade as time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Schneider, 29-28 Schneider overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Colleen Schneider via split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)

Not sure about that split decision, Schneider dominated the first round and wobbled Pa’aluhi badly in the third. Interview time for Schneider, she puts over Pa’aluhi as very tough and is grateful for the time she spent working on her striking ahead of this one. She says the delay to start didn’t bother her because she tries to stay focused instead of getting psyched up before a fight. She says her game play was to keep Pa’aluhi out of her rhythm and is happy it worked out.

DeAnna Bennett is undefeated as a professional including going 4-0 in Invicta and tonight has a chance to become the Invicta strawweight champion. Livia Renata Souza is also unbeaten and coming off of an upset win over Katja Kankaanpaa to become the champion, and she’s hoping to bring some stability to the belt which has been bouncing around lately and make her first title defense a successful one.

Strawweight Title Bout: (c) Livia Renata Souza (8-0, 113.9 lbs.) vs. DeAnna Bennett (8-0, 114.6 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Bennett has an inch of height but is visibly bigger, Souza could probably make atomweight. Touch of gloves gets this championship bout underway. Bennett lands a jab. Bennett working combinations that are falling short, then lands a leg kick. Souza lands a bit of a right. Bennett lands a body kick. Souza lands an overhand right. Souza lands a hard switch kick to the body that crumples Bennett, a quick flurry from Souza from the ride position and the ref stops it.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER and STILL Invicta Strawweight Champion – Livia Renata Souza via TKO, liver kick, at 1:30 of Round 1

Impressive finish from Souza who’s mostly known for her jiu-jitsu and grappling game. Interview time for the champion, she thanks the fans and the brass and her opponent. She says that her attitude is to be a bit of a joker because she wants to have fun. She talks us through the finish then says she’s happy to remain champion and thanks every again.

Daria Ibragimova is riding a seven fight winning streak and has been calling out the featherweight champion for some time, tonight is her Invicta debut and she has a chance to shock the world and score a massive upset for the title. Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino hasn’t lost since her professional debut over a decade ago, she’s run roughshod over all of her opponents so far and a win here wouldn’t only give her a third Invicta title defense but would help cement her claim to be the most dominant woman in MMA.

Featherweight Title Bout: (c) Cristiane Justino (14-1 1 NC, 144.6 lbs.) vs. Daria Ibragimova (9-1, 143.7 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Ibragimova misses a right and tries a single leg, Justino defending and landing some short rights. Ibragimova holding the single leg against the fence, looking to get Justino down. Justino lands a few body shots and a few rights to the head as well. A couple of elbows from Justino, Ibragimova tries a trip but Justino keeps her balance against the fence. Ibragimova can’t get Justino down for long, she’s just holding on. Ibragimova finally gets a bit of a tirp, Justino posts on one arm to remain upright and we’re back to square one with Ibragimova holding the leg. Justino grabs the fence to avoid a trip, gets a warning. Justino gets her leg free and they separate. Justino lands a hard right to the body. Ibragimova tries a takedown, Justino stuffs it and lands a couple of hard knees to the body. Justino lands a jab. Ibragimova ducks a high kick. Ibragimova grabs a single leg and against gets Justino on the fence again. Justino with more punches while Ibragimova holds the leg. Ibragimova gets a trip but Justino is back up instantly and lands a hard leg kick while they break. Justino lands a wicked right and ENDS Ibragimova with it.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER and STILL Invicta Featherweight Champion – Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino via KO, punch, at 4:58 of Round 1

Mic time for Justino now. She thanks the fans for coming out, saying she trained a lot to put on a good show for them. She says she trained a lot to defend the takedowns and reiterates that she loves striking. Asked about her future she says she’s not going to bantamweight and is staying at featherweight but if there’s a super fight out there she’s happy to take it because she’s not afraid of anyone.

Alright guys, that wraps up Invicta FC 15 thanks for reading along. I’m back tomorrow evening for UFC Fight Night 81 when UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw takes on the former champion who never lost the belt, Dominick Cruz. Hope you’ll all join me then, until next time keep checking 411mania for all your pop culture needs.