Video: Knockout of the Year? Emily Ducote freezes Danielle Taylor with punch, rips head kick to win gold

Did Emily Ducote notch a “Knockout of the Year” candidate at Invicta FC 44? You be the judge.

[autotag]Emily Ducote[/autotag] added a championship – and an all-time highlight – to her resume at Invicta FC 44.

One half of the main event, Ducote (10-6) flattened UFC alumnus [autotag]Danielle Taylor[/autotag] (11-6) with a violent two-strike finish to claim the promotion’s vacant strawweight title Friday.

The event took place at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. The main card aired on Fite TV pay-per-view following prelims on MMA Junkie.

The finishing sequence began with a hard overhand right from Ducote. Upon impact, Taylor, visibly stunned, froze while she remained on her feet. As she looked down, Taylor was met by a hellacious, fully-wound-up head kick from Ducote that floored her to the canvas – and like that, Ducote captured the vacant Invicta strawweight title.

Immediately after the win, the celebration began. Ducote, 27, bounced around the cage, audibly elated by her handiwork and title-earning accomplishment.

With the win, Ducote has now won three of her most recent four outings. In May, Ducote told MMA Junkie she was already on the UFC’s radar with her name in discussion for short-notice opportunities. As for Taylor, the shortest fighter to ever compete in the UFC (at 5’0″), falls to 2-2 since her promotional departure in 2018.

Check out the full Invicta FC 44 results here.

[vertical-gallery id=840020]

Invicta FC 44 live and official results

Watch the prelims and keep up with the full event results of Invicta FC 44 from the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan.

Invicta FC 44 takes place Friday, and you can check out the prelims live video stream and official results right here on MMA Junkie.

The event takes place at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. The main card airs on Fite TV pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET following prelims at 8 p.m. ET on MMA Junkie.

Two vacant titles are up for grabs on the main card. In the main event, [autotag]Emily Ducote[/autotag] (9-6 MMA, 2-1 INVICTA) will take on [autotag]Danielle Taylor[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 1-1 INVICTA) for the vacant strawweight title.

The co-main event will crown a new bantamweight champion as [autotag]Lisa Verzosa[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 5-1 INVICTA) takes on [autotag]Taneisha Tennant[/autotag] (3-1 MMA, 2-1 INVICTA) for the vacant title.

The complete results of Invicta FC 44 are below:

MAIN CARD (Fite TV, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Emily Ducote vs. Danielle Taylor – for vacant strawweight title
  • Lisa Verzosa vs. Taneisha Tennant – for vacant bantamweight title
  • Brogan Sanchez vs. Emilee King
  • Jodie Esquibel vs. Liz Tracy
  • Serena DeJesus vs. Lauren Mueller

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie)

  • Caitlin Sammons vs. Helen Peralta
  • Katie Saull vs. Marisa Messer-Belenchia
  • Katie Perez vs. Natalie Salcedo
  • Kayla Yontef vs. Carlene Chandler

[listicle id=840176]

[listicle id=827776]