Two new champions were crowned at the first Invicta FC event of the year.
The first Invicta FC event of 2023 is in the books.
Invicta FC 51 took place at ReelWorks Denver, featuring an eight-fight card with two title fights in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions at the top of the bill.
In the main event, [autotag]Taneisha Tennant[/autotag] (5-2) sought to defend her bantamweight title for the second time as she took on UFC veteran [autotag]Talita Bernardo[/autotag] (10-4), who entered on a three-fight win streak.
It was a close back-and-forth bout that was tied 38-38 going into the final round, leaving just five minutes to decide who would emerge as champion. Bernardo leaned on her grappling game and controlled Tennant from top position for most of the last round, earning the judges’ favor. To make things worse for Tennant, she was docked a point for keeping her toes in the cage, resulting in a 10-8 final round.
Bernardo ends Tennant’s reign, becoming the new Invicta bantamweight champion, and extending her current win streak to four.
The vacant flyweight title was up for grabs in the co-main event.
Ketlen Souza (13-3) outpointed, outgrappled, and even opened a nasty cut above the right eye of Kristina Williams (6-4) en route to a unanimous decision win. After just her second appearance in Invicta, Souza begins a flyweight title reign while stretching her current win streak to five.
Watch a replay of the entire card above and check out the full official results below.
Official results of Invicta FC 51 include:
Talita Bernardo def. Taneisha Tennant via unanimous decision (48-46, 48-46, 48-46) – for bantamweight title
Ketlen Souza def. Kristina Williams via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 48-47) – for flyweight title
Olga Rubin def. Serena DeJesus via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Check out these photos from the Invicta FC 51 official weigh-ins in Denver.
Check out these photos from the Invicta FC 51 official weigh-ins and fighter faceoffs ahead of the dual title fight event at Reelworks Denver in Denver. (Photos courtesy of Invicta FC)
Check out these photos from Invicta FC 48 in Denver.
Check out these photos from the six-fight card of Invicta FC 48 in Denver, which featured a bantamweight title fight between Taneisha Tennant and Olga Rubin. (Photos courtesy of Dave Mandel, Invicta FC)
Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst looks up at the video board during the first half of an NFL preseason game at Lambeau Field on Thursday, August 9, 2018 in Green Bay, Wis.
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Apr 8, 1998; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson, right, with team (clockwise from Phil) Scott Burrell (24), Scottie Pippen (33), Michael Jordan (23), Toni Kukoc (7), Dickey Simpkins (8), Steve Kerr (25) and Dennis Rodman (91) during a game against the Detroit Pistons at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Anne Ryan-USA TODAY
Check out these photos from the weigh-ins for Invicta FC 48 in Denver.
Check out these photos from the Invicta FC 48 weigh-ins ahead of Thursday’s event at ReelWorks Denver which features a bantamweight title fight between champion Taneisha Tennant and challenger Olga Rubin. (Photos courtesy of Dave Mandel, Invicta FC)
Oct 25, 2019; Boulder, CO, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (6) runs for the go ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2019; Waco, TX, USA; Baylor Bears wide receiver Denzel Mims (5) celebrates during the game against the Texas Longhorns at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
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
In a fight that turned into arguably the bloodiest in the promotion’s history, Julija Stoliarenko became Invicta’s new bantamweight champ.
In a fight that turned into arguably the bloodiest in the promotion’s history, [autotag]Julija Stoliarenko[/autotag] took a split decision from [autotag]Lisa Verzosa[/autotag] to become Invicta FC’s new bantamweight champion.
Stoliarenko (9-3-1) took a split decision at Invicta FC: Phoenix Series 3 from Verzosa (5-1), who was dealt her first pro loss – and also given two massive cuts on the forehead and under her left eye that bled profusely starting in the third round. Despite those cuts and what seemed to be a mostly dominant performance from the new champion, Verzosa won 49-46 from one judge. Stoliarenko had two other cards 48-46 and 49-46 to win the vacant belt.
The victory may have set up a future title fight with Taneisha Tennant, who won Invicta’s one-night bantamweight tournament earlier in the event at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. The card streamed on UFC Fight Pass.
Verzosa and Stoliarenko came out firing with punches and kicks. The fight spilled the canvas, then quickly moved back to the feet. There, Stoliarenko landed hard kicks and punches and kept Verzosa stuck mostly counter-punching. With two minutes left, the two started firing at each other again. When the fight went to the canvas again, Stoliarenko grabbed Verzosa’s arm for a submission attempt, but Verzosa worked out of it and finished the round on top.
But Verzosa rallied in the second and took the round to even things up. It was the first time the open scoring seemed to have an effect on things.
In the third, Verzosa was drilled with a massive elbow that opened up a huge cut on her forehead. Her face quickly became a bloody horror show, and Stoliarenko went after it big time. She landed hard right before the end of the round, and the cageside doctor took a look in between rounds and let it go on. Somehow, Verzosa smiled in between rounds even though the vertical cut on her forehead looked like she’d been hit with an axe.
Lisa Verzosa
Stoliarenko went after the cut right away in the fourth, and the cut opened up quickly. Stoliarenko threw jabs and elbows, then went high with a kick. Stoliarenko was bloodied up, herself, but from her nose. The canvas was covered with blood, and it got a little bloodier each time Stoliarenko landed on Verzosa’s head.
The scores were a little all over the place after four rounds, though. Despite looking like something from a horror movie, Verzosa was up 39-37 on one of the cards. Stoliarenko was up 39-37 on one and 39-36 on another.
Verzosa seemed to push hard in the fifth, likely because she had been told she was down on two of the judges’ cards. She was covered in her own blood. Stoliarenko was covered in Verzosa’s blood thanks to a second massive cut under the left eye. But already, Stoliarenko had done enough to secure a win as long as she didn’t get finished.
Tennant shuts down Guardado’s comeback story
[autotag]Taylor Guardado[/autotag] had a Cinderella story working for her, but ultimately came up short against [autotag]Taneisha Tennant[/autotag].
Guardado, once a top MMA prospect whose only amateur loss came to Ronda Rousey, returned to fighting after nearly nine years away – and she did so in Invicta’s single-night bantamweight tournament. She reached the final, but Tennant was too much and took a unanimous decision.
Their fight also was notable because it featured open scoring – which meant Guardado’s corner knew after each of the first two rounds that she was down on the cards.
To reach the final, Guardado had a one-round unanimous decision win over [autotag]Claire Guthrie[/autotag] and a one-round split decision win over [autotag]Serena DeJesus[/autotag]. Tennant topped [autotag]Brittney Victoria[/autotag] and [autotag]Hope Chase[/autotag] by unanimous decision to reach the final.
Tennant tried to work inside leg kicks early in the opening round, but a minute in found herself taking a look at a Guardado takedown attempt with a single leg. Tennant’s height and reach seemed to work for her early. Midway through, Tennant landed a snapping kick, but Guardado stayed on her feet and landed a counter right hand. With a minute left in the round, the two traded punches and Guardado went after a takedown. Tennant got away with a mild cage grab to stay on her feet, then sprawled out of the position and ended the round on top. Thanks to the open scoring, it was known between rounds Tennant was up 10-9 on all three judges’ scorecards.
Guardado lost her mouthpiece a minute into the second round, but kept throwing punches. Tennant’s jab was on point, though, and kept Guardado from being able to put a ton together. Once again, Tennant picked up 10-9 scores from all three judges – though the round seemed closer than the first.
The third round was much of the same for Tennant, who never let Guardado get going in what was her pro MMA debut. Her first two fights in the tournament actually count as exhibition bouts since they only were scheduled for one round.
With the tournament win, Tennant said she hopes for a title shot later this year.
Open scoring kicks off with easy decision
The first fight to feature open scoring was perhaps a little anticlimactic, even if it was historic. [autotag]Kay Hansen[/autotag] dominated [autotag]Liana Pirosin[/autotag] for a unanimous decision. She took a pair of 30-27s and a 30-26. After the first two rounds, commission officials stood behind each fighter’s corner, outside the cage, and held a tablet device up that showed the round score from the three judges. With the tablet behind the fighters’ backs, it was incumbent on their corners to decide whether or not to tell their fighters the scores.
It probably wouldn’t have mattered much. Hansen dominated Pirosin on the canvas in the first round for a clear 10-9 from all three judges. It was have been surprising to hear either fighter thought the scoring would be any different. The second round was much of the same, though Hansen picked up a 10-8 from one judge in that round.
Afterward, Hansen advocated to continue the open scoring experiment, saying she wants to know if she’s up or down because it might influence how she’d fight.
In the semifinals, Guardado took a split decision in a one-round fight against DeJesus. And Tennant outworked Chase for a unanimous decision.
The opening quarterfinal round of tournament fights, like the semifinals, were set to be just one round each. And all four bouts went five minutes and resulted in 10-9 across-the-board unanimous decisions.
DeJesus topped [autotag]Kerri Kenneson[/autotag], Guardado took Guthrie out of the tourney, Chase dominated [autotag]Julia Ottolino[/autotag], and Tennant outworked Victoria.
The card also featured a pair of tournament alternate fights, also a round a piece. [autotag]Kelly Clayton[/autotag] submitted [autotag]Florina Moeller[/autotag] with a rear-naked choke with just nine seconds left in their bout. And [autotag]Mitzi Merry[/autotag] took a unanimous decision from [autotag]Morgan Hickam[/autotag]. But neither fighter was needed later in the tourney.
Invicta FC: Phoenix Series 3 results:
Julija Stoliarenko def. Lisa Verzosa via split decision (46-49, 48-46, 49-46) – to win vacant bantamweight title
Taylor Guardado vs. Taneisha Tennant – bantamweight tournament final
Kay Hansen def. Liana Pirosin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
