ATLANTA – Mixed martial arts is as common today as boxing. Some may even say it is more popular. All seven of the all-female card Friday night Invicta FC 60 showed how that popularity was earned.
The first match of the night was a prelude to the action that was to come. Amber Medina took Anna Somers to the mat in the second round and pounded her way to a technical knockout at the four-minute mark.
The night ended much like it began with a magnificent main event. Bantamweight Olga Big Bad Rubin (9-4) and Mayra Cantuaria (10-6-1) wasted no time getting down to business. Rubin, a kickboxer/Jiu-Jitsu fighter delivered a hard right that landed squarely on Cantuaria’s jaw. The Brazilian responded with a series of counterpunches. Cantuaria kept the pressure on with such rapid precision it sent Rubin tumbling forward. When she came out of her somersault, the heavily tattoed Cantuaria was there to greet her with another round of hard punches that sent her back to the mat. Mayra pounced on her this time but was unable to inflict much if any, damage.
Round two of the three-rounder started off like the first with Rubin on the attack. Cantuaria changed up her attack pounding her opponent’s midsection followed by an uppercut that straightened Rubin up long enough for a follow-up right to land on her jaw. The pair wound up on the ground with Cantuaria once again in the dominant position. Rubin’s ground defense prevented any effective strikes.
Rubin’s corner knew the match was clearly going the Brazilian’s way. While Rubin pressed forward, Cantuaria was content to sit back and counterpunch. The ferocity and speed of her counters kept Rubin at bay for the first half of the last round. A powerful left kick to Cantuaria’s head gave Rubin the opening she was waiting for. Unfortunately for Rubin, her opponent’s instincts kicked in and the Brazilian scooped her and dropped her to the mat. Rubin tried to work her way around to gain position from the rear but Cantuaria had regained her composure and returned to the standing position. The judges awarded Cantuaria the win on all cards (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Katharina Lehner and Shanna Young gave a dazzling performance in the bout prior to the finale. The pair battled to a split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28) that was one or two strikes from a draw. Dubbed the German Gypsy, Lehner ignited the action in the battle with a right and an elbow smash that caused Young’s corner to work on the cheek the entire time between rounds. Shanna upped her intensity in the second round with crisp punches. Her right hand in particular found its way through Lehner’s defenses. Young pressed the action in the third until a straight kick stopped her cold. Lehner finished the round strong with a flurry of punches.
Flyweight Rayla Nascimento was all business with a commanding unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) over Victoria Leonardo. It came as no surprise to anyone that Leonardo, who owns five wins by submission, wanted to take it to the ground. Nascimento was having none of that. She had Leonardo’s kicks timed perfectly. Each time Leonardo tried a spin kick or kick to the head Nascimento stepped forward with strikes to the face and head. Leonardo opened a cut near the right eye of Nascimento during an exchange of punches in the center of the octagon. Nascimento kept pressing rebuffing her opponent’s attempts to go to take the fight to the ground. In the final minute, Rayla chased Vic around the ring finishing with a flurry to the cheers of the crowd.
In the first bout on the main card, strawweight Liana Pirosin won a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in an exciting battle with Shino VanHoose. Pirosin defeated VanHoose who was returning to Invicta FC after a five-year hiatus. The action was fast and furious out of the gate. Liana finally completed the hip toss she had been trying since the opening bell. Her strikes kept Shino moving backward. The swelling under the left eye of Pirosin didn’t keep her from delivering a bevy of punches to the jaw of Shino. A straight kick to the chest of Shino followed by a steady diet of combos gave Pirosin the second round. Shino rebounded at the top of the third round. Behind two rounds, she tried to take Liana to the ground. Liana backed her up with a flurry of punches.
Atomweight Giuffiany Perea defeated Hope Hummingbird Holmes by a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) to close out the preliminary card bouts. Perea caught an early kick from Holmes and drove her to the mat. The Brazilian delivered several strikes until Holmes attempted an arm bar. Perea escaped the arm bar and took a new position to the side of Holmes. A brief stoppage was called for a finger to the eye of Holmes. The second round looked almost identical to the first with Perea in the dominant position on top of Holmes. This time Perea’s strikes lasted a lot longer and were far more frequent and ferocious. Hope let her one opportunity slip away in the third round. She caught a kick from Perea and took her to the mat. However, it was the agile Perea in the dominant position seconds after the pair hit the mat. It was a dominant performance and win for the Brazilian.
Featherweight Joy Pendell was the only fighter to end a match by submission. It was clear from the outset that she wanted to take the fight to the mat. Timbs backed her up momentarily with two stiff rights to the face. Oddly enough it was Timbs that managed to earn the the first take-down and assume the dominant position. Only, she didn’t stay on the ground. Timbs returned to the standing position while Pendell remained on the ground. Pendell kept delivering kicks to the legs of Timbs from the ground position while the crowd cheered for the ref to stand them up. All the magic began in the second round. Joy unleashed a flurry of punches before taking Timbs to the mat. Pendell quickly maneuvered to a rear dominant position and executed a rear naked choke. It was all over after that.
(All photos provided by Invicta FC)