Invicta FC was recently purchased by Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc, a globally integrated media company creating content for passionate communities, whose properties include AXS TV, Fight Network, IMPACT Wrestling, and Game+ among others. Part of the deal includes Invicta FC moving its event broadcasts to AXS TV, the first of which will be Invicta FC 44 (aka Invicta FC on AXS TV).
Invicta FC Flyweight and Atomweight Title Fights Headline on May 21, Live on AXS TV
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The fight card for Invicta on AXS TV has been finalized.
The event — which takes place Friday, May 21 in Kansas City — will feature a pair of title fights in the flyweight and atomweight divisions. In the headliner, Mexico’s Karina Rodriguez (8-4) faces off with Brazilian Daiana Torquato (10-3) for the vacant 125-pound title. Rodriguez is no stranger to the spotlight, having gone the distance with former champion Vanessa Porto and defeating UFC veterans DeAnna Bennett and Milana Dudieva inside the Invicta cage. Torquato rides a six-fight winning streak in the title affair, having also faced Bennett and Dudieva in the Phoenix Series 2 tournament.
The co-main event will see newly crowned atomweight queen Alesha “Half Pint” Zappitella (8-2, 1 NC) defend her 105-pound belt against Brazilian challenger Jéssica Delboni (10-2). Michigan’s Zappitella captured gold at Invicta FC 42 last year, scoring the promotion’s first Von Flue choke finish against Ashley Cummins. Delboni was in action on the same card, defeating former champion Herica Tiburico on the scorecards.
Also on the card, former title challenger Emily “Gordinha” Ducote (9-6) welcomes Liz “The Titan” Tracy (5-4) to the strawweight division, Phoenix Series 3 bantamweight winner Taneisha “Triple Threat” Tennant (3-1) rematches “Hurricane” Hope Chase (3-1), undefeated flyweight Juliana “Killer” Miller (2-0) takes on Colorado’s “Grizzly” Claire Guthrie (2-1), Missouri’s Josee “Skull Crusher” Storts (2-0) battles fellow unbeaten flyweight Maria Favela (2-0) of Mexico, and newcomers Fatima “The Archangel” Kline (debut) and Ariana Melendez (1-0) square off at strawweight.
Invicta on AXS TV marks the promotion’s debut on its new broadcast home of AXS TV in the U.S. and Fight Network in Canada. The event will be overseen by the Kansas Athletic Commission and will feature open scoring. With the ongoing pandemic, the fights will take place behind closed doors — sans fans and media. As with any Invicta event, the safety of its athletes, their corners, its staff and commission officials is of the utmost priority. All participants will be tested for COVID-19 prior to the event.
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The full Invicta on AXS TV fight card can be found below:
- Flyweight Title: Karina Rodriguez vs. Daiana Torquato
- Atomweight Title: Alesha Zappitella vs. Jéssica Delboni
- Strawweight: Emily Ducote vs. Liz Tracy
- Bantamweight: Taneisha Tennant vs. Hope Chase
- Flyweight: Juliana Miller vs. Claire Guthrie
- Flyweight: Josee Storts vs. Maria Favela
- Strawweight: Fatima Kline vs. Ariana Melendez
Invicta FC launches on AXS TV with two title fights