It’s the holiday season, and with the new year quickly approaching, Combat Press is taking a look back at the best of MMA in 2015. Throughout the remainder of the year, Combat Press will announce its award winners in multiple categories, covering everything from the action in the cage to the biggest stories surrounding the sport.
Editor’s Note: The UFC and Bellator MMA were excluded from nomination in this category. This award is intended to recognize other promotions striving to achieve the same level of notoriety.
Promotion of the Year – Invicta Fighting Championships
2015 was another banner year for the world’s premier female mixed martial arts home, Invicta Fighting Championships. President Shannon Knapp, matchmaker Julie Kedzie and company have continued to improve upon one of the most well put together promotions in the worldwide MMA landscape.
With the promotional backing of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Invicta FC thrived on UFC Fight Pass. The events were available live and were heavily promoted on the UFC’s growing streaming service. Invicta’s association with the UFC has not only led to promotion on Fight Pass, but the world’s largest and most successful MMA organization held three pay-per-view events following Invicta FC fight cards.
The first of three events held within a day or two of a UFC pay-per-view event was the first Invicta FC event of the year, Invicta FC: Cyborg vs. Tweet on Feb. 27. The return of Invicta’s top fighter and pound-for-pound great Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino was coupled with the return of one of the UFC’s biggest stars, Ronda Rousey. Rousey was set to defend her title against top contender and former Invicta FC athlete Cat Zingano at UFC 184 on Feb. 28. Both women put on dominant first-round performances that led to continued hype surrounding the potential superfight between Invicta FC featherweight champion Cyborg and UFC bantamweight champion Rousey.
The talks for the potential superfight continued to build with Rousey’s 34-second knockout win over Bethe Correia at UFC 190 and Cyborg’s 45-second knockout win over Faith Van Duin at Invicta FC 13. Cyborg’s knockout came just two days before the Combat Press “Event of the Year” during what was a successful international fight week in Las Vegas. The desire to see the fight was growing exponentially. Even UFC President Dana White and broadcast analyst Joe Rogan were stoking the potential flames of a cross-promotion superfight held inside the UFC’s Octagon. Rousey was calling for Cyborg to make the cut to the 135-pound bantamweight limit. Cyborg announced she was going to attempt to make the 140-pound limit for a catchweight fight in Invicta before she would potentially drop to 135 for the match-up with Rousey. Rousey then fought former multiple-time world boxing champion Holly Holm in her next fight at UFC 193 in November.
In just under six minutes, all of the momentum leading to the potential superfight was obliterated with one Holm head kick. Holm used her superior footwork and striking skills to outclass and dominant the fighter no one thought could lose. The potential for Cyborg to make the jump to the UFC was again foiled. The fight didn’t deter Cyborg from a potential cut to 140 pounds to face the newly crowned champion, but for the time being the Brazilian will continue to fight at the 145-pound featherweight limit under the Invicta FC banner.
The build-up for the potential fight was just one of many positive storylines throughout 2015 for the best regional promotion. The biggest storyline outside of Invicta standout Cyborg may have been Tonya Evinger. A nominee for “Female Fighter of the Year,” Evinger continued her recent success and proved she is once again among the very best fighters at bantamweight in the world. Evinger earned the Invicta FC bantamweight title with a dominant victory over Mexican prospect Irene Aldana at Invicta FC 13. Evinger continued to dominate her competition with a victory over Swedish prospect Pannie Kianzad at Invicta FC 14 in September. The win was Evinger’s fifth in a row since getting bounced out of The Ultimate Fighter 18 house by Invicta FC veteran Raquel Pennington.
The championship belts changed hands multiple times during 2015. In the strawweight division, 24-year-old Brazilian Livia Renata Souza defeated champion Katja Kankaanpää via a fourth-round triangle choke submission to become the first challenger to take a champion’s title in 2015. Meanwhile, Ayaka Hamasaki became the first Japanese fighter to win an Invicta title with a five-round grinding decision win over atomweight champion Herica Tiburcio.
The talented roster pool of veterans and prospects continued to develop and grow in 2015. Talented fighters already under the Invicta FC banner developed further with big wins and dramatic upsets. Alexa Grasso remained unbeaten and put herself in the spotlight with one of the best fights in the promotion’s history against Mizuki Inoue at Invicta FC 11. Exciting fighters Sharon Jacobsen, Raquel Pa’aluhi, Jamie Moyle, Aspen Ladd and many others continued to turn in impressive wins and exciting fights.
The promotion added veteran depth with the signings of UFC castoffs Angela Hill and Lisa Ellis. The moves were bolstered by the addition of prospects like Yana Kunitskaya, Dora Perjes, Julia Jones, Amanda Limborco Alcantara Ribas and many other young and talented fighters.
Invicta FC had a successful 2015, but the promotion has already set the stage for 2016 to be even better. Invicta FC 15: Cyborg vs. Ibragimova is set for Jan. 16 in Costa Mesa, Calif. The stacked event features two title fights and many of the promotion’s top prospects. Cyborg looks to defend her title for the third time against Ukrainian fighter Daria Ibragimova. Invicta FC strawweight champion “Livinha” Souza puts her title up for grabs against undefeated American DeAnna Bennett. Angela Hill makes her debut against the heavy-hitting Alida Gray. Exciting veterans Mizuki Inoue, Lisa Ellis and many others return for what should be another incredible nights of fights.
Other finalists: RFA, KSW, BAMMA, Legacy FC
Make sure you check out the rest of the Combat Press 2015 MMA Award winners.