On Saturday, March 25, Invicta Fighting Championships hosted Invicta FC 22: Evinger vs. Kunitskaya 2 from the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo.
In the night’s main event, Invicta bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger once again put her belt on the line against Russian challenger Yana Kunitskaya. The pair met previously at Invicta FC 20, with Kunitskaya being ruled the winner via armbar in under two minutes. However, controversy followed due to the actions of referee Mike England. England shouted at Evinger for placing her foot on Kunitskaya’s face during her attempt to escape the submission hold. Evinger’s actions are permitted under the unified rules and she immediately filed an appeal with the the Missouri Office of Athletics. The bout was overturned to a no-contest and Evinger retained her title.
The night’s co-main event featured atomweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki moving up in weight to battle former strawweight champion Livia Renata Souza. Hamasaki entered the contest having won five straight fights, including back-to-back title defenses against Jinh Yu Frey and Amber Brown. Souza fought for the first time since losing her title to Angela Hill at Invicta FC 17.
The seven-fight event streamed live on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Above are video highlights of the event (courtesy of Invicta FC).
Livia Renata Souza def. Ayaka Hamasaki by TKO (strikes). Round 1, 1:41
Jodie Esquibel def. DeAnna Bennett by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Ashley Cummins def. Amber Brown by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Sunna Davíðsdóttir def. Mallory Martin by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Miranda Maverick def. Kal Holliday by submission (armbar). Round 1, 3:01
Felicia Spencer def. Madison McElhaney by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)