On Thursday, Sept. 17, Invicta Fighting Championships hosted its 42nd event from Kansas City, Kan.
In the night’s main event, former title challenger Ashley Cummins got a second shot at gold as she took on world-class wrestler Alesha Zappitella for the vacant 105-pound belt. Cummins is an Invicta staple, debuting at the promotion’s inaugural event in April of 2012. She came up short against former atomweight champion Jinh Yu Frey in her last appearance. Michigan’s Zappitella had won four of her five Invicta bouts, including back-to-back wins over Lindsey VanZandt and Kelly D’Angelo to earn a shot at gold.
The co-main event took place in the bantamweight division as Lisa Verzosa met Raquel Canuto — née Pa’aluhi — in a match-up of former title challengers. Verzosa was last in action at Phoenix Rising 3 in March, engaging in a “Fight of the Year” battle with Julija Stoliarenko. Canuto returned to MMA action for the first time since Invicta FC 25 in 2017.
All of the action aired live on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
Lisa Verzosa def. Raquel Canuto by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Jéssica Delboni def. Herica Tiburcio by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Victoria Leonardo def. Liz Tracy by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Helen Peralta def. Jennifer Chieng by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)