Some bad blood at the Invicta FC 35 weigh-ins lit a fire under Stockton’s Chelsea Chandler, who in turn lit up Brittney Victoria Friday.
The first of two bantamweight bouts at Friday’s Invicta FC 35 saw Chelsea Chandler facing Brittney Victoria, in a fight that had Victoria’s perfect record on the line. The action went down from the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, and aired live on UFC Fight Pass.
3-0 Victoria had won her Invicta FC debut in November, a unanimous decision opposite Sarah Kleczka. Chandler, for her part, was 1-1 in the promotion (and her career), both fights going to decision.
Victoria and Chandler clashed almost immediately, both showing solid movement and looking light on their feet. Victoria fired an outside leg kick, Chandler fired one to the body, then initiated a clinch. Victoria reversed along the fence, only to be reversed herself. Both fighters wanted to impose their will and set the pace early, which in essence saw them cancel each other out briefly. Victoria then ate some heavy shots from Chandler, forcing her to get out of range; they exchanged a moment later, with Chandler initiating another clinch. Chandler then fired a punch to the liver, and the two exchanged knees before Chandler landed a takedown with ninety seconds remaining in the round. From there, Chandler fired off a barrage of punches with her opponent’s arm trapped, essentially in a crucifix position. Victoria would escape, but was still on her knees, and Chandler stayed on her, adding more punches, heel kicks to the leg, and looking for a choke.
Victoria was bloodied, and Chandler managed to transition to mount briefly, dropping elbows. The round came to a close, with the Nick Diaz Academy fighter Chandler pulling away.
Round two had Chandler conecting early, scoring a knockdown then pouncing on Victoria. Victoria was bloodied once again, and Chandler looked for the choke. Somehow, Brittney Victoria survived. For a time. Chandler dropped elbows, working from side control. She then transitioned to mount; Victoria rolled, covering up but eating huge elbows to the head. A high mount for Chandler followed as Victoria returned to her back. This became something akin to watching meat being tenderized, but instead of finishing it with strikes, Chandler switched to an arm-bar. Victoria rolled through, and briefly took control, getting the back of Chandler and then escaping to her feet.
Given how the round had started, however, being on her feet was no escape for Victoria. She was tagged and dropped again, and after some more ground n’ pound, the ref finally waved it off!
After the fight, Chandler explained what went down at the weigh-ins, saying Victoria claimed Chandler was her fan. “She can give me her autograph when she gets her face fixed, but I’m not her fan,” Chandler quipped.
Chelsea Chandler def. Brittney Victoria by TKO, Round 2, 3:58
