Kanako Murata captured strawweight gold in the impromptu main event at Friday’s Invicta FC 38, defeating former Bellator standout Emily Ducote by split decision.
Invicta FC 38 saw a last minute switch in main events, making the story more about the strawweights on Friday night. After Karina Rodriguez missed weight for her flyweight title fight with Vanessa Porto, Kanako Murata threw down with Emily Ducote in the main event. The vacant strraweight title was on the line, and Japan’s Murata did just enough to win the split decision and capture gold.
Vanessa Porto, who would have headlined the card, took home a unanimous decision against Rodriguez in the end. It’s a bittersweet victory for the Brazilian, however, as she was denied the opportunity to defend her title for the first time.
Check out video and photo highlights of the event below, courtesy of Invicta FC!
Invicta FC 38 Results:
Strawweight: Kanako Murata def. Emily Ducote by split decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46) – for the Invicta FC strawweight title
Flyweight: Vanessa Porto def. Karina Rodríguez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – originally a five-round title fight, became three-round non-title fight after Rodriguez missed weight
Strawweight: Mallory Martin def. Cynthia Arceo by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
Flyweight: Shanna Young def. Maiju Suotama by unanimous decision (29-27, 28-27, 28-26)
Bantamweight: Lisa Verzosa def. Kerri Kenneson by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Featherweight: Auttumn Norton def. Shaianna Rincon by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Bantamweight: Taneisha Tennant def. Serena de Jesus by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
