Friday night in Kansas City, Invicta FC returned with the latest instalment of its Phoenix Series tournaments.
Phoenix Series 4 saw the atomweight division in action, with a shot at Invicta FC 105lb champion Alesha Zappitella awarded to the winner. Eight ladies would be competing for the opportunity, with one tournament reserve bout also taking place on the night.
Among the hopefuls, Jillian DeCoursey, a five-fight veteran of Invicta who had come up short against Elise Reed in a shot at the CFFC strawweight title earlier this year. Arguably more suited to life in the cage at 105lbs, “Lionheart” had credible threats from the likes of Lindsey VanZandt and Jessica Delboni.
VanZandt, like DeCoursey, had a loss to champ Zappitella already on her record. She had also come up short against Delboni, but had found success in Bellator and KOTC earlier in her career. Delboni, meanwhile, had challenged Zappitella for gold just last month, but fell to the champ in a split decision.
Invicta FC’s Phoenix Series 4 atomweight tournament takes place Friday, June 11, and airs on AXS TV in the U.S., Fight Network in Canada, and on the promotion’s official Youtube channel. You can watch the full live stream in the embed above.
Invicta FC Phoenix Series 4 Atomweight Tournament Results
Atomweight Tournament Final: Jessica Delboni def. Lindsey VanZandt by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Atomweight Tournament Semifinal No. 2: Jessica Delboni def. Marisa Messer-Belenchia by unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9)
Atomweight Tournament Semifinal No. 1: Lindsey VanZandt def. Linda Mihalec by unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9)
Atomweight Tournament Reserve Bout: Samantha Seff def. Kara Vislosky by split decision (9-10, 10-9, 10-9)
Atomweight Tournament Quarterfinal No. 4: Marisa Messer-Belenchia def. Paulina Granados by split decision (10-9, 9-10, 10-9)
Atomweight Tournament Quarterfinal No. 3: Linda Mihalec def. Jillian DeCoursey by split decision (9-10, 10-9, 10-9)
Atomweight Tournament Quarterfinal No. 2: Lindsey VanZandt def. Katie Perez by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 3:10
Atomweight Tournament Quarterfinal No. 1: Jessica Delboni def. Tabatha Watkins by unanimous decision (10-9, 10-19, 10-9)
