“Lionheart” announced the news on multiple social media platforms, posting an extended, heartfelt message on Twitter/X, where she frequently interacts with fans.

I have rewritten this a bunch of times. I will try and keep this short, I don’t know if I’ll be successful.

For those who haven’t seen my post on other social media, I wanted to write a separate one here.

I started fighting simply because it looked fun. At that time I had no goals. As my amateur career continued I hoped to one day fight for Invicta Fights, the best promotion for women’s MMA, but that felt unattainable. I didn’t see myself at that level. But my career was made out of doing things that I wasn’t supposed to be able to do. I became the Invicta atomweight champion, I got to fight my entire Pro career for only two promotions, and they are two of the best promotions, Invicta and CFFC MMA.

I’ve achieved more than I ever thought possible. And I did it without compromising my morals and beliefs. It was always done my way. But now it’s time for the next chapter in my life. So I am officially retired. I love fighting. I love teaching fighting. I love watching fighting. I can still teach it and watch it and that’s good enough for me at this point. At some point in my career, a lot of people on here started to really get behind me. I didn’t know why and I still don’t know why, but it means everything to me. When I won that title, we won that title. Some people hate me and that’s OK too. We get to like and hate who we like and even if you hate me, thank you for watching me, even if you were rooting against me.

This isn’t goodbye. This is the most beautiful sport in the world, and I can never leave it. I’m working on something that is gonna let me stay involved in the sport as long as I want to. It’s just gonna take a little time to put it together.

But I’m still gonna be here every day, still live tweeting about fights or talking about the sport. I’m still gonna advocate for women in the sport, I’m still available anytime any young fighter needs advice, and I’m still gonna be outspoken, probably more so now.

All I ever wanted was to be a good representative for the sport, be a good influence on young women in the sport, and maybe leave the sport at at least one percent better than it was when I got into it. I hope I’ve done that.

My career is what it is. Everyone can form their own opinions on what it is, but I am damn proud of it. I made a career out of doing what I was told I couldn’t do.

I always say that I don’t have fans, I have supporters, I have Team Lionheart. We did this together because so many of you spoke so loud. You pushed for me to get that title shot. That will always be appreciated and always be remembered.

I’m not popular, I’m not famous, I go to the store and nobody knows who I am. But I do have this little group of supporters that is also the best group of supporters that anyone could have.

Thank you and from the bottom of my heart, I love you all.

DeCoursey, 41, is a New York native who got her start in MMA as a professional back in 2017. Despite being something of a latecomer in terms of making the move to fighting pro (she’d debuted as an amateur several years earlier), the feisty 105lb’er won her first two bouts, both under the Invicta FC banner, before dropping two more.

She’d then move to Cage Fury FC, a frequent feeder promotion for the UFC, winning a bout, then won another for Invicta before challenging future UFC fighter Elise Reed for the CFFC strawweight title.

Falling short, DeCoursey would return to Invicta, return to atomweight, and win her next fight, before claiming the Invicta FC atomweight championship in 2022 with a submission victory over Jessica Delboni.

Thanks to her willingness to engage with fans online and fun personality, DeCoursey became a fan favorite, which didn’t seem to change much after she lost her atomweight belt to Rayanne dos Santos the following year.

DeCoursey also held multiple titles as an amateur.

The post Former Invicta FC Atomweight champ Jillian DeCoursey Retires appeared first on Cageside Press.

Both main event bantamweight Katharina Lehner and co-headlining flyweight DeAnna Bennett came in heavy for the event, which takes place on Friday, May 16, 2025 at The Lex at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

Weigh-ins took place on Thursday.

For Bennett, a former Ultimate Fighter competitor and Bellator contender, weight struggles are nothing new.  “Vitamin D” has had three misses previously in her pro career, plus a fight that was cancelled entirely. That was in 2020 against Victoria Leonardo, when Bennett encountered difficulties with her weight cut.

The most unfortunate instance was Bennett missing weight for a title fight with Liz Carmouche in 2023, eliminating herself from being eligible to win the belt. She also missed weight for a 2020 fight with Carmouche, then subsequent bout with Alejandra Lara.

Lehner does not have any recorded misses in her pro career. Both fights will move forward, with Lehner and Bennett paying 25% fines. Results from Thursday’s weigh-ins are below.

Invicta FC 62: Lehner vs. Rubin Weigh-In Results

Bantamweight: Katharina Lehner (137)* vs. Olga Rubin (135.7)
Flyweight: DeAnna Bennett (126.8)** vs. Rayla Nascimento (125.6)
Flyweight: Milana Dudieva (125.7) vs. Amanda Torres (125.8)
Strawweight: Ashley Barrett (115.8) vs. Quinn Williams (115.4)
Flyweight: Charlsey Maner (125.9) vs. Alex Lawal (125.5)

* – Lehner missed the bantamweight limit of 136 pounds and was fined 25 percent of her fight purse
** – Bennett missed the flyweight limit of 126 pounds and was fined 25 percent of her fight purse

The post Two Fighters Heavy for Invicta FC 62, Full Card Moves Forward appeared first on Cageside Press.

The main event fight finds Ferreira looking to defend her 105lb title for the first time, while securing her fifth straight victory in the promotion. Challenger Palacios, a Combate Global veteran, had won three straight, with two of those coming under the Invicta banner.

One fighter missed weight at Thursday’s official weigh-in, with Thaiane Souza coming in heavy for a catchweight affair with Emily Ducote. She has been fined 25% of her purse, but the bout with former UFC fighter and ex-Invicta champ Ducote will move forward. Invicta FC 61 takes place on Friday, April 4, 2025; results from Thursday’s weigh-ins can be found below.

Invicta FC 61: Ferreira vs. Palacios Weigh-In Results

Atomweight: Elisandra “Lili” Ferreira (104.7) vs. Ana Palacios (104.6) — for the Invicta FC atomweight championship
Featherweight: Jamie Edenden (145.5) vs. Jackie Cataline (145)
Catchweight (120 pounds): Emily Ducote (119) vs. Thaiane Souza (124.3)*
Featherweight: Riley Martinez (145) vs. Jaeleen Robledo (145)
Atomweight: Taynara Silva (105.7) vs. Claire Lopez (105.9
Featherweight: Joy Pendell (146) vs. Marilia Morais (145.1)
Flyweight: Zoe Nowicki (125.5) vs. Kellie Marin (125.7)

* – Souza missed the agreed-upon catchweight limit of 120 pounds and was fined 25 percent of her fight purse

The post Invicta FC 61: Ferreira vs. Palacios Weigh-In Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Elisandra “Lili” Ferreira (8-2) will return to action in the main event, putting her 105lb title on the line against Ana Palacios (10-3-1).

Ferreira has remained perfect under the Invicta FC banner through four fights, and captured the promotion’s atomweight crown in her last outing, earning a unanimous decision over Andressa Romero. The atomweight previously held gold in regional promotion Nação Cyborg in her native Brazil.

Palacios, who previously competed for Combate Global, has won three straight, including two inside the Invicta FC cage.

Outside of the night’s main event, former Bellator title challenger and ex-Invicta FC champ Emily Ducote will be in action. Ducote went 2-3 in a stint with the UFC, prior to returning to Invicta in November, where she submitted Yulia Ostroverkhova. Prior to entering the UFC, she claimed Invicta’s strawweight crown in 2021 and defended it once the following year.

Invicta FC 61 Ferreira vs. Palacios is set for the Grand Casino Hotel & Resort in Shawnee, Oklahoma on April 4, 2025 and consists of the following announced match-ups:

Atomweight: Elisandra “Lili” Ferreira vs. Ana Palacios – for the Invicta FC atomweight championship
Featherweight: Jamie Edenden vs. Jackie Cataline
Strawweight: Emily Ducote vs. Sofiia Bagishvili
Featherweight: Riley Martinez vs. Jaeleen Robledo
Atomweight: Taynara Silva vs. Claire Lopez
Featherweight: Joy Pendell vs. Marilia Morais
Flyweight: Zoe Nowicki vs. Kellie Marin

The post Invicta FC 61 Lands Atomweight Title Fight in Oklahoma appeared first on Cageside Press.

14 fighters will compete on the seven-fight card headlined by Olga Rubin, a former Bellator MMA featherweight title challenger, and Mayra Cantuária, in a bantamweight main event. The fight is expected to set up a potential challenger for new 135lb champion Jennifer Maia, who claimed her second title in the company late last year. Brazil’s Maia is a former Invicta FC flyweight champ and UFC title challenger.

A number of familiar names are also set to appear at Invicta FC 60, including UFC veterans Shanna Young (who has also competed for the PFL) and Victoria Leonardo. Both Leonardo and Young picked up victories at Invicta FC 58 last year, and are looking to build on that success.

Full results from Thursday’s Invicta FC 60 weigh-in in Atlanta can be found below. The event takes place on Friday, February 7, 2025 at Center Stage in Atlanta, GA.

Invicta FC 60: Rubin vs. Cantuaria Results

Bantamweight: Olga Rubin (135.7) vs. Mayra Cantuária (135.7)
Bantamweight: Shanna Young (135.4) vs. Katharina Lehner (136)
Flyweight: Victoria Leonardo (126) vs. Rayla Nascimento (125.6)
Strawweight: Liana Pirosin (115.9) vs. Shino VanHoose (115.7)
Atomweight: Giulliany Perêa (105.8) vs. Hope Holmes (105.7)
Featherweight: Joy Pendell (146) vs. Julia Dorny (144.2)
Strawweight: Amber Medina (115.7) vs. Anna Somers (115.9)

The post Full Card Makes Weight for Invicta FC 60 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The 33-year old from Sao Paulo, Brazil was arrested at her residence in Araraquara on Thursday following an anonymous tip that led to a search warrant being executed by local police. There, authorities found marijuana, steroids, ammunition, and a .380 pistol. News of Souza’s arrest was first reported by MMA Fighting.

Coincidentally, Souza was listed as eligible for Friday’s Global Fight League draft, but was not one of the 120 fighters selected.

A statement provided by the fighter’s lawyer, Glaucio Dalponte Mattiole, to MMA Fighting denied that the fighter had any involvement in drug trafficking. Instead, it suggested that the marijuana was for Souza’s own personal use. “During the operation, a quantity of marijuana was seized, a substance that she uses, as publicly declared previously. It’s worth noting that Livia was the first UFC fighter in Brazil to be sponsored by a CBD company and is a public defender of the legalization of marijuana.”

Brazil, like Canada and parts of the U.S., has slowly moved towards legalization of marijuana, dropping penalties for personal cultivation and private use in 2006. In 2024, it became legal to possess (and transport) up to 40 grams of marijuana for personal use in Brazil.

Livinha Souza’s lawyer did not address allegations of steroids being found at her residence. However, he added that the firearm seized “was acquired in the past. However, due to a series of setbacks, it has not yet been possible to regularize its possession. The fighter will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities, trusting that the investigation of the facts will allow us to conclude, unequivocally, that there are no irregularities or crimes attributed to her by the Civil Police.”

Souza (14-4) last saw action at UFC Vegas 41 in October 2021, losing her final bout in the octagon against Randa Markos. She finished her UFC run 3-3, after starting her career 9-0. She claimed the Invicta FC strawweight championship in 2015, and defended her belt once the following year before losing it to Angela Hill.

The post Former Invicta Champ, UFC Fighter Livinha Souza Nabbed in Drug, Weapons Bust appeared first on Cageside Press.

Promotion officials recently announced the seven-fight card via press release. Invicta FC 60 will be headlined by bantamweight action, with former Bellator MMA title challenger Olga Rubin (9-4) taking on Mayra Cantuária in a non-title main event.

The card takes place at Center Stage in Atlanta, GA on Friday, February 7, 2025.

Rubin, also a former Invicta FC title challenger, is the only fighter in the all-female promotion’s history to secure a win by buggy choke. Most recently, she came up short in her second title bid for the company, winding up submitted by Talita Bernardo.

The Russian-born Israeli fighter fell to Julia Budd in a shot at Bellator’s featherweight championship back in 2019. Her last four fights have come under the Invicta FC banner, where she has posted a 2-2 record. Both of those losses came in title fights.

Mayra Cantuária came up short against former UFC title challenger and current Invicta bantamweight champ Jennifer Maia in her last outing. There’s a good chance a win over Rubin could earn her another shot at the Brazilian champion.

As it stands, Feb. 7, 2025’s Invicta FC 60 looks like this:

Bantamweight: Olga Rubin vs. Mayra Cantuária
Featherweight: Jackie Cataline vs. Jamie Edenden
Bantamweight: Shanna Young vs. Katharina Lehner
Flyweight: Victoria Leonardo vs. Rayla Nascimento
Strawweight: Liana Pirosin vs. Shino VanHoose
Atomweight: Giulliany Perêa vs. Hope Holmes
Featherweight: Joy Pendell vs. Krissa Timbs

The post Invicta FC 60 Announced for February 7 in Atlanta appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I was in the 8th grade and I remember seeing Ronda Rousey,” Barrett recalls. “I didn’t even know what MMA was. I didn’t know it was a real thing; I thought it was just TV… As soon as I saw that, I was like I’m going to do that. I’m going to be a UFC fighter.”

Although some partents might not be fully on board with their teenage girl pursuing a dream of punching people in the face for a living, Barrett’s parents were all in. In fact, not only was her mom supportive of her dream, she actively helped her chase after it.

“My parents were so on board with it. They loved it,” she said. “My mom was like ‘yeah, that’s awesome – let’s try to find a gym and get you signed up.”

While the Rousey video set things in motion, the act of walking into the gym clinched it. And now with a contract with Invicta, for which she’s about to fight for the second time, that dream is getting closer than ever.

“Ever since I first walked into the gym, I knew I wanted to go to the UFC. I want to go all the way,” Barrett said. “I knew that Invicta was a huge stepping stone and feeder to that – to get to get you ready for that level, to get you notice.”

That next fight in Invicta takes place this weekend at Invicta FC 59. Her fight with Fernanda Orellana takes place on the YouTube prelims starting at 7:30pm EST.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview as part of the latest episode of TTP. The interview starts below at 35:14. 

The post Invicta FC 59’s Ashley Barrett Said She’d Be In UFC in 8th Grade appeared first on Cageside Press.

Silva previously served as CEO of the World Series of Fighting, and later League President of the Professional Fighters League, the WSOF’s successor. He stepped away from the fight business in 2019, moving on from combat sports to become CEO of World TeamTennis.

Having his own background in tennis and briefly playing professionally, Silva told MMA Junkie at the time that “Most people don’t know this, but (tennis) is kind of the most important thing to me. It was a super tough decision, but I decided to jump in.”

“Carlos Silva is an incredible addition to our team, and his vast wealth of knowledge and experience in sports and television makes him the perfect choice to head Anthem Sports Group,” said Anthem President and CEO Leonard Asper in a press release issued on Thursday. “Throughout his career, he has overseen tremendous growth for some of the country’s top brands, improving operating results and growing asset value. He has a track record of forging connections with major players across the sports and entertainment spectrum, and is a proven winner uniquely suited to build upon the growing success that Anthem Sports Group’s properties have already enjoyed.”

In addition to TNA Wrestling and Invicta FC, Anthem also owns Fight Network. Invicta, meanwhile, returns to action tomorrow (Friday, December 13, 2024) with Invicta FC 59 in Atlanta.

The post Former PFL Exec Carlos Silva Announced as President of Anthem Sports Group, Invicta FC Parent Company appeared first on Cageside Press.

During Wednesday’s Invicta FC 58 broadcast, promotion officials confirmed the main event of their final card of the year, set for December 13, 2024. The fight will see Bernardo (11-4) take on fellow UFC veteran (and ex-flyweight title challenger) Jennifer Maia (22-10-1).

A venue for the event has yet to be officially announced.

BREAKING | 🚨 #InvictaFC59 | 12/13 | #Atlanta #Georgia

Talita Bernardo @Talita_MMA defends her bantamweight title against Jennifer Maia (@jennimaiaufc) headlining a STACKED card to end the year on CBS Sports Network! pic.twitter.com/zO4AeKeQI7

— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) November 7, 2024

Bernardo has been on a tear since exiting the UFC in 2019 following a disappointing 1-3 run. The Brazilian has since put together five straight wins, competing for Oktagon MMA and Invicta. The 37-year old claimed gold against Taneisha Tennant in January of 2023, then returned to action this past June to make her first successful title defense, submitting Bellator alum Olga Rubin.

Jennifer Maia returned to Invicta, where she once held flyweight gold, in her last bout, after a lengthy run with the UFC. Maia came up short in a UFC title shot against Valentina Shevchenko in November of 2020, and was rather surprisingly released off a single loss last year (which snapped a two-fight win streak that saw Maia defeat Maryna Moroz and Casey O’Neill).

A decision victory over Mayra Cantuária in August marked Maia’s first bantamweight fight since 2015. She’ll now look to claim gold in a second weight class under the Invicta FC banner.

No other fights have currently been announced for Invicta FC 59.

The post Invicta FC 59 in Atlanta Gets Talita Bernardo vs. Jennifer Maia Title Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.