Invicta FC 29 started hot, with a spirited bantamweight bout that saw Helen Peralta defeat a game Cheyanne Vlismas in a back-and-force battle for three rounds. And while there’d be a bit of a lull mid-card, the final three bouts delivered. Pearl Gonzalez finished opponent Barbara Acioly via arm-bar in just ninety seconds, sealing the deal in their grudge match. Pannie Kianzad got back in the win column, and while it took three rounds to do it, she looked the best she’d ever been.

In the main event, meanwhile, Canada’s Sarah Kaufman looked sharp as well. Listening to her corner, leaving no room for opponent Katharina Lehner to capitalize, and winning both the striking and grappling battles, the former Strikeforce champion put on a clinic. A near finish of Lehner in the second via a head and arm choke had the writing on the wall. In the third, when a bloodied Lehner was taken to the ground again, the fat lady was signing. Kaufman took the back, slid an arm under the neck, and Lehner quickly tapped to the rear-naked choke.

With that, Sarah Kaufman had her third world title, and second in a major promotion. Questions about a departure to the UFC will follow, though it would be nice to see her defend the belt a few times.

Check out the gallery below for highlights from all the action at Invicta FC 29! Just watch out for the nasty finger injury from Julia Avila!

The post Invicta FC 29: Kaufman vs. Lehner Gallery appeared first on Cageside Press.

Invicta FC 29 went down Saturday night, live from the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, MO. Topped by a bantamweight title fight between former Strikeforce champ Sarah Kaufman and Germany’s Katharina Lehner, the promotion’s third show of 2018 was a star-studded affair. Also on the card, former UFC strawweight turned flyweight Pearl Gonzalez — who had a bit of a shoving match with opponent Barbara Acioly at the weigh-ins a day earlier. And in the co-main event, Pannie Kianzad, looking to snap a three fight skid after starting her career out a perfect 8-0.

It was Kianzad who Sarah Kaufman defeated earlier in the year to earn her shot at the vacant bantamweight title.

Airing exclusively on UFC Fight Pass, Invicta FC 29: Kaufman vs. Lehner kicks off at 8PM ET. Check back come fight time for a full recap and results from the evening’s action!

Helen Peralta vs. Cheyanne Vlismas

Strawweight action kicked off the Invicta FC 29 card, as Helen Peralta met Cheyanne Vlismas in the first bout of the evening. A little bit of bad blood permeated this bout, with Vlismas feeling Peralta had disrespected both her and a teammate at varying points. It was Vlismas catching a kick early and pressing Peralta up against the cage with underhooks. Back in the middle, Peralta was firing, but not really landing until a right hand connected. Vlismas answered with a kick. She caught another Peralta kick, and was able to connect with a punch over it. Vlismas continued to find success with counters, but Peralta was starting to find her range as the round wore on. Vlismas, however, capped the round off with a push kick and waved Peralta in as the bell sounded.

Round two saw both girls looking fresh, but it was Helen Peralta landing a huge right hand, dropping her opponent. Vlismas stayed on her back, defending, but Perlata refused to follow her to the ground. With the ref standing Vlismas back up, Peralta began to stalk her, backing her up and landing a flurry of strikes as Cheyanne Vlismas covered up. She survived, answering back, but she was under heavy fire in the round. Peralta was loose, throwing in a spinning kick, and Vlismas was looking for a takedown to take the pressure off. Peralta utilized a whizzer to fend her oppoent offer, then tagged Vlismas yet again. Vlismas looed for a throw, but Peralta again fought her off. More blows by Peralta landed, though in the final minute Vlismas was able to land a standing elbow. Still, she finished the frame by giving up her back and being thrown to the ground.

Round three saw Vlismas pressing the action against the fence in a clinch only to be reversed, and nearly tripped. Peralta slipped in a gorgeous standing elbow, but Vlismas again initiated a clinch by the fence. What had fallen off, however, was her striking, though she went high with a kick moments later. As the third round wore on, Vlismas found her hands again, and began landing a number of combinations, punctuating several with leg kicks and knees. Vlismas began connecting more and more in the final minute, and the scorecards were going to be interesting.

Helen Peralta def. Cheyanne Vlismas by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Allison Schmidt vs. Macy Chiasson

In featherweight action, Schmidt vs. Chiasson suddenly had a little more weight to it with the UFC’s recent decision to include women’s 145lbs on The Ultimate Fighter. Regardless as to whether either woman were to go on the show, suddenly, the weight class appeared to have a future beyond the reign of Cris Cyborg. Early in this one, it was Schmidt pressing the clinch against the fence. When they did break, Macy Chiasson let lose, tagging Schmidt at least once.

The second saw Chiasson loading up her shots, while Schmidt stayed on the outside, circling out of danger and throwing the odd kick. When she did find her way isnide, Schmidt initiated the clinch, but was unable to take her opponent down. Once Chiasson escaped, she was able to unleash another flurry of strikes, but Schmidt managed to avoid taking too much damage. Chiasson would begin to work in a number of kicks, and mixed in stance switches as well. Schmidt would again initiate a clinch in the dying moments of the second round, looking for a single leg but unable to complete it.

In the third, Chiasson was able to drop Schmidt with a left hand in the opening minute of the round. Chiasson than pressed for a takedown, working for a single leg and trying to sneak a leg behind her opponent’s for a trip. Schmidt, however, was able to stay on her feet, buying some recovery time. The remainder of the round had her on guard for both Chiasson’s heavy hands and a possible takedown, and there was no surprise at the victor when it went to the scorecards.

Macy Chiasson def. Allison Schmidt by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Sarah Kleczka vs. Lisa Spangler

‘The Strangler’ Spangler displayed some great lateral movement early in this bantamweight bout. Kleczka, who had fought just a week earlier, looked for a way in, throwing jabs and leg kicks. Spangler then connected with a kick that tripped up Kleczka, and nearly took the back looking for a choke. Kleczka was able to fight her off, but her mobility may have taken a hit due to the earlier kick.

With little action early in round four, Kleczka was once again looking for a way in. When she did close the distance, Spangler was able to push her off easily enough. Spangler was able to land a couple of times following that; Kleczka spent much of the round circling, though she did land a couple of rights as time wore on. However, neither woman was able to get their combos going, with the final minute seeing the most action. Kleczka would move in for a takedown, only to slip to her back with Spangler on top dropping hammer fists.

In the third, Spanger kept her jab working, and continued the strong lateral movement that seemed to have thrown Kleczka for a loop most of the fight. Kleczka did, however, connect with a heavy kick just under two minutes in, in what was one of her better moments. Just as in the second round, a Kleczka takedown led to Spangler getting on top, unleashing another short flurry of strikes before Kleczka could escape. In the final minute they finally opened up, with Kleczka opening up a cut on the cheek of Spangler. That was too little, too late however, as Spangler already had it in the bag.

Lisa Spangler def. Sarah Kleczka by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Liz Tracy vs. Cheri Muraski

It was Tracy punching her way to a clinch early in flyweight action between Liz Tracy and Cheri Muraski. Come the midway point, Muraski was bloodied, and had to contend with Tracy on her back. Eventually they’d go to the ground, with Tracy wrestling her down. Muraski would make it back up, only to have Tracy drag her down again. On the bottom, Muraski was actively looking for an arm-bar, but Tracy wisely began tagging her, and ultimately controlled most of the round.

Liz Tracy once again punched her way in to start the second round against Cheri Muraski. Tracy was able to get her hands going, but Muraski did answer back with a hard elbow on the feet. Muraski would commit to a driving single leg later in the round, and despite an impressive effort to finish it, Tracy showed some excellent balance, at one point hopping back on a single leg to fight off the takedown. Towards the end of the round it was Tracy who did score the takedown, after softening her opponent up with elbows.

Round three saw Cheri Muraski likely in need of a finish. It wasn’t in the cards, however. Liz Tracy continued to control the bulk of the action, cruising to a unanimous decision on the scorecards.

Liz Tracy def. Cheri Muraski by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Julia Avila vs. Marciea Allen

Just seconds into this 135lb bout, undefeated bantamweight Julia Avila blocked a front kick with her hand. Moments later, the fight was over. Though Avila showed no change in expression and kept on fighting, she’d broken her finger, the bone jutting through the skin — something she actually showed off for the camera after the cage side doctor waved off the bout. Good eye from the ref catching it, and Avila proved incredibly tough simply by not even flinching from the injury.

Marciea Allen def. Julia Avila by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 1, 0:49

Pearl Gonzalez vs. Bárbara Acioly

After a heated exchange at Thursday’s weigh-ins, how would Gonzalez vs. Acioly play out? Pearl worked her jab and inside leg kicks early, while Acioly had a bit of a size advantage. The right had for Pearl landed several times; Acioly would later catch a kick, but Gonzalez stayed on her feet then scored a takedown of her own. Acioly defended with a guillotine, but Gonzalez stepped over her opponent, then moved to mount. Acioly would manage to get on top, while Pearl Gonzelz sunk in a triangle choke. She added some nasty elbows from the bottom the opened op Acioly on the top of her head. Gonzalez then sunk in an arm-bar and got the tap!

Pearl Gonzalez def. Barbara Acioly by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 1:30

Pannie Kianzad vs. Bianca Daimoni

On a three fight skid, Pannie Kianzad certainly needed to get back in the win column. She was heavy on her opponent early, driving opponent Bianca Daimoni into the fence and controlling her. Daimoni landed a punch over the top off a break, while Pannie pressed forward with front kicks and combinations. Later in the round she’d initiate a clinch again, grinding on Daimoni. She landed a knee and uppercut while still in the clinch as the round wore down, then shot for a high double leg takedown in the final minute. While that would have been a strong finish to the round for Kianzad, Danimoni was able to stay standing.

Daimoni opened round two with a right, while Pannie answered by initiating a clinch and landing a knee. Daimoni answered back with some knees of her own. Pannie pressed forward with a combo, ending with a clinch. Simply put, Pannie Kianzad was winning the control game through the first half of the fight. Daimoni looked to land a liver kick, but was getting outworked. In the final minute, Kiazad dropped Daimoni with a blistering left hook, likely securing her a second round, but she couldn’t finish the Brazilian.

Both girls came out swinging early in the third, with Daimoni likely aware she needed a finish. Pannie had the angles and was able to execute some hit and run action, firing off combos then moving out of range. Just past the midway mark Kianzad clipped Daimoni with a right; a couple other strikes connected shortly after, backing the Bazilian fighter up. Kianzad was on a mission, and there was no question her losing streak had come to an end.

Pannie Kianzad def. Bianca Daimoni by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Sarah Kaufman vs. Katharina Lehner

In the main event, Canada’s Sarah Kaufman squared off against Germany’s Katharina Lehner with the vacant bantamweight title on the line. Both ladies came out ready to swing, Lehner with a combo followed by a kick early, then Kaufman with a right hand. Kaufman was finding a home for that right often, clipping Lehner’s nose several times. Lehner would pres forward about two minutes in, initiating a clinch against the fence. She couldn’t get Kaufman down, however, and they re-engaged in the middle. There, Kaufman would continue to get the better of the striking exchanges.

With round one in the books, Lehner was going to need to make some adjustments. Early in round two, however, Kaufman was still landing her right hand seemingly at will. When they did go to the clinch, Kaufman’s power was on display, and she was finally able to muscle Lehner to the ground. Lehner gave up her back briefly, then moved to half guard, trapping a leg to try to keep Kaufman from moving to mount. Kaufman was able to lock in a arm triangle choke, and things looked dire for Lehnar. Kaufman had it in tight, but Lehner signaled she was okay, and was eventually able to slip out as Kaufman moved to tighten her grip.

Round three saw Kaufman and Lehner trading early again, with both ladies landing shots. The pair would stand and trade through the first two minutes, with the exchanges fairly even. Kaufman would slip under a Lehner punch, but the takedown wasn’t there. However, another attempt with about ninety seconds was successful, and Kaufman was back in half-guard. Kaufman was able to take the back, and this time got her arm under the chin! With no way out, Lehner was forced to tap! With that, Sarah Kaufman earned the Invicta FC bantamweight title, the third title of her career and second in a major promotion. She also earned the first submission win of her career, and became the first fighter other than Cris Cyborg to hold gold in Strikeforce and Invicta FC.

Sarah Kaufman def. Katharina Lehner by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 4:30

Invicta FC 29 Full Results:

Bantamweight Title Bout: Sarah Kaufman def. Katharina Lehner by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 4:30
Bantamweight Bout: Pannie Kianzad def. Bianca Daimoni by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Flyweight Bout: Pearl Gonzalez def. Barbara Acioly by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 1:30
Bantamweight Bout: Marciea Allen def. Julia Avila by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 1, 0:49
Flyweight Bout: Liz Tracy def. Cheri Muraski by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Bantamweight Bout: Lisa Spangler def. Sarah Kleczka by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Featherweight Bout: Macy Chiasson def. Allison Schmidt by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Strawweight Bout: Helen Peralta def. Cheyanne Vlismas by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

The post Invicta FC 29: Kaufman vs. Lehner Results and Recap appeared first on Cageside Press.

The Invicta FC 29 weigh-ins were anything but a dull affair on Thursday, what with flyweights Pearl Gonzalez and Bárbara Acioly going at it. But it wasn’t all hostilities, as headliners Sarah Kaufman and Katharina Lehner shared a humorous moment. That pair will be vying for the promotion’s vacant 135lb title, and both fighters came in on point for the championship bout.

In total, sixteen fighters weighed in for the event in Kansas City, MO. All but two made weight. Those two were the aforementioned Acioly, who just missed the flyweight limit at 126.3lbs, and co-main event fighter Bianca Daimoni. Daimoni came in well over the bantamweight limit at 139.6lbs, and was fined twenty-five percent of her purse as a result. Acioly was forced to endure the same punishment. Daimoni will face Pannie Kianzad in the co-headliner.

The full weigh-in results can be found below. As can a gallery of all fighters weighing in, courtesy of Invicta FC!

INVICTA FC 29 WEIGH-IN RESULTS:

Bantamweight Title Bout: Sarah Kaufman (133.7 lb) vs. Katharina Lehner (135 lb)
Bantamweight Bout: Pannie Kianzad (134.8 lb) vs. Bianca Daimoni (139.6 lb)¹
Flyweight Bout: Pearl Gonzalez (123.8 lb) vs. Bárbara Acioly (126.3 lb)²
Bantamweight Bout: Julia Avila (135.8 lb) vs. Marciea Allen (135.8 lb)
Flyweight Bout: Liz Tracy (125.1 lb) vs. Cheri Muraski (125.6 lb)
Bantamweight Bout: Sarah Kleczka (133.8 lb) vs. Lisa Spangler (134.5 lb)
Featherweight Bout: Allison Schmidt (145.1 lb) vs. Macy Chiasson (144.7 lb)
Strawweight Bout: Helen Peralta (115.6 lb) vs. Cheyanne Vlismas (115.7 lb)

The post Invicta FC 29: Kaufman vs. Lehner Weigh-In Gallery appeared first on Cageside Press.

Normally a reserved affair, the weigh-ins for the next Invicta FC card got a little heated on Thursday. That’s thanks to flyweights Pearl Gonzalez and Bárbara Acioly getting into a brief shoving match during the post-weigh in face off. The fighters were eventually split up, and reminded to wait for their scheduled confrontation tomorrow.

Donning a pearl necklace, Pearl Gonzalez weighed in at 123.8lbs for the flyweight contest. Her opponent, Acioly, meanwhile, hit the scales at 126.3lbs. Just slightly over the 126lb limit for non-title fights, Acioly was fined twenty-five percent of her purse. Whether the miss on the scales had anything to do with the hostilities is unclear. During the face-off pose, however, the two fighters came into contact, something Gonzalez eventually took offense to.

Gonzalez (7-3) joined Invicta FC after going 0-2 in the UFC. She got back in the win column at Invicta FC 28, defeating Kali Robbins by decision. Now, she’s making the quick turnaround, looking to keep the momentum going. Bárbara Acioly (4-2), meanwhile, will look to snap a two fight losing streak after starting her career a perfect 4-0.

You can see the entire Invicta FC 29 weigh-ins including the confrontation between Gonzalez and Acioly in the video below (credit: Invicta FC). Invicta FC 29 takes place tomorrow, May 4, at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, MO.

The post Invicta FC 29 Weigh-Ins Get A Tad Heated As Pearl Gonzalez and Bárbara Acioly Go At It appeared first on Cageside Press.

Top flight competition and world titles are no stranger to Invicta FC 29’s Sarah Kaufman. Long before her upcoming bantamweight title shot, the B.C. native got her start in the Canadian regional scene back in 2006. Kaufman quickly worked her way to a bantamweight title in HCF (Hardcore Fighting Championship), a short-lived promotion that never the less boasted names like Gegard Mousasi, Little Nog, Babalu, David Loiseau, and others. Then came a run in Strikeforce that saw her capture the title there, defend it (with a slam KO of Roxanne Modafferi), and after losing it, work her way back to another shot against Ronda Rousey, just as Rousey was breaking onto the MMA scene.

When Strikeforce was scooped up by the UFC, that was her next destination. And while her run in the UFC didn’t work out as planned, there’s no doubt Sarah Kaufman remains a huge part of the bantamweight division. Which is why a shot at Invicta FC’s vacant 135lb championship makes all the sense in the world.

When Kaufman made her return to the promotion in January, thinking was, it might be a couple of fights before a title shot came to fruition. More than anything, the Canadian wanted to stay busy. Then Yana Kunitskaya departed for the UFC, and eventually took a fight against featherweight champion Cris Cyborg. News of her exiting Invicta broke just weeks before Kaufman fought to a decisive decision win against Pannie Kianzad at Invicta FC 27. Suddenly, a title shot was there for the taking. Invicta FC head Shannon Knapp offered it to her right after the bout.

It wasn’t exactly a surprise for Kaufman, who remains dedicated to getting “good fights, and exciting fights, and really fights that I’m excited to train for.” Fights that “showcase something else in my skill set. Whether it’s a crazy knockout, whether it’s speed, whether it’s power, whatever it is, every fight I’d like to try and challenge myself in some way.”

“The title fight came up as soon as I left that cage,” Kaufman confirmed to Cageside Press. “Shannon Knapp said ‘so, what about the title in May?’ I said if ‘well if we could do it sooner, great, otherwise May will work.’ So here we are, a week out from the fight.”

That fight, for the vacant bantamweight title, comes against Katharina Lehner, an undefeated German who made her Invicta FC debut last year. Kaufman has the clear edge in experience, but she doesn’t see that as playing much of a role. “I don’t think it really matters who they’ve fought, in terms of my opponents,” she told us. “For sure, I’ve fought the cream of the crop if you will, but that being said I feel like every fighter I’ve ever fought has shown up at their absolute best when they fight me.”

And so she expects that “Lehner is going to show up at her absolute best, she’s going to be better than she’s ever been, which pushes me to ensure that I’m better than I’ve ever been.”

One wrinkle: Lehner missed weight for her only Invicta fight to date, and fought at featherweight in her only bout since then (outside the organization). Kaufman wasn’t aware of Lehner’s weight issues, but she’s not sweating it. “I didn’t even know that,” she said, but was confident in Invicta’s booking. “I feel like Shannon wouldn’t book a fight at bantamweight for the title if she thought that she was going to miss weight.”

“I know that Lehner’s been down training with the Jackson camp for the last few weeks,” Kaufman said of her upcoming opponent. “I’m sure that she has it dialed in. I can’t worry about that particularly, I mean I can only make sure that I do what I can on my end to make weight, be in shape, feel strong, and really showcase some raw power, explosiveness, and that fight style that brought me to my first championship — it’s going to win me my third championship.”

She gives a lot of credit to her coach, Adam Zugec, “who’s been my coach since the beginning, and I feel like we’re dialed in and we have a really good partnership with where I need to be and what I need to do.”

Perhaps the most telling statement, “I trust him implicitly.”

Heading into her latest title challenge, Sarah Kaufman told us that she’s feeling good, but then, “I don’t think there are many fights that I haven’t felt very good going in.” She’s been through this process before, which takes nerves out of the equation. “I’ve never been a person who has been extremely nervous before fights,” she said. “For sure definitely this morning I was like ‘ah! seven days and the fight’s going to happen’ and one more Saturday, and the following Saturday the fight’s going to be over and I’m planning on bringing that belt back.”

“So I have those little things where it’s like ‘okay, five more sleeps,’ and as the fight comes up ‘forty-eight hours and the fight’s going to be over!” she continued. “Definitely fight week, you think about it a lot. You think about ‘what can I do? How can I be more prepared?’ But I feel I’m in a really good place. Duke Roufus is going to be in my corner again for this fight, and he has a really good mental approach to the game. I really like that.”

Roufus takes her out of her comfort zone with Zugec a little; as she put it, sometimes you just need to hear things from someone else. And she expects a lot from herself. As does her team. “I think that’s very fair and very justified,” she noted. “So there are of course always the feelings of wanting to live up to that and wanting to push yourself, and that pressure that’s behind you to win the fight, and win the next fight, because the next fight’s the most important fight of your life, because they all are. It never fully goes away.” Despite that, Kaufman has “never been an overly nervous person. My biggest focus is staying mentally focused and trying to eliminate as much doubt as I can, or still being realistic in that one punch, or one kick, or a slip in the cage or a moment of weakness could take everything away from you.”

“I think it’s good to have a healthy amount of trepidation and fear per se,” she explained, “to ensure that you show up at your best. So I still get that, but I’ve never been someone who throws up in a bucket.”

Instead, she goes into fights with a flexible mindset — “cautious, focused, determined, and then also very respectful of what it means to step in the cage and what it means for someone else to be coming towards you,” Kaufman said. “And acknowledge that there are risks and those risks could potentially kill you. So get in there, leave everything out there and put your best fist forward if you will to ensure you leave as safe as possible.”

Assuming she comes out safe, sound, and with the title, it’s an interesting time for Invicta. The promotion has made hitting the road a focus of 2018, and has already put on a show in Utah. What about Kaufman’s native Canada? While Kaufman hasn’t talked to the promotion about heading up North, she loves the idea, and the idea of fighting for any promotion in Canada. “It would be amazing to bring it to Canada,” she said. “Victoria itself has a really good venue that would be a really good size, that they could fill pretty easily.”

“Canada loves fighting, really big fan base here,” she added, “and it’s definitely nice to give back and fight in front of your home country, or your home town crowd would be even better.”

Fingers crossed.

In the meantime, a win for the title could also mean a second shot in the UFC, who head North on a semi-regular basis. On whether Kaufman would want to jump right back onto the big stage, or defend a few times in Invicta, the bantamweight star was split. “I want to stay as active as I can be, but I also want to be getting paid what I’m worth,” she told us. “And also [be] fighting the best that are in the world, and right now a lot of them are signed to the UFC.”

What Kaufman feels would be ideal is to “get the Invicta title, and at some point fight for the UFC title, and then I could of had four titles, which would be pretty phenomenal.”

Frankly, she’s confident against anyone among the UFC’s 135lb ranks. “I know that the bantamweight title between Nunes and Pennington is the week following my fight, so there’s a lot of action happening there,” she said. “I look at their top ten, their top fifteen, and I’m so confident in beating everyone that’s on that roster.”

“I want to be the best in the world, that’s why I’m in this game, and right now the best is in the UFC,” Kaufman stated. “So that’s where I want to test my skills as much as I can, but I love Invicta, and I love how they support their athletes.” In short, Kaufman finished, she’s not sure which she’d prefer.

With Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, and Holly Holm gone from the 135lb division, at least for the time being, it feels like the division has fallen off of late. Kaufman agreed, saying “I do think that bantamweight really needs an injection of life. It needs some excitement, a spark. It needs me, it needs other fighters who are like me. Who want to get in there, who want to fight, who want to show up.”

Kaufman pointed out that the UFC has fighters still ranked that have been on the shelf for ages, but “need to have names who are active, who are fighting, who are wanting to fight, who are hungry to get to that title shot.”

“I feel like I am that person,” she added.

As to the slump she experienced in her UFC  run, Kaufman said that “I think a lot of it was mental, I don’t think it’s ever been a skill issue.”

“You can let too many things sit on you, you worry about too many things that are out of your control in most senses,” she elaborated. “I think I was doing that. I can’t fully explain it, but I think a lot of it had to do with mentally where I was and how I felt about different things regarding the standings in the UFC, and whether I was respected or not respected, or even trying to get fights.”

About the difficulty she had booking fights in the UFC, Kaufman explained that “it was super hard, super frustrating the number of times I’d be begging for every single fight that would come about, and I would never get them.” She understands that a lot of it was just business, not that it makes it less frustrating. “At the time Ronda was undefeated, she’s their main money maker, and so it was ‘who can we have fight who can eventually fight and challenge Ronda?’ And because I’d already done that, and I was a tough match-up for almost everyone else, it didn’t leave me with many options.”

“It was actually great, when Holly won, I was super happy for a good friend, and it opened up the division for me to actually get in there,” she continued, “and then unfortunately I lost a split decision a month later, and that was the last fight on my contract.”

Now that she’s not a roadblock in the division, Sarah Kaufman sees plenty of opportunity ahead. “I’m steamrolling ahead here,” she told us.

“My goal at this point is to make statements, and make statements even inwardly for myself that are positive, that are focused, that are goal-driven, career-driven, like ‘I will be getting the title.”

The talent, the mind-set, the fitness, Kaufman knows she has all these things. She just needs to “show up and do it.” And she knows she needs to carry herself in a manner that reflects that knowledge.

“Why shouldn’t I leave the winner? Why should I even give them any chance? Just don’t even entertain it.” That’s the mindset she’s trying to go to right now, and it should serve her well against Katharina Lehner come Friday.

Don’t miss Sarah Kaufman this Friday in the main event at Invicta FC 29, live exclusively on UFC Fight Pass. And check out our full interview above, as we also get into Leslie Smith’s Project Spearhead, and Sarah finally getting paid by Battlefield FC.

The post Gunning For Another World Title, Invicta FC 29’s Sarah Kaufman Is “Steamrolling Ahead” appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Tuesday, Invicta FC released the debut episode of a new documentary series entitled “Through the Ashes.” Episode 1 of what is expected to be an ongoing behind the scenes look into the lives of Invicta fighters features former UFC strawweight Pearl Gonzalez. Gonzalez (7–3) bounced back from a pair of losses in the UFC at Invicta 28 in March, defeating Kali Robbins. She’ll appear at this month’s Invicta FC 29 next.

In the newly released documentary short, Gonzalez discusses her time growing up, being shot at, and coping with both of her parents being addicted to drugs. And, of course, there’s plenty of attention paid to Gonazalez’s prep for her upcoming bout at Invicta FC 29 against Bárbara Acioly.

Invicta FC 29 goes down May 4 in Kansis City, MO at the Scottish Rite Temple. The card airs exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.

Invicta FC 29

Bantamweight Title Bout: Sarah Kaufman (19-4, 1 NC) vs. Katharina Lehner (7-0)
Bantamweight Bout: Pannie Kianzad (8-3) vs. Bianca Daimoni (7-2)
Flyweight Bout: Pearl Gonzalez (7-3) vs. Bárbara Acioly (4-2)
Bantamweight Bout: Julia Avila (4-0) vs. Marciea Allen (6-2)
Flyweight Bout: Liz Tracy (4-2) vs. Cheri Muraski (4-1)
Bantamweight Bout: Sarah Kleczka (2-0) vs. Lisa Spangler (0-0)
Featherweight Bout: Allison Schmidt (1-0) vs. Macy Chiasson (1-0)
Strawweight Bout: Helen Peralta (1-0) vs. Cheyanne Vlismas (1-0)

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Invicta FC 29, which had previously been announced without a location, will head back to the promotion’s home base at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, MO next month. The promotion announced the news in a press release Monday. In addition to the main event bantamweight title fight between Katharina Lehner and Canada’s Sarah Kaufman, a number of key bouts are scheduled for the card. Among them is the return of Pearl Gonzalez, who made a successful promotional debut last month at Invicta FC 28.

Gonzalez (7-3) defeated Kali Robbins at Invicta FC 28 on March 24, snapping a two fight losing streak from her tenure with the UFC. She’ll look to build momentum against Bárbara Acioly (4-2) in this flyweight battle. After starting her career at 4-0, Acioly has struggled of late, losing to Karina Rodriguez in Acioly’s Invicta debut and falling to Takayo Hashi outside the promotion.

Also notable, Pannie Kianzad (8-3) will look to halt a three fight losing streak when she takes on Bianca Daimoni (7-2). Kianzad was most recently seen losing to Sarah Kaufman at Invicta FC 27 in January. That fight punched Kaufman’s ticket to a shot at the promotion’s bantamweight title. Kianzad, meanwhile, will be looking to rebuild. The Iranian-Swedish bantamweight started her career a perfect 8-0, and is desperately in need of a win to get her hot prospect status back.

Check out the Invicta FC 29 line-up below. The event takes place May 4 at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, MO.

Bantamweight Title: Sarah Kaufman (19-4, 1 NC) vs. Katharina Lehner (7-0)
Bantamweight: Pannie Kianzad (8-3) vs. Bianca Daimoni (7-2)
Flyweight: Pearl Gonzalez (7-3) vs. Bárbara Acioly (4-2)
Bantamweight: Julia Avila (4-0) vs. Marciea Allen (6-2)
Flyweight: Liz Tracy (4-2) vs. Cheri Muraski (4-1)
Bantamweight: Yaya Rincón (2-0) vs. Lisa Spangler (0-0)
Featherweight: Allison Schmidt (1-0) vs. Macy Chiasson (1-0)
Strawweight: Helen Peralta (1-0) vs. Cheyanne Vlismas (1-0)
Strawweight: Adriana Vuković (0-0) vs. TBD

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The puzzle pieces in Invicta FC sometimes move almost quicker than you can keep up with. As quickly as Yana Kunitskaya was the bantamweight champion in the all-female MMA promotion, she wasn’t. Kunitskaya took over from Tonya Evinger, who vacated to jump to the UFC and fight Cris Cyborg. Then Kunitskaya, like Evinger, vacated the title to face Cyborg in the UFC, at this weekend’s UFC 222. That left the 135lb title in Invicta in limbo. Now, the issue has been rectified by the promotion booking a bantamweight title fight between former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champ Sarah Kaufman and Germany’s Katharina Lehner. The fight will take place at Invicta FC 29.

Bloody Elbow was first to report the news, which was subsequently confirmed by Lehner. Cageside Press spoke to Kaufman earlier this year, and she indicated that a title shot was definitely a possibility, though more than anything she was looking to stay active after struggling to find fights since parting ways with the UFC.

Kaufman (19-4, 1NC) held gold in Strikeforce back in 2010. She defeated a host of top names there, including eventual UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, and UFC flyweight title challenger Roxanne Modafferi. With wins over Alexis Davis, Leslie Smith, Shayna Baszler, and other veterans peppering her record, it’s safe to say that Kaufman is one of the most experienced fighters on Invicta’s roster. After losing the Strikeforce title to Marloes Coenen, she went on a three-fight win streak. That earned her a shot at then-champion Ronda Rousey. Her bid to regain the Strikeforce title failed; Rousey would go on to become one of MMA’s biggest stars. Kaufman, meanwhile, struggled in the UFC, going 1-2 (1NC) in the promotion.

Since the promotion opted not to re-sign her in 2015, Kaufman’s gone 2-0. The wins came over Jessica-Rose Clark and Pannie Kianzad; the latter came at Invicta FC 27 earlier this year. A win over Lehner should go a long way to propelling Kaufman back to the UFC, which she feels “needs my talent” in their bantamweight division. Yet don’t expect Kaufman to bounce straight back to the UFC necessarily, as some others have done.

German Kathrina Lehner (7-0), meanwhile, will be returning to Invicta FC for the second time in her title fight against Sarah Kaufman. While she picked up the win last time out, her debut wasn’t as successful as hoped. That’s after she missed weight for the fight. Hopefully, there’ll be no such issues this time around. The undefeated Lehner is coming off a win outside Invicta, at Hype FC 7 in December against Gemma Pike.

Invicta FC 29 takes place May 4 and will air exclusively on UFC Fight Pass. No location has been announced for the card as of yet.

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