Invicta FC 36 went down Friday in Kansas City, Kansas, and saw the promotion crown a new featherweight champion. The belt most recently vacated by Felicia Spencer is now held by Pam Sorenson, who was getting her second straight shot at gold (after losing to Spencer last fall). En route to winning the title, Pam ‘Bam’ got the better of Kaitlin Young, who since returning to action from retirement had been unbeaten through three fights between RIZIN and Invicta FC.

Also on the card Friday, former Bellator title contender Emily Ducote got the better of Janaisa Morandin, who came in heavy for the fight. Jessica Delboni, meanwhile, got the better of Lindsey VanZandt in atomweight action.

Check below for results and a gallery of highlights from Invicta FC 36! For more coverage, see our full recap from the event!

Invicta FC 36: Sorenson vs. Young Results:

Pam Sorenson def. Kaitlin Young via unanimous decision (50-44, 49-45, 48-45)
Emily Ducote def. Janaisa Morandin via knockout, Round 1 (4:03)
Jessica Delboni def. Lindsey VanZandt via split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Victoria Leonardo def. Stephanie Geltmacher via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Alyse Anderson def. Katie Saull via split-decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Caitlin Sammons def. Chantel Coates via submission (rear-naked-choke), Round 2 (2:10)
Erin Harpe def. Auttumn Norton via split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-27)
Julia Ottolino def. Megan Cawley via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Invicta FC returned Friday night with Invicta FC 36, live from the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. Up for grabs in the main event, the promotion’s vacant featherweight title, left in limbo after Felicia Spencer made the jump to the UFC. That created a world of opportunity for comeback success story Kaitlin Young, and longtime Invicta fighter Pam Sorenson.

Also on the card, former Bellator MMA flyweight title contender Emily Ducote, who was dropping to to strawweight to fight Janaisa Morandin. Plus another interesting pairing in Lindsey VanZandt and Jessica Delboni. VanZandt was most recently seen over in Bellator as well, where she defeated RIZIN’s Rena Kubota at Bellator 222. It was back to her native atomweight division at Invicta FC 36 on Friday, however.

Check below come fight time for full results and a recap of the action from Invicta FC 36!

Invicta FC 36 Results:

Pam Sorenson def. Kaitlin Young via unanimous decision (50-44, 49-45, 48-45) – for the vacant Invicta FC featherweight championship

A back and forth first round, Young appeared to be better in the striking department, landing a couple of nice combinations in the first five minutes. However, Sorenson was clearly the better grappler in the first frame, getting two takedowns and getting Young’s back on both. However,  the second time around Young would spin out of the choke attempt, and throw an illegal knee as Sorenson was a downed fighter. The fighter would deduct a point for this, a somewhat surprising decision.

An interesting second round, Sorenson would take the fight to the ground almost immediately. Getting a blast double leg to slam Young down, she got the back almost instantly. She would follow up by looking for the choke and looked like she almost had it at points. However, Young would reverse position and end up on top. Following a standup, Sorenson was desperately looking for a takedown but couldn’t get it. An interesting
second round.

Round three would closely resemble round two. Sorenson would get the takedown and get Young’s back quickly. However, Young would reverse, and end up in full guard. Sorenson would try for an armbar before Young would stand up and bring the fight back to the feet. There, Young would have some success. However in the final minute, Sorenson landed a great flurry that may have stole her the round, while Young did fire back, it was a great moment for Sorenson.

Round four showcased some nice grappling by Young as opposed to Sorenson for a change. Despite being taken down and briefly being in trouble again, Young would turn the tables. Taking Sorenson’s back briefly, and then looking for an arm-triangle choke, she had some good success on the ground. However, Sorenson would again escape and take the fight to the feet, where Young would land a nice combination in the clinch prior to a takedown by
Sorenson to close out the round.

The last round was all Sorenson. Taking the back, Young had to fight off submissions all round. She never had a chance to breathe, and it didn’t help Young’s chance to win. Sorenson would go on to earn the championship, in a wide decision victory.

Emily Ducote def. Janaisa Morandin via knockout, Round 1 (4:03)

A back and forth fight early between former title contenders, got finished quick by Emily Ducote.  Morandin kept throwing those kicks to the body and legs, and Ducote picked up on
it. Ducote countered with a clean right straight and dropped Morandin. She would follow up with some ground and pound to finish the Brazilian. What a debut, and what a knockout win for the Oklahoman, Emily Ducote.

Jessica Delboni def. Lindsey VanZandt via split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Jessica Delboni was the much shorter fighter against the bigger, grappling heavy VanZandt. Despite this, Delboni welcomed the grappling, taking the fight to the ground on her own on many occasions. However when on the ground, VanZandt seemed to control to an extent, throwing up many submission attempts off her back. However, it wouldn’t be enough, as Delboni used her heavy top pressure to land shots, and do more work on the feet
whenever the fight went there. Good win for Delboni, as she hands Vanzandt the second loss of her young career.

Victoria Leonardo def. Stephanie Geltmacher via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

A clear fight of the night frontrunner, Stephanie Geltmacher, and Victoria Leonardo put on a show for the Kansas crowd. Leonardo was much bigger and used that to her advantage. Using her strength in the clinch, and her jab to keep Geltmacher at bay, she brawled too. Geltmacher thrived in these situations, taking the fight to the taller Leonardo, both fighters got bloodied up and put on a show for the fans as they threw caution to the wind. A great fight, that may be ruined by the post-fight aftermath. As the fight was originally announced for Geltmacher, the commission reversed the decision after they realized they added the scores wrong. Still an incredible fight.

Alyse Anderson def. Katie Saull via split-decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

The entire fight was dominated and dictated by Anderson’s grappling. Saull showed heart, but she couldn’t do anything to keep Anderson off of her. The first round the fight nearly came to a close via a rear-naked-choke as Anderson quickly got the back, and while Saull would fight it off, it was a sign of things to come. Anderson dominated with her top pressure for the majority of the fight. While a split decision, it doesn’t show how dominant Anderson was, as she took the win.

Caitlin Sammons def. Chantel Coates via submission (rear-naked-choke), Round 2 (2:10)

Chantel Coates was looking to follow up her record-fast knockout her last time out, with another win. For almost two rounds it looked like that would be the case, landing hard and fast counters, she was controlling the standup in an entire standup fight. However about halfway through round two, Sammons forced Coates into the fence and got the takedown. She would follow up with getting the back and quickly getting the submission. What a comeback win by Sammons.

Erin Harpe def. Auttumn Norton via split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-27)

The crowd was on their feet for this one, Harpe attempted to use her grappling in this one. Taking Norton down in rounds one and three, she used dominating top pressure to keep Norton her back. However round two was clearly Norton’s landing many good combinations, and stopping Harpe’s takedown attempts, she took round two with her striking. However, it wasn’t enough, as she would go on to lose via split-decision.

Julia Ottolino def. Megan Cawley via unanimous decision (30-27 3x)

Ottolino’s leg kicks were the story of the fight. Despite Cawley landing some clean shots, including a left hook in the second that nearly dropped Ottolino, it wasn’t enough. Ottolino landed many brutal combinations, many in the third that almost closed the fight. A good win for the debuting Texan Ottolino.

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Invicta FC is back in action on Friday, bringing Invicta FC 36 to Kansas City, Kansas. All fighters hit the scales on Thursday in advance of the card, with two — Janasia Moradin and Chantel Coates — missing weight for their respective bouts. A percentage deduction from their purse later, and both fights are still on, mind you.

The main event players had no trouble hitting the mark, however. Both Pam Sorenson and Kaitlin Young hit 145lbs or less for their featherweight title fight. That belt is once again up for grabs, after three straight champions — Cris Cyborg, Megan Anderson, and Felicia Spencer — vacated the strap in order to jump to the UFC.

Given the featherweight situation in that promotion, the winner of Friday’s title fight may not stick around long. Time will tell, but first thing’s first.

Check below for weigh-in results, plus a gallery of highlights from the official Invicta FC 36 weigh-in!

Invicta FC 36 Weigh-In Results:

Featherweight: Pam Sorenson (144.8) vs. Kaitlin Young (145) – for the Invicta FC featherweight championship
Strawweight: Janaisa Morandin (119.6)* vs. Emily Ducote (115.8)
Atomweight: Jéssica Delboni (105.4) vs. Lindsey VanZandt (105.7)
Flyweight: Stephanie Geltmacher (125.5) vs. Victoria Leonardo (125.7)
Atomweight: Alyse Anderson (105.8) vs. Katie Saull (105.9)
Flyweight: Chantel Coates (126.5)** vs. Caitlin Sammons (125.2)
Bantamweight: Erin Harpe (134.5) vs. Auttumn Norton (136)
Bantamweight: Megan Cawley (135.5) vs. Julia Ottolino (135.1)

* – Morandin missed the strawweight non-title fight limit of 116 pounds and was fined 25 percent of her fight purse

** – Coates missed the flyweight non-title fight limit of 126 pounds and was fined 25 percent of her fight purse

The post Invicta FC 36 Weigh-In Photo Highlights appeared first on Cageside Press.

Invicta FC 36 takes place tomorrow in Kansas City, Kansas, with a featherweight title fight in the main event. The vacant 145lb strap will be up for grabs when Pam Sorenson takes on Kaitlin Young. Young has been a comeback success story since returning from retirement, while Sorenson will be getting her second straight shot at Invicta gold. The first came last November, when she took on Felicia Spencer for the title. Spencer got the win, but vacated the belt after moving to the UFC.

Pam ‘Bam’ now gets a second chance against Young.

On Thursday, the full card weighed in for Invicta FC 36, with the main event players hitting the mark. Two other fighters came in heavy, however. Those would be Janaisa Morandin, a former Invicta FC strawweight title challenger, and Chantel Coates, who came in a half-pound over the non-title flyweight limit.

Invicta FC 36 Weigh-In Results:

Featherweight: Pam Sorenson (144.8) vs. Kaitlin Young (145) – for the Invicta FC featherweight championship
Strawweight: Janaisa Morandin (119.6)* vs. Emily Ducote (115.8)
Atomweight: Jéssica Delboni (105.4) vs. Lindsey VanZandt (105.7)
Flyweight: Stephanie Geltmacher (125.5) vs. Victoria Leonardo (125.7)
Atomweight: Alyse Anderson (105.8) vs. Katie Saull (105.9)
Flyweight: Chantel Coates (126.5)** vs. Caitlin Sammons (125.2)
Bantamweight: Erin Harpe (134.5) vs. Auttumn Norton (136)
Bantamweight: Megan Cawley (135.5) vs. Julia Ottolino (135.1)

* – Morandin missed the strawweight non-title fight limit of 116 pounds and was fined 25 percent of her fight purse

** – Coates missed the flyweight non-title fight limit of 126 pounds and was fined 25 percent of her fight purse

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Chantel Coates vs. Cailin Sammons goes down on Friday, August 9. The bout is part of Invicta FC 36 which emanates from Kansas City, Kansas. It’s a classic “0 has got to go” scenario when Coates and Sammons enter combat. It looks to be a promising three-round flyweight tilt between unbeaten pros at Memorial Hall. I caught up with Coates prior to this bout and we covered a lot of ground in our conversation.

The Unlikely MMA Journey

Chantel has an unassailably solid work ethic informed from her previous work. A strong discipline comes from military service and has reflected in Chantel’s MMA preparations. Chantel Coates specified one big takeaway from her service that has left an indelible mark with her to this day. Coates stated, “When you stop and think is when you get hit”.

Coates eventually would begin training Muay Thai and the cardio endeavor would manifest into more. Chantel said, “I took the classes for conditioning… and then I took a fight and it kind of just started to be a career for me. I fell in love with it.”

Chantel Coates began cross-training at multiple gyms. Coates made up for lost ground through hard work, diligence, and a natural aptitude for MMA. Chantel would eventually find herself in the preeminent women’s mixed martial arts promotion in the world today.

Invicta FC 36 Prep

As Chantel Coates readies to fight Caitlin Sammons, it’s her priority to focus on her own efforts. Coates watches a bit of tape but tends to allocate most of that responsibility to others. Chantel said, “My camp watches the fights and comes up with a plan for me.”

Coates believed she got in the game a bit later than most. Initially, that perception influenced her approach to training but Coates’ methodology changed with time. Chantel stated, “At first, I think I started to be like that. More of that anxiety training. Trying to feel like I needed to catch up in some areas… I’m just kind of focused on things that I’m good at and work harder on things I need to work on.”

Chantel Coates is the owner of the fastest KO in the history of Invicta FC. A well-placed right hook came 28 seconds into the first round when Coates put away Ashlynn Kleinbeck. Coates doesn’t have delusions of grandeur from this history-making moment though and she is taking things on a fight-to-fight basis.

“I’m trying to be right in the present,” Coates continued. “I know I have a lot more growing I want to do.” Coates vs. Sammons takes place on Invicta FC 36 this Friday, August 9. Check out the card on UFC Fight Pass as the broadcast starts at 8 p.m. EDT.

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PFL 6 | Thursday | New Jersey

Heavyweight: Denis Goltsov (23-5)

Goltsov has beaten a string of well-known fighters in James McSweeney, Jared Rosholt, Chase Gormley, Peter Graham, Brett Rogers, Konstantin Erokhin, Mike Kyle, and Paul Buentello. He is good everywhere and dominates fights. Goltsov has the laid-back style where he can work a precise and impactful jab for as long as he pleases, but then he can switch it up and launch a head kick out of nowhere. Goltsov is a multiple-time Combat Sambo champion and placed first at this year’s Euros. Goltsov is the finished product and is only getting better and better. He’s arguably the best heavyweight prospect out there. He fights Kelvin Tiller (11-2), who is a good prospect coming off a win.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uijEyXvaDOQ

Bantamweight: Umar Nurmagomedov (10-0)

He is a relative of UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and fights very similarly to him. He has excellent wrestling and great top control with constant ground-and-pound and excellent cardio. He is not as good as Khabib yet but he does have very good kickboxing, something Khabib lacks. He has speed behind his kicks, not exactly power, but it provides a problem for his opponents as he throws a lot as well. Umar is getting better and better in each fight. He fights Sidemar Honorio (13-6).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNPcPChw3e0

Invicta FC 36 | Friday | Kansas

Atomweight: Lindsey VanZandt (6-1)

VanZandt is a solid prospect and one of the best atomweight prospects today. On the feet, VanZandt is always throwing good combinations and throws good leg kicks. She relies on her volume on the feet and excels mixing it up. The 25-year-old is an even better wrestler and on the mat is where she is best. VanZandt has effective ground-and-pound and is really good with transitions and taking the back. She’s really good and someone I would rate high-level. She fights Jéssica Delboni (8-1), who is a good test.

Bantamweight: Stephanie Geltmacher (4-0)

“Hold Fast” is a promising prospect out of Oklahoma but born in Hawaii. Geltmacher is a four-time All-American wrestler. She has had trouble getting takedowns in the past but is getting better with each bout. It’s the work she does on top with her relentless ground-and-pound that makes her so good. Geltmacher has lately spent time on the feet and as she’s still green she has good movement moving in and out and is technical. She fights Victoria Leonardo (5-1).

Bantamweight: Victoria Leonardo (5-1)

Leonardo just made her professional MMA debut a little over a year ago and in her debut beat Hailey Cowan who is a top prospect right now. Leonardo is an aggressive fighter who will immediately push her opponent to the cage. She is strong in the clinch and has good dirty boxing, but the plan is to get the fight on the mat. Leonardo is good once on top as she passes guard well and is good at creating opportunities when her opponent moves. Her wrestling could be better, but her pressure breaks wills. She fights Stephanie Geltmacher (4-0).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjujPdB0oh4

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Kaitlin Young’s comeback journey will be making a major stop at Invicta FC 36 next month. On Tuesday, the all-female fighting promotion announced via press release that Young will take on Pam Sorenson for Invicta’s vacant featherweight title at the event. It will be the second straight shot at gold for Sorenson, and the biggest fight for Young since emerging from retirement last year.

Young (10–9–1) originally stepped away from mixed martial arts in 2014 after losing four straight fights under the Invicta FC banner. A pro since 2007, Young featured in bouts against the likes of Gina Carano and Leslie Smith, and holds a win over multi-promotion champion Miesha Tate.

Since returning to action in 2018, the 33-year old has won three straight bouts between RIZIN FF and Invicta FC. She has two finishes in that span, including her most recent win, a third-round TKO over Faith McMah at Invicta FC 35.

Pam Sorenson (7-3) has battled for gold in Invicta FC before. In fact, her very last fight was for the title, against Felicia Spencer at Invicta FC 32. Spencer won the title, but soon jumped to the UFC, defeating another former Invicta featherweight champ, Megan Anderson, in May. That move left the 145lb title in Invicta up for grabs, and means Sorenson has a second chance at the strap.

Also announced for Invicta FC 36 on Tuesday, atomweight action sees Jessica Delboni (8-1) taking Lindsey VanZandt (6-1). VanZandt was just seen at Bellator 223 in New York, where she got the better of RIZIN’s Rena Kubota. UFC veteran Kailin Curran (6-7) will also be on the bill, against an opponent to be named later.

Flyweight action sees the undefeated Stephanie Geltmacher (4-0) take on Victoria “Fury” Leonardo (5-1). Back at atomweight, Alyse Anderson (4-1) will look to spoil Anastasia Nikolakakos’ (3-0) perfect record. And the record holder for fastest knockout in Invicta FC history, Chantel Coates (1-0), faces Caitlin Sammons (1-0) at 125lbs.

A threesome of fighters making their pro debuts round out the card. Erin Harpe (1-0) will welcome Auttumn Norton (0-0) to the professional ranks at bantamweight, while in another 135lb scrap, Megan “Killa” Cawley (0-0) and Julia Ottolino (0-0) throw down.

Invicta FC 36 takes place in Kansas City, Kansas on Friday, August 9. The event airs live on UFC Fight Pass.

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