A new era, indeed. Invicta FC 44 crowned two new champions on Friday night, and it was Emily Ducote who finally claimed gold in the main event — in style. Ducote, a former Bellator title hopeful who had also come up short in her first crack at gold in Invicta, stunned former UFC talent Danielle Taylor with a hard punch in the opening round of their main event strawweight tilt. Not stopping there, Ducote followed that up with a head kick that sent Tayor down in a heap.

In less than a round, in her third major title fight, Ducote had secured gold, and made quite the statement.

The second title fight at Invicta FC 44, in the co-main event slot, saw Taneisha Tennant go the distance with Lisa Verzosa in a fight that never really got close. Tennant hurt her opponent easy, and got out to a lead that was simply insurmountable en route to claiming bantamweight gold.

Full results and a gallery of highlights from Invicta FC 44: A New Era can be found below.

Invicta FC 44: A New Era Results

Main Card

Emily Ducote def. Danielle Taylor by knockout (punch/head kick), Round 1, 2:51 – for the vacant Invicta FC strawweight championship
Taneisha Tennant def. Lisa Verzosa by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) – for the vacant Invicta FC bantamweight championship
Brogan Sanchez def. Emilee King by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:28
Liz Tracy def. Jodie Esquibel by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Serena DeJesus def. Lauren Mueller by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary card

Helen Peralta def. Caitlin Sammons by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Marisa Messer-Belenchia def. Katie Saull by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Natalie Salcedo def. Katie Perez by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
Kayla Yontef def. Carlene Chandler by TKO, Round 2, 3:13

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Taking place Friday night in the all-female organization’s home base of Kansas City, two new champions would be crowned — and the main event delivered one of the best knockouts in Invicta history.

With the vacant strawweight title on the line, former Bellator flyweight and Invicta FC strawweight Emily Ducote had a third chance at gold in a major promotion. Opposite her, ex-UFC fighter Danielle Taylor, who said ahead of the fight that she was ready to bang with Ducote.

It was Ducote, however, who did the banging Friday. The third time was the charm, as Ducote connected with a punch/head kick combo that put Taylor out. Arguably, Taylor was out on her feet after the punch; the head kick simply put her down to the canvas.

In slow motion. 😱 #InvictaFC44
@ducote_brunette is a savage! pic.twitter.com/Lcb9oK6WiH

— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) August 28, 2021

The highlight reel finish will be one that gets played for years to come. For Emily Ducote, it marks her second straight win, after a loss to Kanako Murata last year that came in her first Invicta FC title fight.

Also on the Invicta FC 44 card on Friday, Lisa Verzosa went up against Phoenix Series tournament winner Taneisha Tennant. The co-main event fight had the vacant bantamweight belt on the line, and while Verzosa may have been the favorite on paper, Tennant opted to rip that paper to shreds.

From the outset, Tennant appeared to have Verzosa’s number. While the first round had a fair bit of feeling out, as the fight progressed, Tennant found her range, and her timing. At the end of the second, she dropped Verzosa, who was stumbling and essentially saved by the bell. She’d recover and hang in there, but never really come close to catching Tennant, who had a lopsided lead heading into the fifth and final round.

The stoppage Verzosa desperately needed just wasn’t there, with Tennant winning a unanimous decision with scores of 50-45, 50-45, and 49-46.

Official Results:

Emily Ducote def. Danielle Taylor by knockout (punch/head kick), Round 1, 2:51 – for the vacant Invicta FC strawweight championship

Taneisha Tennant def. Lisa Verzosa by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) – for the vacant Invicta FC bantamweight championship

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In the penultimate fight of the evening, Lisa Verzosa threw down with Taneisha Tennant with the 135lb title in the balance. Tennant had won Invicta’s Phoenix Series before taking a fight outside the promotion on Dana White’s Contender Series last year. That fight, a move to featherweight to face boxer Danyelle Wolf, didn’t go her way, serving up the first loss of Tennant’s career.

Friday marked her first fight back, against a surging Verzosa, whose only career loss had come to current UFC fighter Julija Stoliarenko — in a close split decision.

The main event of Invicta FC 44, meanwhile, had the strawweight title on the line. Emily Ducote had challenged for the belt last year, coming up just short against Kanako Murata. The former Bellator MMA flyweight title hopeful, who was defeated by Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in the inaugural title fight in that promotion, had won her lone fight since, against ex-UFC fighter Juliana Lima.

Ducote was no doubt hoping the third time was the charm in terms of claiming gold in a major promotion. Standing in her way was Danielle Taylor, who had won two straight, against Jessica Aguilar and Montserrat Ruiz, since exiting the UFC in 2018.

Invicta FC 44 takes place Friday, August 27 in Kansas City, Kansas. The main card airs live on PPV, following prelims on HD Net in the U.S., and streaming free online elsewhere (embed below). Full results from Friday’s card can be found below! The action gets underway at 8PM ET.

Invicta FC 44: A New Era Results

Main Card

Emily Ducote def. Danielle Taylor by knockout (punch/head kick), Round 1, 2:51 – for the vacant Invicta FC strawweight championship
Taneisha Tennant def. Lisa Verzosa by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) – for the vacant Invicta FC bantamweight championship
Brogan Sanchez def. Emilee King by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:28
Liz Tracy def. Jodie Esquibel by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Serena DeJesus def. Lauren Mueller by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary card

Helen Peralta def. Caitlin Sammons by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Marisa Messer-Belenchia def. Katie Saull by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Natalie Salcedo def. Katie Perez by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
Kayla Yontef def. Carlene Chandler by TKO, Round 2, 3:13

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The promotion’s return to PPV features two title fights, with both the vacant strawweight and bantamweight titles up for grabs. In the main event, former Bellator mainstay Emily Ducote, who challenged for that promotion’s inaugural flyweight title, will get her second shot at Invicta FC gold. Having dropped to strawweight, she’d come up short against Kanako Murata last year, and was looking to ensure lightening did not strike twice against former UFC fighter Danielle Taylor.

In the co-main event, bantamweight standout Liza Verzosa, whose only loss had come to current UFC fighter Julija Stoliarenko, was up against Phoenix Series winner Taneisha Tennant for the bantamweight belt.

Only one fighter missed weight at weigh-ins on Thursday. Full results from the scales and a gallery of highlights can be found below. Invicta FC 44 takes place Friday, August 28 in Kansas City, Kansas, live on PPV.

Invicta FC 44: A New Era Weigh-In Results

Main Card

Strawweight: Emily Ducote (114.4) vs. Danielle Taylor (114.6) – for the vacant Invicta FC strawweight championship
Bantamweight: Lisa Verzosa (134.6) vs. Taneisha Tennant (134.7) – for the vacant Invicta FC bantamweight championship
Flyweight: Brogan Sanchez (125.8) vs. Emilee King (124.6)
Strawweight: Jodie Esquibel (116) vs. Liz Tracy (117.2)*
Bantamweight: Serena DeJesus (136) vs. Lauren Mueller (135.8)

Preliminary card

Flyweight: Caitlin Sammons (124.9) vs. Helen Peralta (125.2)
Atomweight: Katie Saull (105.7) vs. Marisa Messer-Belenchia (105.7)
Atomweight: Katie Perez (105.1) vs. Natalie Salcedo (105.9)
Featherweight: Kayla Yontef (145.5) vs. Carlene Chandler (145.8)

* – Tracy missed the strawweight limit of 116 pounds and was fined 25 percent of her fight purse

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In the main event, former Bellator standout Emily Ducote will look to claim strawweight gold against Danielle Taylor. The fight marks the second shot at gold in Invicta for Ducote, who previously came up short against Kanako Murata. Murata later vacated the title.

Ducote faced Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in a flyweight fight for the inaugural 125lb championship in Bellator MMA back in 2016. For Taylor, Invicta FC 44 marked her first shot at gold with the promotion.

The co-main event of the card sees Lisa Verzosa up against Taneisha Tennant, with the vacant bantamweight title on the line. “Triple Threat” Tennant had won Invicta’s single-night Phoenix Series tournament in 2019. After that win, Tennant jumped to Dana White’s Contender Series, where she faced Danyelle Wolf in a featherweight fight, losing a unanimous decision. Friday’s event will mark her first fight back since that loss, the first of her career.

One fighter was heavy at the Invicta FC 44 weigh-ins on Thursday, as Liz Tracy came in 1.2lbs over the strawweight limit for her fight against Jodie Esquibel. Full weigh-in results can be found below.

Invicta FC 44: A New Era Weigh-In Results

Main Card

Strawweight: Emily Ducote (114.4) vs. Danielle Taylor (114.6) – for the vacant Invicta FC strawweight championship
Bantamweight: Lisa Verzosa (134.6) vs. Taneisha Tennant (134.7) – for the vacant Invicta FC bantamweight championship
Flyweight: Brogan Sanchez (125.8) vs. Emilee King (124.6)
Strawweight: Jodie Esquibel (116) vs. Liz Tracy (117.2)*
Bantamweight: Serena DeJesus (136) vs. Lauren Mueller (135.8)

Preliminary card

Flyweight: Caitlin Sammons (124.9) vs. Helen Peralta (125.2)
Atomweight: Katie Saull (105.7) vs. Marisa Messer-Belenchia (105.7)
Atomweight: Katie Perez (105.1) vs. Natalie Salcedo (105.9)
Featherweight: Kayla Yontef (145.5) vs. Carlene Chandler (145.8)

* – Tracy missed the strawweight limit of 116 pounds and was fined 25 percent of her fight purse

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Taylor (11-4) fights for the first time in 2021 at Invicta FC 44: A New Era. She returns to the all-female promotion, where she has fought twice before. First, in her promotional debut, and the first since being released by the UFC, she defeated current UFC flyweight Monsterrat Ruiz via unanimous decision. Five months later, she would enter the Invicta Phoenix Series 1 Strawweight tournament but unfortunately would lose a one-round split decision Juliana Lima and be eliminated.

Like with most regional fighters, it was very rough trying to get a fight during the 2020 global pandemic but thankfully, in late 2020, she got a fight with XMMA. She fought Jessica Aguilar, one of many women’s MMA pioneers. “Dynamite” would defeat Aguilar via split decision.

With a few offers on the table, including staying with XMMA, she chose to go back to Invicta.

“I’ve always wanted to be Invicta champion,” Taylor said in an exclusive interview with Cageside Press on Monday. “I know they are going to keep me active. I want to win this belt and keep capitalizing, you know. I want a promotion that will keep me busy.”

Taylor fights former Bellator and Invicta title challenger Emily Ducote (9-6) on August 27. She is excited about the match-up.

“I thought it was perfect. She has her experience; she fought for Bellator, so another big promotion I feel like we are going to put on a very exciting fight, give the audience something…I think everyone is going to be very pleased,” Talor said.

“I’m going to throw it all out there. I’m just going to fu*king bang. If it goes to the ground, I’m going to fu*king be super aggressive and handle business. I’ve been itching to get back in there.”

Invicta FC 44 goes down at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City and features two title fights. Taylor vs. Ducote for the vacate strawweight title, and Lisa Verzosa fight Taneisha Tennant for the bantamweight title. The main card airs at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on pay-per-view via Fite TV for $19.99.

Watch the rest of the interview with Danielle Taylor above.

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Promotion officials announced via press release Wednesday that veteran fighters Miesha Tate and Yves Edwards would handle the call for the PPV event.

Tate and Edwards will provide color commentary alongside usual Invicta play-by-play man TJ De Santis. That leaves another fighter the odd woman out: Megan Anderson.

In a post to social media on Wednesday following the news of Tate and Edwards making the rounds, Anderson stated that she will continue to appear on future Invicta FC broadcasts.

“For everyone asking, AXS want a different broadcast team for the Invicta Phoenix Series and their PPV events… I’ll be working all the other shows,” Anderson wrote on her verified Twitter account.

Tate, a former UFC women’s bantamweight champion, recently returned to the octagon for the first time in over four years, defeating Marion Reneau. The win saw “Cupcake” jump to eighth in the division in the promotion’s official rankings.

Edwards, who competed in the UFC, WEC, Pride, Strikeforce, and Bellator, is no stranger to the broadcast booth, having worked as an analyst for FOX Sports UFC events, Dana White’s Contender Series, and the PFL.

Invicta FC 44 takes place Friday, Aug. 27 and will crown new champions in the strawweight and bantamweight divisions.

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A new Invicta FC strawweight champion emerges from this late-Summer event. Top contenders Emily Ducote and Danielle Taylor test skills for the 115-pound belt.

The second half of Invicta FC 44’s double main event sees Lisa Verzosa take on Phoenix Tournament winner Taneisha Tennant. This decides who helms Invicta’s bantamweight division for the foreseeable future.

Invicta FC 44

Kicking at 10 p.m. eastern time on Friday, August 27th,  Invicta FC 44: A New Era goes live on pay-per-view via traditional cable and satellite carriers. Also, digital customers around the world can pre-order the event immediately from FITE TV.

The live Invicta FC 44 Prelims broadcast in the U.S. on AXS TV and stream for free internationally on Invicta FC’s YouTube channel. The preliminary pugilism begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Both platforms also premiere a special Countdown to Invicta FC 44. A documentary piece set to go the week before the live event.

Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp stated, “I’m excited for our athletes to showcase their skills on pay-per-view again. These title fights feature some of the most talented women in mixed martial arts and I can’t wait to watch these amazing match-ups.”

Invicta Fighting Championships

With prior misses in challenges for the Bellator MMA and Invicta crowns, Oklahoma strawweight Ducote is looking to prove third time’s the charm.

She said, “It’s my time to show off everything I’ve been working on. Danielle’s tough. We’ve both fought the best and this is a good match-up. But I will walk through whatever I need to walk through to get this championship.”

Meanwhile, Danielle Taylor has beaten well-regarded contenders including Jessica Aguilar, Jessica Penne, and Seo Hee Ham. Taylor responded, “At the end of day she has never faced my speed and power. I believe I can stop everything she throws at me then put her out. They will announce me as the new Invicta strawweight champion.”

Verzosa has spent the bulk of her pro-MMA career under the Invicta banner. She earned her fifth promotional win against Raquel Canuto in her last contest. The sole defeat of her career came in a tight split decision in a prior Invicta title bid in 2020.

Invicta FC

“I’m super excited to have another title shot and prove to myself I can be champion,” expressed the 25-year-old. “Nobody has the heart that I do — that’s why I win.”

Having earned her title shot by beating three opponents in one night, Tennant has tremendous momentum heading into late-August. “My style of fighting will have her looking like an amateur. She’s never been hit like I hit before.”

Also, a five-fight main card features a flyweight bout with Brogan Sanchez and UFC veteran Mara Romero Borella going to war.

We’ll see strawweight Jodie Esquibel return to the promotional fold after a four-fight run in the UFC. She faces off with a proven warrior in Kelly D’Angelo. Unbeaten Hawaiian 135 pounder Monica Franco takes on a another UFC vet in Lauren Mueller.

Prior to the pay-per-view card, the Invicta FC 44 Prelims showcase a flyweight tilt featuring Caitlin Sammons and Helen Peralta vying for supremacy. Also on the preliminary card, Katie Saull and Monique Adriane meet in atomweight action. Plus, rising featherweight Kayla Yontef makes her professional debut opposite fellow newcomer Carlene Chandler.

The current fight card for Invicta FC 44: A New Era

Strawweight Title: Emily Ducote vs. Danielle Taylor

Bantamweight Title: Lisa Verzosa vs. Taneisha Tennant

Flyweight: Brogan Sanchez vs. Mara Romero Borella

Atomweight: Jodie Esquibel vs. Kelly D’Angelo

Bantamweight: Monica Franco vs. Lauren Mueller

Flyweight: Caitlin Sammons vs. Helen Peralta

Atomweight: Katie Saull vs. Monique Adriane

Featherweight: Kayla Yontef vs. Carlene Chandler

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ESPN’s Ariel Helwani was first to report news of the sale, which will see Anthem Sports & Entertainment acquire the promotion. Moving forward, the promotion, which parted ways with UFC Fight Pass earlier this year, will air events on AXS TV in the U.S. and Fight Network in Canada, both of which are also owned by Anthem. Outside of the North America, Invicta events will be found on digital service AXS TV NOW.

Invicta FC officials confirmed the sale to Cageside Press following the ESPN report. In a press release, Ed Nordholm, the Chief Corporate Officer of Anthem Sports & Entertainment and the President of its Sports Media Group, confirmed that Invicta President Shannon Knapp would stay on with the company. “We are very excited to acquire this uniquely positioned MMA promotion, adding a new content pillar to our combat sports portfolio as part of our overall strategy to transform Anthem into a leading global content company. What Shannon has accomplished with Invicta is one of the sport’s great success stories. She will play a vital role as a senior member on the Anthem executive team and as a shareholder in Anthem, and we look forward to helping her take Invicta to new heights.”

That same press release quoted Knapp, who added “This is a huge moment for Invicta and for women in the sport. Invicta FC was founded to give female mixed martial artists a platform where they could compete and prove the doubters wrong. Now, as part of the Anthem portfolio and with shows on national television for the first time, Invicta’s platform will be bigger than ever, and more people will have the opportunity to see the world’s elite female athletes compete. With Anthem’s backing, it’s going to be easier than ever for our fans to catch all the Invicta action and for new fans to find out exactly why Invicta is one of the world’s most exciting fight promotions.”

Invicta has yet to host an event in 2021, but that will change, with Invicta FC 44 set to take place on Friday, May 21. Atop that card, atomweight champ Alesha Zappitella will put her title on the line against challenger Jessica Delboni.

Anthem Sports & Entertainment also owns IMPACT Wrestling (formerly TNA), among its other holdings. The company’s board includes NBA franchise owner Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks) and Family Feud host Steve Harvey.

Invicta FC was founded in 2012, and quickly became known as a top feeder league for fighters making their way into the UFC, Bellator and other promotions. In 2014, UFC Fight Pass became the exclusive home of its events. Over the years, the promotion has seen talents like Cris Cyborg, Sarah Kaufman, Amanda Nunes, Michelle Waterson, Carla Esparza, Rose Namajunas, Kay Hansen, Miranda Maverick, and others compete under its banner.

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