Livia Renata Souza submitted Katja Kankaanpaa with a 4th round triangle choke to win the Invicta FC strawweight title at Invicta FC 12 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Souza started off quickly with a dominant first round, then after withstanding her Finland opponent’s charge in the second and third rounds, resumed the ground attack.
"Katja is a tough opponent. She's more stronger than me. But I did my job. My job is to win fights & believe in my jiujitsu." –@livinhamma
— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) April 25, 2015
Souza and New Zealand’s Faith Van Duin earned performances-of-the-night, while the Ediane Gomes vs Raquel Pa’Aluhi and Delaney Owens vs Sharon Jacobson earned Fights-of-the-Night.
Welcome back to The Crossfire.
MMA Crossfire Expert Kenai Andrews shares his thoughts.
GINA BEGLEY VS SIJARA EUBANKS
Gina Begley vs Sijara Eubanks. Courtesy Esther Lin/Invicta FC
ANDREWS PREDICTION: SIJARA EUBANKS VIA SUBMISSION
WINNER: SIJARA EUBANKS VIA TKO
Andrews: Eubanks used her strength and BJJ to pound out Begley. Good win for Sijara.
SHANNON SINN VS MAUREEN RIORDON
Shannon Sinn vs Maureen Riordon. Courtesy Esther Lin/Invicta FC
ANDREWS PREDICTION: MAUREEN RIORDON VIA TKO
WINNER: SHANNON SINN VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION (30-27,30-27,29-28)
Andrews: Good win for Sinn and good performances by both fighters in an entertaining slugfest.
DELANEY OWEN VS SHARON JACOBSON
Delaney Owen vs Sharon Jacobson. Courtesy Esther Lin/Invicta FC
ANDREWS PREDICTION: SHARON JACOBSON VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION
WINNER: SHARON JACOBSON VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION (30-27,30-27,30-27)
Andrews: Jacobson controlled the majority of the bout with her wrestling.
LACEY SCHUCKMAN VS JENNY LIOU
Lacey Schuckman vs Jenny Liou. Courtesy Esther Lin/Invicta FC
ANDREWS PREDICTION: LACEY SCHUCKMAN VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION
WINNER: LACEY SCHUCKMAN VIA 1ST RD TKO 1:53
Andrews: Nicely done by Schuckman to get the quick finish. Let it be known she has power too.
PEGGY MORGAN VS LATOYA WALKER
Peggy Morgan vs Latoya Walker. Courtesy Esther Lin/Invicta FC
ANDREWS PREDICTION: PEGGY MORGAN VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION
WINNER: LATOYA WALKER VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION
Andrews: As I feared, Walker got inside and hurt Morgan in the second round. I thought Morgan would use her reach and control Latoya, but Walker is used to fighting bigger opponents and throws with power with almost every shot. And she didn’t gas. Good win for The Black Mamba.
EDIANE GOMES VS RAQUEL PA’ALUHI
Ediane Gomes vs Raquel Pa’aluhi. Courtesy Esther Lin/Invicta FC
ANDREWS PREDICTION: EDIANE GOMES VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION
WINNER: RAQUEL PA’ALUHI VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION (30-27,30-27,30-27)
Andrews: Wow. Raquel backed up Gomes with that knee and did almost everything but finish the fight, wearing down Gomes for three rounds. No surprise, she got a performance-of-the-night bonus.
AMANDA BELL VS FAITH VAN DUIN
Amanda Bell vs Faith Van Duin. Courtesy Esther Lin/Invicta FC
ANDREWS PREDICTION: FAITH VAN DUIN VIA TKO
WINNER: FAITH VAN DUIN VIA SUBMISSION
Andrews: Bell fought valiantly, but suffered another submission loss as the Muay Thai of Duin proved to be too much. Duin picked up performance-of-the-night.
ROXANNE MODAFFERI VS VANESSA PORTO
Roxanne Modafferi and Vanessa Porto. Courtesy Esther Lin/Invicta FC
ANDREWS PREDICTION: ROXANNE MODAFFERI VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION
WINNER: VANESSA PORTO VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION
Andrews: Porto came prepared in this rematch and to her credit penetrated the defence and strikes of Modafferi. Good win.
MAIN EVENT
KATJA KANKAANPAA VS LIVIA RENATA SOUZA
Katja Kankaanpaa and Livia Renata Souza. Courtesy Esther Lin/Invicta FC
ANDREWS PREDICTION: LIVIA RENATA SOUZA VIA SUBMISSION
WINNER: LIVIA RENATA SOUZA VIA SUBMISSION 3:58 RD 4
Andrews: Katja had another slow start but fought back in rounds two and three but the ground was Souza’s world and it was just a matter of time when the fight went there. An excellent win for Souza to clamp the triangle on a solid opponent.
