Honchak successfully defends Invicta FC title

Fighting in front of a partisan crowd inside the River Center in Davenport, Iowa, flyweight champion Barb Honchak did not disappoint, putting forth a blue-collared, grinding effort to retain her title against veteran Takayo Hashi in the main event of Invicta FC 9 on Saturday night.

While not the most action-packed contest of the evening, the champion played to her strength and controlled the action for the vast majority of the contest, picking up the unanimous decision win via scores of 49-46, 50-45 and 50-45.

“She’s so tough and she’s so strong,” Honchak said afterward of Hashi, crediting her with improved stand-up and admitting she was caught off guard by her strength and steely resolve. “She came out game – a lot more game than I expected, so closing the distance, shutting her down and just working against the cage was where I could control her.”

With the victory, Honchak moves to 10-2 overall, picking up her second successful title defense, while Hashi falls to 15-5-1 with the loss.

Official result: Barb Honchak defeats Takayo Hashi by unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)

INOUE vs. KOWALKIEWICZ

In the co-main event of the evening, Japanese standout Mizuki Inoue and unbeaten Karolina Kowalkiewicz teamed up for an entertaining 15-minute affair that should position both women for greater opportunities in the strawweight division going forward.

After splitting the opening two rounds, Kowalkiewicz and Inoue went toe-to-toe for the duration of the final round, with the undefeated Polish fighter playing the role of the aggressor. Working behind a stiff jab and constant string of combinations, Kowalkiewicz took the fight to the 20-year-old Inoue, landing the sharper blows over the last five minutes to pick up the split decision win.

Official result: Karolina Kowalkiewicz defeats Mizuki Inoue by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

YOUNG vs. PA’ALUHI

During the first round, it looked like veteran Kaitlin Young was well on her way to breaking her four-fight losing streak, but someone forgot to tell Raquel Pa’aluhi, and the late replacement turned the tables to dominate the action over the final two frames and pick up a unanimous decision win.

Over the first five minutes, Young was loose and fluid, cutting angles and bloodying the Hawaiian up with a steady diet of sharp punches. But in the second, Young came out flat to start and Pa’aluhi took advantage, pressing inside and completing the takedown before spending the rest of the frame working from dominant positions.

After trading blows on the feet for the first three minutes of the final frame, Pa’aluhi drove through a takedown and moved straight into mount, dropping heavy ground-and-pound, forcing Young to give up her back. While the finish wasn’t there, the tough-as-nails Hawaiian was able to sweep the scorecards and even her record at 4-4 with the victory.

Official result: Raquel Pa’aluhi defeats Kaitlin Young by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)  

RIVERA-CALANOC vs. ESQUIBEL

Team Jackson-Winkeljohn standout Jodie Esquibel was too much for Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc on Saturday night, using fluid movement, varied combinations and a quick pace to outwork “The Night Queen” en route to a unanimous decision victory.

Esquibel, who rebounded from her first professional loss with a split decision win over Jinh Yu Frey at Invicta FC 8 in September, looked confident and smooth from the outset, landing at will while doing a good job of avoiding much of what her opponent had to offer. While Rivera-Calanoc came out with more fire to begin the third, Esquibel continued to keep her guessing and connecting whenever she stepped in.

This was an outstanding showing for the 28-year-old Esquibel, whose only loss to date came against Ultimate Fighter Season 20 competitor Alex Chambers. With the victory, Esquibel pushes her record to 5-1, while Rivera-Calanoc drops to 8-8 with the loss.

Official result: Jodie Esquibel defeats Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

BROWN vs. McCARTHY

Damage trumped control in the entertaining atomweight battle between Amber Brown and Liz McCarthy.

The 28-year-old McCarthy did a good job of getting inside and finishing her takedowns, putting Brown on the canvas in each round and maintaining top control for large stretches of time. When the fight was standing, however, the action swung entirely in Brown’s favor, as she fluidly picked apart McCarthy with strikes, opening up a serious cut over her right eye at the start of the second frame.

Close heading into the final round, it was more of the same from each, with Brown stinging McCarthy several times, only to end up locked in the clinch and dumped on the ground. Though McCarthy retained top position, Brown worked off her back, re-opening the cut and landing the more significant blows through the final horn.

In the end, Brown got the nod from two of three judges to pick up the split decision win in this back-and-forth affair.

Official result: Amber Brown defeats Liz McCarthy by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

BELL vs. HOUGAARD DJURSAA

After losing the first two bouts of her professional career, Amanda Bell has found her rhythm and started to roll, picking up her third consecutive victory in a one-sided, non-stop drubbing of Denmark’s Maria Hougaard Djurssa.

Bell charged down the entrance ramp into the cage and kept her foot on the gas from the start, swarming Hougaard Djurssa with heavy hands, sending her backpedaling into the cage. The 26-year-old Bell continued the onslaught when the fight went to the canvas, fending off the Dane’s attempts to sweep with thudding body shots and big right hands.

As the clock counted down, “The Lady Killer” maintained her torrid pace, pouring it on in the waning moments of the opening frame and prompting referee Bruce Allen to call a stop to the contest just before the horn.

Official result: Amanda Bell defeats Maria Hougaard Djursaa by TKO (Punches) at 4:55 of Round 1.

SINN vs. LEE

A standout kickboxer prior to transitioning into the cage, Andrea “KGB” Lee put her polished striking on display in her Invicta FC debut against Shannon Sinn.

The 25-year-old showed tremendous head movement and footwork, repeatedly slipping Sinn’s offerings and returning fire with an assortment of punches and kicks. Early in the first, a crisp right hand put Sinn on the canvas and Lee remained in controlled throughout the remainder of the fight, dominating the action and leaving her opponent battered and bloodied at the final horn.

While she didn’t get the finish, Lee put on a clinic to push her record to 2-0 and is one to watch in the flyweight division heading into 2015.

Official result: Andrea Lee defeats Shannon Sinn by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

SHRIVER vs. MOYLE

In a battle of Invicta FC newcomers, 25-year-old Jamie Moyle established herself as someone to keep tabs on going forward, showcasing a sound all-around skill set in a fast-paced, high output victory over Jenny Liou Shriver.

The Syndicate MMA product dominated the action in every facet, outworking the first-time strawweight Shriver in the stand-up in the first round and landing a series of heavy elbows during a prolonged stay in top position in the second. In the third, Moyle delivered a series of knees from a modified Thai clinch before continuing to pour on the offense when the fight went to the mat in the third.

Official result: Jamie Moyle defeats Jenny Liou Shriver by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

McGILL vs. GOODWIN

The night at the River Center in Davenport, Iowa kicked off with a pair of fighters in the early stages of their careers, as the 1-0 Kelly McGill welcomed Maegan Goodwin to the professional ranks in the opener.

After a pair of measured frames on the feet where each fighter connected with a handful of stiff punches, McGill took over in the third when the fight hit the canvas, opening up Goodwin with a series of slashing elbows from top position. The first-time pro hung tough and searched for opportunities to reverse and return fire, but McGill maintained control through the end final horn.

Official result: Kelly McGill defeats Maegan Goodwin by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)