Invicta FC 22 results: Tonya Evinger leaves no doubt, chokes out Yana Kunitskaya in title rematch

There was no controversy this time around between Tonya Evinger and Yana Kunitskaya.

Evinger made sure of it, and now she’s the undisputed Invicta FC bantamweight champion after submitting Kunitskaya 4:32 into the second round with a rear-naked choke.

It was a sweet finish for Evinger after the fallout from their first fight, when Kunitskaya originally was declared the winner via armbar in November. That decision was overturned, however, following an appeal by Evinger to the Missouri Athletic Commission.

There were no hard feelings afterward as Evinger embraced Kunitskaya with a hug and took a picture. Even though Evinger left no doubt this time around, she still was hard on herself despite the impressive finish.

“To be honest, I didn’t feel good that whole fight. I felt really slow and sluggish. Bad performance,” Evinger said. “She was stronger than I thought. I just wish I’d finished her earlier and done it in more devastating fashion.”

Thing is, in the first round it looked like Evinger was close to being finished when Kunitskaya had a guillotine choke locked in deep. Evinger managed to squeeze out of it while standing. And even though it looked like a bad situation, she said she was never in real trouble.

“I think I can hold my breath longer than she can hold that choke,” Evinger said. “That’s what uncoordination and being a horrible person is all about.”

Souza makes statement by destroying champ Hamasaki in co-main

Ayaka Hamasaki has made it clear: If she’s not going to get the call from the UFC, then her goal is to have two Invicta FC title belts.

Livia Renata Souza had other ideas.

Souza, the former strawweight champion, welcomed the current atomweight champion to the division with a rude awakening by demolishing Hamasaki with a first-round TKO.

Souza (10-1) lost the title last last May to Angela Hill by close split decision. She felt wronged by the judges. And by destroying Hamasaki, Souza made a statement about where she still ranks despite not possessing the belt.

“She’s a great champion. I respect her a lot. It hurts my heart to see a great champion like that,” Souza said. “But I came to do my job. I’m very pissed off about my last fight, because I won. And now everyone in this building knows I’m the No. 1 strawweight in the world. I say it, and I do it.”

Davidsdottir wins all-out war by decision over Martin

Trying to judge the strawweight fight between Sunna Davidsdottir and Mallory Martin was nearly impossible. Both women displayed impressive technique, both went all out, and both landed highlight combos that staggered the other.

In the end, the judges saw it 30-27 and 29-28 twice for a unanimous decision win in Davidsdottir’s favor.

It was Davidsdottir (2-0) who made the early statement with 1-2 combo that staggered Martin (1-1) in the first round. They battled for the remained of the round, and in the second it was Martin who wobbled Davidsdottir with a power combo of her own.

Knowing it was close, both women stood and traded to open the first minute of the third round before Mallory got a takedown. But Davidsdottir found her way back to her feet quickly. Mallory came in strong with a combo, which Davidsdottir used to throw Mallory to the ground. From there, Davidsdottir controlled position with her legs locked in until Martin got free. They spent the final moments of the fight standing and trading until the bell.

“If anything I know how to break and get back up,” Davidsdottir said. “That’s what life has taught me. … I was expecting Mallor to be my toughest opponent to date, and she was. I’m honored to have fought her.

Maverick’s relentless armbar attempt pays off with submission

Miranda Maverick entered her catchweight fight with Kal Holiday wanting to prove something: She’s more than muscle.

“I just wanted to show this time that it’s more than just farm strength,” Maverick said. “I’ve got skill, too.”

Indeed, Maverick (2-0) showed exactly that as she earned an impressive first-round submission win with an armbar.

Maverick, who couldn’t make strawweight and came in weighing 120 pounds, was in trouble early as Holiday (1-1) came out strong with her punching and got the fight to the ground. But even on her back and up against the cage Maverick never panicked. She continued to work from the bottom until she got the armbar she was looking for.

Holiday, to her credit, fought and maneuvered to try and escape, even slamming Maverick on her head. Maverick, however, was relentless and would not let go until she got the tap at the 3:01 mark.

“Her punches were hard,” Maverick said of Holiday. “I knew they’d be coming. I knew she’d be going for that, and I was ready to take advantage of any bad position I got into.”

Spencer bangs out unanimous decision win over McElhaney

A lack of experience was noticeable during the night’s opening featherweight fight between Felicia Spencer and Madison McElhaney. And that was OK.

Because there was no questioning either fighter’s heart.

In the second professional fight for both women, Spencer and McElhaney left it all on the mat as Spencer earned a hard-fought unanimous decision win with two judges scoring 30-27 in her favor.

It was a nice return to the cage for Spencer, who made her Invicta FC debut in Sept. 2015 and hadn’t fought since. She was pushed hard by McElhaney, who was making her Invicta FC debut.

There was no sizing each other up in the first round as Spencer (2-0) and McElhaney (1-1) went toe to toe immediately with punches and kicks until they clenched toward the end of the first minute. When they separated, Spence effectively used kicks and knees to control the action as McElhaney tried to counter with punches only. Both fighters had impressive throws in the round, though Spencer was aggressive near the end with a failed armbar attempt.

McElhaney came out firing in the second round, though Spencer withstood it. This is when fatigure started to set in for McElhaney. Spencer would finish off the round with a takedown in the final 2 minutes before they stood back up, with Spencer powering forward with combinations galore.

By the third round both fighters looking gassed, though that didn’t stop them from being aggressive. They stood and exchanged until the final minute, when Spencer got a takedown and mounted McElhaney. The fight ended with Spencer taking McElhaney’s back in the final seconds before the bell rang.

Invicta FC 22 results include:

• Tonya Evinger def. Yana Kunitskaya via submission (rear-naked choke) for bantamweight title — Round 2, 4:32
• Livia Renata Souza def. Ayaka Hamasaki via TKO (punches)  — Round 1, 1:41
• Jodie Esquibel def. DeAnna Bennett via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Ashley Cummins (105.6) def. Amber Brown via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Sunna Davidsdottir def. Mallory Martin via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Miranda Maverick def. Kal Holiday via submission (armbar) — Round 1, 3:01
• Felicia Spencer def. Madison McElhaney via unanimous decison (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

For more on Invicta FC 22, check out the MMA Events section of the site.