Taneisha Tennant defended her Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship for the first time on Wednesday night, going five rounds against Olga Rubin to secure a split decision victory.
Tennant’s win headlined Invicta FC 48 from the Reelworks Denver in Denver, Colorado, USA.
Tennant’s striking ability is mainly what allowed her to walk away with the win on Wednesday night. She was able to out-land Rubin throughout the five-round fight, coming forward with combinations of punches that backed up the challenger.
Rubin was able to take the fight to the ground a few times and threatened Tennant at one point with a buggy choke. One of the judges saw Rubin’s work as enough to give her the fight, scoring the bout three-rounds-to-two in her favor.
Tennant earned her title last year, going the distance against Lisa Verzosa for a unanimous decision win. That fight put her back into the win column after losing to Danyelle Wolf on the 2020 season of “Dana White’s Contender Series.”
Rubin was making her bantamweight debut on Wednesday night. She had previously fought up at featherweight, including a series of appearances in Bellator.
UFC Alum Bernardo Wins Invicta FC Debut
UFC alum Talita Bernardo won her Invicta FC debut in the co-main event, submitting Yana Gadelha in the second round with a rear naked choke.
Bernardo’s submission win was her second victory since departing the UFC in 2019. Her other victory came against fellow former UFC fighter Lucie Pudilova in 2021.
Gadelha was crossing over to Invicta FC after mostly competing on the regional scene in Brazil. She was coming off a loss from her previous appearance, which saw her suffer a submission defeat to Kelly Ottoni.
Williams Puts Away Pirosin Early With Slick Combination
Kristina Williams showed her killer instinct in her performance against Liana Pirosin, providing a combination of striking and a submission for a first-round victory.
Williams dropped Pirosin briefly in the first round, connecting with a clean left hook. She capitalized on a hurt Pirosin, hopping on her back for a rear naked choke.
After getting the submission under the chin of Pirosin, Williams got a tap to end the fight and secure a win.
Williams is now on a three-fight winning streak. Her previous win also came in Invicta FC, defeating Flore Hani via split decision in March.
Pirosin was also coming off an Invicta FC victory, defeating Janaisa Morandin just two months back.
Verbeek Wins In Stand-Up Battle Against Parker
Isis Verbeek secured a close win over fellow striker Melissa Oddessa Parker, going three rounds to walk away with a unanimous decision victory.
Verbeek prevailed in what was almost exclusively a stand-up battle against Parker. She was in many back-and-forth exchanges with Parker, often landing strikes but consuming one moments later.
Verbeek’s best moment was early in the second round, when she lept toward Parker with strikes to score a knockdown.
Verbeek was returning to Invicta FC for the first time since 2018. Her prior promotional appearance was an unsuccessful fight against Kathryn Paprocki. She has yet to lose since then, winning four fights in MMA and another under bare-knuckle MMA rules.
Parker, a pro boxer and MMA fighter, now has a pro record of three wins and two losses.
Leibrock Secures Submission Early In Return To Invicta FC
Amber Leibrock had a quick showing on Wednesday night, submitting Morgan Frier in the fourth minute of their bout.
Leibrock secured a rear naked choke against Frier in the opening round, getting a tap just moments after the hold as applied.
Leibrock now has a trio of consecutive wins. Her two previous victories were first-round finish wins in regional promotion Gladiator Challenge.
Her appearance this week marked her return to Invicta FC, fighting under their banner for the first time since 2016. Recent years have seen her remain active on the regional scene and do a four-fight run in Bellator.
Frier was competing for the first time in over two years. The loss this week moved her to a three-fight losing streak.
Norton Finishes Djukic With Strikes
Auttumn Norton had a successful return to the cage in the opening fight on the card, stopping Maria Djukic with strikes in the second round.
Norton caught Djukic while coming forward in the second round, dropping her with a grazing left hook. Norton was quick to finish the fight afterward, jumping on Djukic with ground and pound that forced the fight to end.
Norton’s left hook caught Djukic earlier in the fight as well, briefly seating her in the opening round with the shot.
The fight on Wednesday was Norton’s first appearance since 2019. She previously earned a win and a loss in Invicta FC.
Djukic took her first pro loss this weekend. She was making her promotional debut after two wins on the Canadian regional scene.
Quick Results
Main Card (9:00PM EDT / 7:00PM MDT) (AXS TV / Youtube)
Bout 6: Taneisha Tennant def. Olga Rubin via Decision, Split (Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship)
Bout 5: Talita Bernardo def. Yana Gadelha via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 1:39)
Bout 4: Kristina Williams def. Liana Pirosin via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 3:16)
Bout 3: Isis Verbeek def. Melissa Oddessa Parker via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Amber Leibrock def. Morgan Frier via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 3:09)
Bout 1: Auttumn Norton def. Maria Djukic via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:02)
Knockdown News 