Invicta FC 7 results: Barb Honchak outlasts Leslie Smith to retain belt

As expected, Leslie Smith (6-4-1) proved a worthy challenger, but Barb Honchak (9-2) proved an equally upstanding champion, retaining her Invicta FC flyweight title belt in a 25-minute slugfest.

The contest served as the main event of Saturday’s Invicta FC 8 event, which took place at Missouri’s Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City and aired on pay-per-view.

After some back-and-forth action to open the bout, Honchak scored a takedown late in the frame and transitioned quickly to the back, where she looked to sneak in a rear-naked choke. However, Smith was active in defense and rolled to keep her neck free.

Smith opened the second with her typical volume striking, but a Honchak front kick sent her toppling to the floor. Smith crawled up, and the two continued their battle, but it was Honchak who seemed to get the best of the action.

In the third, Smith continued to press with non-stop punching. Honchak remained willing to trade, and the pair engaged in several tow-to-toe exchanges. Honchak punctuated the frame with a massive takedown at the end, but her opponent seemed to be the fresher fighter.

The pattern stayed consistent through the championship rounds, as Smith was relentless with her striking, but Honchak was equally confident in the department while also mixing in takedowns to add to her success. In the end, she was awarded a decision win, 49-46 on all three cards.

Injury ends Nakamoto’s title bid

In the night’s co-feature, Lauren Murphy (8-0) claimed Invicta FC’s inaugural bantamweight title with a TKO win over Miriam Nakamoto (2-1). And while the fight lived up to the expectations, the ending came in unfortunate fashion.

Nakamoto’s vaunted muay Thai was on display in the opening frames, but Murphy refused to go away quietly, even bloodying her opponent’s nose in the final seconds of the second frame. But the real damage came in the third.

With Murphy scoring the takedown she had been looking for from the start, Nakamoto’s right knee buckled underneath her, and she immediately grimaced in pain. The round finished there, and Nakamoto limped back to here corner at the bell. While in obvious pain, Nakamoto tried to continue in the fourth, but she fell to the floor with her knee unable to support her own weight, and the bout was waved off 23 seconds into the frame, giving Murphy the title.

Torres arrives

Highly touted prospect Tecia Torres (4-0) officially announced her arrival as a legitimate contender with a one-sided decision win over established veteran Felice Herrig (9-5).

The pair opened quickly, with Torres striking the leg and Herrig looking to take the action to the floor. The ensuing clinch proved a stalemate, and they reset in the center. On the restart, it was Torres’ striking that proved the key weapon, and she landed in bunches as she defended Herrig’s takedown attempts. Herrig did push Torres to her back in the closing seconds, but it was after absorbing strikes, and she fell into the beginnings of a triangle choke attempt before the bell.

Torres continued to press with powerful striking for the remainder of the frame and continually shoved aside her opponent’s attempts to take the fight to the floor. In the end, the action was entirely one-way, and even Torres admitted she was surprised how easy it came, earning a unanimous decision with three scores of 30-27.

Undefeated striker Joanne Calderwood (8-0) continued her development in the sport in a decision win over the previously unbeaten Katja Kankaanpaa (8-1-1). The contest proved a tighter competition than many anticipated, but Calderwood was able to spend enough time on the feet to score points with her crisp striking and earn a narrow decision win, 29-28 on all three cards.

And Julia Budd (6-2) dominated Charmaine Tweet (4-4) over the course of three rounds to cruise to a decision win, 30-27 on all three cards.

In the night’s first main-card matchup, Brazilian flyweight Vanessa Porto (16-6) scored a unanimous-decision win over Zoila Frausto Gurgel (12-4).

Gurgel was successful on her feet in the opening frame, but Porto’s powerful answers helped her to rebound in the second. With the fight on the line in the third, Porto took the fight to the floor to rack up points before finishing out the contest in a few striking exchanges on the feet. In the end,

Evinger, Ansaroff pick up preliminary wins

In a bantamweight matchup, veteran grappler Tonya Evinger (12-6) outwrestled Sarah D’Alelio (7-5) over the latter stages of their fight to claim a unanimous-decision win.

D’Alelio’s striking was effective in the opening round. But Evinger was able to work inside over the final two frames, bringing the fight to the floor and scoring point from top position,

In the third, an exhausted D’Alelio tried to lock in an armbar, but Evinger stepped on her face and eventually freed the pressure, finishing the fight on top and taking home the decision win.

In the night’s first fight, Nina Ansaroff (6-3) scored an impressive second-round TKO over Munah Holland (5-3).

Ansaroff used crisp counters throughout the fight, retreating and bringing her opponent in close. In the second frame, she landed a four-punch combination that sent Holland crashing to the floor, and Ansaroff immediately jumped on top and continued striking until the fight was waved off at the 3:54 mark.

Complete Invicta FC 7 results include:

• Champ Barb Honchak def. Leslie Smith via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) – to retain flyweight title
• Lauren Murphy def. Miriam Nakamoto via TKO (injury) – Round 4, 0:23 – for inaugural bantamweight title
• Tecia Torres def. Felice Herrig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Joanne Calderwood def. Katja Kankaanpaa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Julia Budd def. Charmaine Tweet via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Vanessa Porto def. Zoila Frausto Gurgel via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Tonya Evinger def. Sarah D’Alelio via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Nina Ansaroff def. Munah Holland via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:54

For more on Invicta FC 7, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Barb Honchak)