Invicta FC 5's Bec Hyatt ready to prove a few more people wrong

Bec Hyatt (4-2) and her husband, who’s also a professional fighter, have faced undefeated opponents 72 percent of the time they’ve stepped into the cage.

On Friday, the Aussie strawweight meets another one when she fights Jasminka Civa (5-0) at Invicta FC 5, which takes place at Ameristar Hotel and Casino in Kansas City, Mo.  

“I think a lot of matchmakers try to shout me off and don’t do a very good job of it,” Hyatt told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) with a laugh.

The bubbly 24-year-old mother of two already has turned heads bucking expectations. In her previous fight, she stepped in on short notice to meet the unbeaten Carla Esparza in the headliner of Invicta FC 4.

Esparza’s wrestling credentials far exceeded Hyatt’s, which became apparent as the fight went into deep waters. Hyatt lost a decision, but won praise for hanging in there and staging a late comeback.

Although she still bristles at the result, Hyatt recognizes the value she accrued from her performance in the all-women’s promotion, whose use of social media has made up for its small footprint in the industry. She and Civa recently were featured in a black-and-white promo that resembled more of an encounter session than a trash-talking spat.

“It still doesn’t feel like a loss, the opportunities that I gained from that fight, and a lot of people that I proved wrong,” she said. “They all said I wasn’t going to make it out of Round 1 and I was going to get ground-and-pounded into the canvas.

“I’m very competitive, and I hate decisions. I just don’t feel like it was close. I feel like I could have won if I had one more round or a few more seconds. But I’m feeling really confident and ready to get in there and do my thing.”

Hyatt undoubtedly is more prepared to do that with the proper gear to compete. The airline that flew the Hyatts stateside lost her luggage, which almost prompted her to ask for charitable contributions prior to the fight. Twenty-four hours later, she returned to the airport to find her bags waiting.

Civa has stopped four of her five opponents by way of TKO or KO, so the mouthguard Hyatt holds dearly may be more necessary than usual. It’s another steep challenge from Invicta’s matchmaker.

There may be fewer people that doubt her ability these days, of course. But for any stragglers, she’s ready to silence doubters.

“I like to prove people wrong,” Hyatt said. “When people say, ‘I don’t think you’re going to win this one,’ it draws me to work harder and get in there and knock [my opponent's] head off.”

For more on Invicta FC 5, including the night’s stacked fight card, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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