Invicta FC Pres Weighs in on Cris Cyborg’s UFC Debut and Promotion’s Future

A quarter of the way through 2016 and it’s an interesting time for all-female promotion Invicta FC.

On the heels Invicta FC 16 in March, arguably the best show the company has had, the promotion has a quick turnaround for its next event in May, all the while seeing many of its former champions move to the UFC.

In between shows, Invicta president Shannon Knapp spoke to MMAWeekly.com about the company’s year so far, the promotion’s roster, and what lies ahead in the coming months.

MMAWeekly.com: Firstly, Shannon, tell us your overall thoughts on Invicta’s March 11 event and how it went for the company.

Shannon Knapp: I definitely think the Vegas show was one of our best cards ever. Every fight on the card was evenly matched and all the athletes put on amazing performances. For me, based on the fight card and athlete performances, was one of the best events we’ve done.

MMAWeekly.com: Were there any fights or fighters that stood out in your mind?

Shannon Knapp: I was really surprised with Ashley Greenway’s performance (in her win over Sarah Click). Any time you have a new athlete coming in that’s very young in their career, you’re always curious as to exactly what you’re going to see and what you’re going to get. I was really impressed by her performance.

Angela Hill’s win (over Stephanie Eggink); I didn’t see that coming. The fight between Vanessa Porto and Jennifer Maia was unbelievable. Every fight on paper looked amazing and every fight turned out to be even better than I thought it was going to be.

MMAWeekly.com: Roxanne Modafferi picked up her fourth win in five fights for Invicta. How cool is it to see one of the sport’s pioneers still going out there and winning like she is?

Shannon Knapp: The thing that probably impresses me most with Roxanne is that she’s one of the veterans in this sport and you look at who she’s fought and the fight’s she’s had, and to see her resurrect her career and see the new Roxanne has been really amazing. I think Roxanne is better today than she’s ever been.

MMAWeekly.com: Recently, Invicta 145-pound champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino moved over to the UFC. Having been one of her supporters for so long, how does it feel to see her make that move?

Shannon Knapp: I’m extremely happy for Cris. She’s been with me for a very long time. It always feels amazing to me to see an athlete chase the dream and really start living that dream. It’s a “this is why I do what I do” type of thing. It’s very personally gratifying to see someone who has a dream and are able to fulfill that dream and make that next step.

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She’s such a loyal, kind, and good individual, that while she’s down in Brazil doing all the PR for the UFC, she still texts me and tells me that she hasn’t forgotten me and wants to make sure that I know she thanks me for everything and she’s going to fight her (UFC) fight and come back (to Invicta) and defend her belt. To me, that’s amazing and just shows the character of someone to text you and let you know they haven’t forgotten you.

MMAWeekly.com: Invicta recently released the card for the upcoming May 7 show in Costa Mesa, Calif., to be headlined by Tonya Evinger and Colleen Schneider’s bout for the 135-pound championship. What are your thoughts on the upcoming card?

Shannon Knapp: Tonya is another case like Roxanne in that she’s at her best right now. She’s got the belt and has been defending it and has been putting on quality fights. We’ve thrown a lot of things at her and she’s been able to retain her championship.

The fight with Colleen is a fight she wants and has been working for, and I think it’s going to be a really good fight. Colleen looked really good last time she fought here in Invicta. I think it’s a fight that both of them what they want. And when you have belt on the line, it ups the ante.

There’s going to be another title fight on the card (between champion Livia Renata Souza and challenger Angela Hill) as the co-main event. We’ve got 10 bouts. We’ve got some match-ups in the 145-pound division, and we’ve got some new signees (who will make their debut on the show).

MMAWeekly.com: Can you shed some light onto Julie Kedzie and the matchmaking position at Invicta?

Shannon Knapp: Julie is going to go back to school. She’s not leaving (the promotion) or going anywhere, but I am looking to bring in another matchmaker to help offset the time that she has to dedicate to her schooling. Other than that, it’s going to be business as usual.

MMAWeekly.com: Thanks for taking time out for us, Shannon. Is there anything you want to say about the rest of 2016 to close us out?

Shannon Knapp: After the May show, we have three more dates scheduled. We’re doing more shows on the West Coast. We’ve got some new signees coming through, one’s a very high-profile that I think is going to surprise people. From there we’re going to just keep on keeping on.

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