Newcomer Agnieszka Niedzwiedz delayed Vanessa Porto’s championship hopes at Invicta FC 23 on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.
Coming into the fight, most though Porto’s experience would negate Niedzwiedz’s undefeated record, and it nearly did.
Porto fed Niedzwiedz a steady diet of jabs and inside kicks to the Polish fighter’s lead leg throughout the fight. Niedzwiedz had no defense for the leg kicks, her left leg turning several shades of red and purple by the end of the third round.
The youngster’s takedowns and ground attack made up for Porto’s stand-up dominance in the minds of the judges.
Niedzwied’s takedown timing was impeccable, as she scored several takedowns throughout the fight, notably tying Porto into a pretzel for several minutes in the second round, but never really threatening to end the fight.
The judges felt Niedzwiedz did enough to win, however, handing her a unanimous decision.
Roxanne Modafferi hasn’t completely re-invented herself, but she’s definitely upgraded her game to an entirely new level.
Historically known for a strong ground game, the pioneering Modafferi out-dueled Sarah D’Alelio on the feet, before wearing her down on the canvas throughout their three-round fight.
Looking more confident than ever on her feet, Modafferi swarmed D’Alelio with punches in the third frame before dropping down for a takedown and putting her on the canvas. Once there, Modafferi took mount, dropping punch after punch on her foe, but it was an elbow that opened a huge gash on D’Alelio’s forehead that forced the referee to stop the fight.
“I’ve never felt better in my whole MMA career,” a beaming Modafferi said after the fight.
All but the Modafferi fight went to a decision on Saturday night with two of the fights leaving the judges split over the victor.
Invicta FC 23: Porto vs. Niedzwiedz Results
- Agnieszka Niedzwiedz def. Vanessa Porto via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Roxanne Modafferi def. Sarah D’Alelio via TKO (elbows) at 1:23, R3
- Herica Tiburcio def. Tessa Simpson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Kelly Faszholz def. Elizabeth Phillips via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Andrea Lee def. Liz Tracy via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
- Ediane Gomes def. Pam Sorenson via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Tiffany Van Soest def. Christine Ferea via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Shaianna Rincon def. Brooksie Bayard via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
