Fight Facts: Invicta FC 39

Fight Facts is a breakdown of all the interesting information and cage curiosities on every card, with some puns, references and portmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve into the numbers, providing historical context and telling the stories behind those numbers.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF INVICTA FIGHTS: 362
TOTAL NUMBER OF INVICTA EVENTS: 41

Invicta Fighting Championships on Friday kicked off the new year with an event that was hit hard by weight concerns but still delivered some interesting fights. Invicta 39 featured the first champion to surrender her belt on the scale, ended the longest stretch of decisions among Invicta fighters and saw the first knockout since 2018.

GET OUT THE SHARPIE: Each of the last eight Invicta events have gone down inside Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. This is now the lengthiest span of Invicta events held in the same venue, breaking the record of seven straight at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Missouri, from 2016 to 2017

NEVERTHELESS, THE SHOW PERSISTED: Prior to her bout with Daiana Torquato, Shanna Young fell ill and was unable to attend weigh-ins. The fight was cancelled, and Invicta FC 39 went along with six bouts on the card—the fewest in the promotion’s history.

BUT WHAT A KNOCKOUT: With a single stoppage among six contests, Invicta 39 posted the fourth-lowest finish rate (16.7 percent) of any event in company history.

JUDICIAL OVERDRIVE: From the headliner of Invicta 37—which also featured Pearl Gonzalez—to the atomweight scrap between Jillian DeCoursey and Linda Mihalec, nine consecutive fights resulted in a judges’ decision. This is the longest such stretch in Invicta history.

THE SINISTER SIX ATOMWEIGHTS: This event was the seventh to ever feature at least three bouts scheduled at atomweight.

JUST GOT FREYED: Jinh Yu Frey hit the scale at 105.8 pounds for her atomweight title fight—less than a pound above the championship limit. Her title was vacated, and even in victory, she could not earn back her belt. Had Ashley Cummins emerged victorious, she would have been the new champion.

SILVER LINING … SHE’S THE NO. 1 CONTENDER: Frey is the first champ in organizational history to lose her belt at weigh-ins and still compete the following night. She is not the first fighter to come in heavy for a championship bout. Most recently, Karina Rodriguez lost her shot at the flyweight title at Invicta 38.

FEATURE-LENGTH ATTRACTION: Although she did not defend her belt against Cummins, Frey did become the third fighter in history to win three consecutive Invicta fights that went the full 25 minutes. Barb Honchak and Jennifer first performed this feat in 2014 and 2017.

A HOLLOW VICTORY, THOUGH: With her win, Frey extended her lead for the most atomweight victories in Invicta history. No other atomweight holds more than four victories with the promotion.

CARRY ON MY WAYWARD DAUGHTER: In suffering her fifth defeat inside the Invicta cage, Cummins tied DeAnna Bennett, Amber Brown and Kaitlin Young for the most losses in company history.

A TOP GUN: Miranda Maverick pocketed a decision over Gonzalez and is now tied with DeAnna Bennett for the most victories under the Invicta banner (eight). However, two of their wins came on the Phoenix Rising Series and are deemed exhibition bouts by the Kansas Athletic Commission.

ALWAYS A TECHNICALITY: When purely considering pro wins inside the Invicta cage, Frey tied Tonya Evinger and Vanessa Porto for the most victories (seven).

A YOUNG VETERAN: The 22-year-old Maverick made her walk to the Invicta cage for the 10th time, thereby becoming the third fighter to reach this total. Only Bennett (13) and Vanessa Porto (11) have made more trips to that cage.

SHE GOT BLANCHED: Erin Blanchfield earned the sole finish of the night when she flattened Victoria Leonardo with a head kick in the second frame. Blanchfield picked up the fifth head kick-related stoppage in company history and just the second by clean knockout.

THE 15TH KO: The Blanchfield knockout was the first to take place in Invicta since 2018. Chantel Coates scored the fastest knockout in promotional history—28 seconds—over Ashlynn Kleinbeck at Invicta 33.

THE RUNNING TOTAL: With former champion Frey coming in heavy and Young falling out of the weigh-ins due to illness, Invicta 30 in July 2018 remains the last card in which every fighter made weight for the promotion.

NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN: Coming into Invicta FC 39, Blanchfield had never stopped an opponent with strikes (five fights, one doctor stoppage win), Leonardo had never been knocked out (seven fights) and Mihalec and Kristina Pettigrew had never been defeated.