(PRESS RELEASE) -- KANSAS CITY, KAN. (Oct. 6, 2012) –Atomweight (105 pounds) superstar Jessica Penne (10-1) of Laguna Hills, Calif. was crowned the first-ever Invicta Fighting Championships world champion after submitting previously undefeated Naho Sugiyama (8-1) of Kyoto, Japan with a triangle choke in the second round (2:20) of the main event at Memorial Hall in Kansas City on Saturday night, live on InvictaFC.com
The much-anticipated bantamweight rematch between Leslie Smith (4-2-1) of Pleasant Hill, Calif. and Kaitlin Young (7-7-1) of St. Louis Park, Minn. played to a far different tempo as the two rivals took their fight to the mat this time around, rather than exchanging flurries of strikes as they did during the first go-around at the inaugural Invicta FC card in April. In the second round, Smith scrambled to top position off a missed kneebar attempt, and from mount position, unloaded punches until the referee stopped the contest at the 2:19 mark of the round.
In other main card action, Cat Zingano (7-0) of Broomfield, Colo.and Michelle Waterson (10-3) of Albuquerque, N.M. notched their first wins under the Invicta FC banner. Zingano submitted Raquel Pennington (3-2) of Colorado Springs, Colo. with a rear-naked choke in the second round (3:32) of their matchup while Waterson, a protégé of MMA guru Greg Jackson, earned a majority decision over Lacey Schuckman.
In the opening main card bout, Julia Budd (4-2) of Port Moody, CA. notched her second Invicta FC victory by scoring a TKO on Danielle West (4-4-1) of London, U.K. in the first round (2:32) of action.
Complete Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama Results:
Main Card: Jessica Penne def. Naho Sugiyama via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 2:20 Shayna Baszler def. Sarah D’Alelio via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, :37 Leslie Smith def. Kaitlin Young via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:19 Barb Honchak def. Aisling Daly via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Vanessa Porto def. Tara LaRosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Cat Zingano def. Raquel Pennington via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:32 Michelle Waterson def. Lacey Schuckman via majority decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) Julia Budd def. Danielle West via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:32
Preliminary Card: Ediane Gomes def. Katalina Malungahu via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:19 Tecia Torres def. Kaiyana Rain via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Jessamyn Duke def. Marciea Allen via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:42 Stephanie Frausto def. Amy Davis via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, :48 Joanne Calderwood def. Ashley Cummins via KO (knee) – Round 1, 3:13 Carla Esparza def. Lynn Alvarez via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:53
About Invicta Fighting Championships: Invicta Fighting Championships (www.InvictaFC.com) is a world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp and sports aficionado Janet Martin, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible matchups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport.