Invicta FC show a mixed bag

Invicta FC launched their all women MMA promotion last night in Kansas City. It was streamed on their website and I'm sure they got a lot of hits. But that doesn't generate revenue and they don't have a TV deal. So they are depending on the live gate to generate revenue. Of course it's a recipe for failure unless they get a TV deal. It's very iffy. The show itself was OK. The biggest problem was the main event fell flat. Someone tried to say that this show proves that there is depth in women's MMA. But there were probably five fighters on this show who should not be fighters. And one of them even announced her retirement. Former Strikeforce champ Marloes Coenen faced French fighter Romy Ruyssen in the main event. Marloes beat her four years. So Invicta is trying to sell a main event with two European fighters to Kansas City. Uh huh. I've seen Romy before. She's pretty good on the ground. She didn't make weight and then she didn't show much energy in the cage. And then she had a point deducted in the first round for grabbing the cage. My guess is she has never fought in a cage before. Marloes broke her finger in round one and fought conservatively to a unanimous decision win. The co-main event was a lot better. I like that Invicta is starting a 105lb division with Lisa Ellis vs Jessica Penne. Both fighters have fought at 115 in the past. They are both good ground fighters and the first two rounds were close though I thought Jessica was winning. In the third round, Lisa was cut on her forehead. The blood was bothering her and Jessica mounted her and pounded her until the fight was stopped. Lisa's nose was messed up. I thought it was the best fight on the show. But a lot of people seemed to like another match a lot better. The other day Kaitlin Young told MMA Weekly that she was a one dimensional fighter. And she was working on her wrestling and planned to demonstrate it against Leslie Smith. But Leslie is also a one dimensional kickboxer. So except for a couple of takedowns, it was three rounds of kickboxing. Neither fighter did enough to win decisively so I was not surprised when it was ruled a split draw. I know it was named match of the night but it's not to my taste. Remember it's MIXED martial arts. I watched it again a few minutes ago and it wasn't as bad as I first thought. But I hated round two. In other fights, Liz Carmouch beat Asheigh Curry by TKO. Curry was terrible and should go back to boxing. Sarah D'Alelio beat Vanessa Mariscal by TKO. I think Vanessa was a late replacement but at 38 years old she's not very good. Sarah Schneider beat Sally Krumdiak by armbar. Sarah is better than her record because unlike some fighters, she likes to fight top fighters. Amy Davis beat Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc by kimura. Amy is mainly a kickboxer but she when she fights MMA, she is happy to take it to the ground. I guess I don't like kickboxers who walk away from ground work. A few years ago, Nicdali looked like she might be a good fighter. But I don't think she has been the same since she went to Japan in 2009 and got zonked by MIKU. And after seeing the look on her face after this loss, I was not surprised she announced her retirement though I understand she is reconsidering. Sarah Maloy won over Michele Gutierrez by unanimous decision in the worst fight of the night. For some reason, Michele decided to be a kickboxer for this match. And when her strategy was ineffective, she didn't change it. I hate that. 2008 Olympic Bronze medal wrestler Randi Miller won by TKO over Mollie Estes by TKO. Mollie won the first round. Randi seemed to be very nervous. Randi snapped out of it in the middle of round two and took control until the finish. She will be in big trouble if she does this against better competition. Mollie didn't seem to have a clue about how to finish her. Ashley Cummins beat Sofia Bagherdai by unanimous decision. Sofia missed weight and looked out of shape. This was her first fight since 2008. Maybe she should return to retirement. and Cassie Rodish beat Meghan Wright bu guillotine choke in 36 seconds. I don;t think Meghan wanted to be there. Get a real job. Mauro Ranallo and Julie Kedzie did a decent job announcing the broadcast. King Mo Lawal wasn't so good. Have I ever said that I don't like three man booths. Invicta announced the main event of their July 26 show will be 2004 Olympic Silver medalist in wrestling Sara McMann vs veteran Shayna Baszler. Though Shayna hasn't fought since 2010, she will be a tough test for Sara. If this fight doesn't get them a TV deal, Invicta should just throw in the towel. Here's the video for Jessica Penne vs Lisa Ellis. Enjoy!