According to a Jan. 5 report from MMA Mania, Leslie Smith fought Raquel Pennington on the Invicta FC 4 main card.
Smith won via unanimous decision.
Leslie Smith vs Raquel Pennington
Round One: Smith wants to stand and trade, but Pennington has none of it as she pressed up against the cage. Pennington stays active and gets Smith to the mat with 3:55 left in the round. Pennington takes Smith's back with three minutes to go in the round, and Smith shoots for a heel hook. Pennington still has Smith pinned to the mat and she immediately takes her back. With two minutes left in the round, Pennington wants no part of a standup war. Pennington utilizing a smart gameplan to prevent Smith from opening her hands to throw strikes. Pennington locks in a guillotine choke with 50 seconds left in the frame, but Smith breaks free and throws jabs as time winds down.
Round Two: Smith comes out swinging, and finds more success with her strikes than in round one. Pennington shoots for a takedown, but Smith breaks free and continues to throw punches. Smith starting to overwelm Pennington with punches at the midway mark of the frame. Pennington fades in the waning seconds of the frame as Smith lands a flurry. Smith taunts Pennington as she tries to get her off the cage.
Round Three: Smith wants to keep the fight standing, but Pennington desperately hopes to get it to the mat. A bit of a stallmate in the opening minute. Pennington showing great heart by standing toe-to-toe with an elite striker like Smith, and she works for a guillotine with three minutes left in the frame. A bit more showmanship from Smith as she tries to take the action to the center of the cage, but Pennington backs off.
The rest of the Invicta FC 4 card is still to come. In the main event and first-ever Invicta FC world strawweight (115 pounds) championship fight, Carla Esparza (8-2) of Redondo Beach, Calif. will face off with rising star “Rowdy” Bec Hyatt (4-1) of Brisbane, Australia.
In the bantamweight (135 pounds) co-main event, submission ace Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler (15-7) of Sioux Falls, S.D. will battle top-ranked striker Alexis Davis (12-5) of Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada.
Invicta FC 4 Main Card
115 lb. title: Carla Esparza vs. Bec Hyatt
135 lbs.: Shayna Baszler vs. Alexis Davis
135 lbs.: Leslie Smith vs. Raquel Pennington (Smith via unanimous decision)
135 lbs.: Amanda Nunes vs. Sarah D'Alelio (D'Alelio via unanimous decision)
145 lbs.: Ediane Gomes vs. Hiroko Yamanaka (Gomes via unanimous decision)
115 lbs.: Joanne Calderwood vs. Livia Von Plettenberg (Calderwood via decision)
Invicta FC 4 Preliminary Card
105 lbs.: Stephanie Frausto vs. Cassie Rodish (Rodish via TKO)
145 lbs.: Tamikka Brents vs. Amanda Bell (Brents via split decision)
105 lbs.: Liz McCarthy vs. Jodie Esquibel (Esquibel via split decision)
115 lbs.: Emily Kagan vs. Rose Namajunas (Namajunas via third-round rear-naked choke)
115 lbs.: Tecia Torres vs. Paige VanZant (Torres via unanimous decision victory)
145 lbs.: Katalina Malungahu vs. Veronica Rothenhausler (Rothenhausler via first-round TKO)
105 lbs.: Laura Marcusse-Sanko vs. Cassie Robb (Sanko via submission; second-round rear-naked choke)
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