Invicta FC flyweight champion Barb Honchak put her belt on the line for the first time at Invicta FC 7 on Saturday at the Ameristar Casino in Kansas City, retaining her title with a unanimous decision win over Leslie Smith.
Honchak outworked Smith in the opening round with her right hand finding a home regularly. They kept a fast pace. Smith pressed forward but Honchak met her with jabs and uppercuts. She mixed in takedowns and was in control of the fight through the second stanza.
Smith found her range in the third frame and began landing combinations. She won the striking exchanges and reversed Honchak late in the round after being taken down.
The champion came out in the fourth round landing leg kicks. She secured an early takedown and landed short left hands. Smith scrambled back to her feet but the round went to the champion.
The final round was closely contested, but Honchak’s takedowns proved to be the difference. Smith landed cleaner strikes on the feet but Honchak was able to get the fight to the ground twice. She took Smith down in the closing moments and landed shots securing her the round.
“I knew Leslie was going to be tough, but she was tough,” said Honchak after retaining the title. “A great fight. I felt pretty good about it. I was happy with my takedowns. I thought that we had a great striking battle together, so I’m pretty happy with the performance.”
Honchak improved her record to 9-2 and extended her winning streak to eight fights in-a-row.
Invicta FC 7 Official Results:
Main Card
-Barb Honchak def. Leslie Smith by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
-Carla Esparza vs. Claudia Gadelha — CANCELLED
-Lauren Murphy def. Miriam Nakamoto TKO (Knee Injury) at 0:23, R4
-Tecia Torres
def. Felice Herrig by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Joanne Calderwood def. Katja Kankaanpaa
by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
-Julia Budd def. Charmaine Tweet by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Vanessa Porto def. Zoila Frausto-Gurgel by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary Card
-Tonya Evinger def. Sarah D’Alelio
by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
-Nina Ansaroff def. Munah Holland by TKO at 3:54, R2
Like MMAWeekly.com on Facebook and Follow @MMAWeeklycom on Twitter.
