Regional MMA

All fighters made weight for Invicta Fighting Championship's fourth event, airing on online pay-per-view via Usteam this Saturday, Jan. 5 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET.

(Click here for the full results and weigh-in recap.)

This event will feature the company's second title fight as its main event, a strawweight bout between Bellator veteran Carla Esparza and late replacement opponent Bec "Rowdy" Hyatt.

Co-main event fighters Shayna "The Queen of Spades" Baszler and Alexis Davis also made the cut for their bantamweight match, with Davis weighing in a full pound more than her opponent at 135.8 pounds.

Only featherweight Veronica Rothenhausler had trouble making her 146-pound weight limit, tipping the scales on her first attempt. Rothenhausler eventually lost the additional weight, but will be fined 10 percent of her fight purse for her professional MMA debut.

In total, all 26 women made weight for their respective fights.

Thirteen bouts across four divisions are scheduled for the card, featuring several veterans as well as plenty of prospects making their professional MMA debuts.

In a first-time experiment for Invicta FC, this is the first event that won't be free to watch online, with the promotion testing a $7.95 PPV fee on their main website.

Anyone in the Kansas City, Kansas area will be able to attend the event live at Memorial Hall. Floor and arena passes are purchasable via Ticketmaster, with some seats currently available.

Minnesota MMA prospect Zach “Juice” Juusola was victorious in his K1 kickboxing debut this past Saturday night when he defeated Deangelo Curtis in Minneapolis.

Juusola, primarily known as a wrestler, used his ever-improving skills in the standup game to control and ultimately decision Curtis, fellow MMA fighter, in one of the more lopsided fights of the night.

Though he got the win, Juusola wasn’t entirely satisfied with his performance and saw some areas where he could improve.

“I thought that I was going to knock him out but I didn’t get that,” Juusola told Bleacher Report MMA. “I didn’t connect cleanly like I wanted to with my boxing. I kind of got heavy on the knees and for the K1 fight, our rules were that there were no knees or elbows to the face. So he was bending down and his head was down there. I was trying to knee him in the shoulder and collarbone, trying to get as close to his face as I could without hitting it.”

In hindsight, he wishes that he would’ve been a little more loose with throwing his hands versus the knees, which did damage but were unable to finish the fight.

A member of The Academy gym, Juusola trains with a number of high level strikers but has been improving his boxing specifically at the Circle of Discipline gym with former multi-time Golden Gloves national champion Robert Brant.

Juusola and his opponent both took the fight on just a few days’ notice, which certainly played a part in him not being quite as strategically prepared as he otherwise would have been.

“Usually I would just be doing Muay Thai sparring and kickboxing sparring, with some additional pad work. But for this fight, I really didn’t have time to prepare too much differently than I do my MMA fights,” he said. “It doesn’t go against my MMA record, so I was just out there having fun.”

The K1 experience was definitely positive for Juusola, who said he would recommend giving it a shot to other young fighters who are looking to improve their craft.

“It’s awesome. Especially for guys who come from a wrestling background, it will help you stay comfortable on the feet and not just automatically shoot in for that takedown,” he said. “I think taking a kickboxing fight is really beneficial. I want to do more kickboxing fights, I even want to take some boxing fights. All of that. I need to do it while I’m still in organizations that will allow it.”

While smaller promotions will typically allow their fighters to compete in other martial arts, the UFC historically hasn’t allowed that, even from their top-level competitors. For Juusola, competing on the national stage of the UFC is his ultimate goal.

“I know the UFC probably wouldn’t allow me to do boxing or kickboxing, but that’s my goal...to be in the UFC in the next year,” he said.

After an impressive victory over Billy Christianson in September, Juusola now sits with an impressive 9-2 pro record. His next fight is being worked out for sometime in early March, with the CFA in Miami, Fla.

“I don’t know who I’m going to be fighting yet, but I just want tough opponents,” Juusola said. “I’m trying to get to the big show.”

Prior to his victory over Christianson, Juusola actually went through a two-fight losing streak in the second half of 2011 when he fell short against Trent McCown and recent UFC The Ultimate Fighter cast member Mike Rio. At just 25 years old though, Juusola feels that his best days are still ahead of him and that he is currently the best he has ever been.

“I feel like I’ve just started getting good and my fight game’s really started to click in the past seven or eight months,” Juusola said. “[In 2011], I kind of was just a tough wrestler that just kind of knew how to fight. Lately, everything’s been clicking. My wrestling, my boxing, my kickboxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu...Coach Greg Nelson has been helping me a ton with my ground game and of course my standup.”

In addition to Nelson’s world renowned skills as an MMA coach, Juusola and his teammates at The Academy recently welcomed one of the highest-profile fighters in the sport to their gym when Pat Barry started training there.

“Pat Barry is a great addition to The Academy,” Juusola said. “He just knows everything there is to know about striking. He can read everything, he can tell you different things. The way he looks at things is a little different than everybody else. I really like his style.”

With his gym now better than ever and his skills ever-improving, Juusola looks like a fighter to watch in 2013. If he can string together a couple wins, fans could be seeing “Juice” achieve his goal of competing in the Octagon in the very near future.

Once in a great while, a story comes along that goes beyond the simple chess-match that is a mixed martial arts bout. 

In December of 2012, Nick Palmer is that story.

It's almost as if his life has been the script of an inspirational Hollywood blockbuster, but "The Inspiration" has lived up to his nickname throughout his life. Born without his right hand, Palmer has taken the road less traveled on his way to becoming a true inspiration to everyone around him.

After a multi-sport prep career, Palmer moved on to one of the most difficult sports there is when he stepped into the cage to become a fighter.

Competing in the opening bout of the Sterling Entertainment Group/Driller Promotions event in Minneapolis on Saturday night, Palmer fulfilled what might be the most impressive feat of his athletic career when he shocked hundreds of fans by he dropping Tony Francis with an unbelievable knockout. The fight lasted just 14 seconds.

Using only the one hand that he was given, "The Inspiration" caught Francis with a left hand that landed right on the money, causing his opponent's body to shut down in a brutal one-punch KO. 

The win was just Palmer's second of his amateur MMA career, one that started off 0-4. 

As his nickname would indicate, however, a losing streak could never keep this fighter down. It would only fuel the fire in him, forcing him to improve his game in every area. 

In his fight prior to his knockout victory, Palmer had submitted Jordan Thurstin as part of Full Nelson Promotions' "Rumble in the Lakes" event in August. 

Now 2-4 but on a two-fight winning streak, one of the most beloved fighters in the Midwest may also become one that opponents don't want to face. With this kind of knockout power, it's hard to believe that we won't be seeing Palmer's arm raised many times in the future.

Tristan Johnson vs. Will Romero (Featherweight)

Nova Scotia featherweight Tristan Johnson edged out Will Romero again in a very good fight in which neither fighter was interested at all in going to the ground. They traded hands early and often and Johnson was able to knock Romero down early in the fight, giving him the first round.

Romero came back strong in the second, landing some good shots and using some strong kicks to start to score more and even the fight after two rounds. It was all up for grabs in the third, and both men were content to trade hands and both did so with equal success, until Johnson wisely shot for a late takedown. He barely got it, but it was enough to secure the round and the fight over Romero.

Johnson ended the feud by taking the rematch via unanimous decision.

Alex Ricci vs. Kevin Morin (Lightweight)

Alex Ricci showed an evolved game in his unanimous decision win over Kevin Morin. Ricci used excellent takedown and ground defence to keep Morin on his feet for most of the night.

Morin was extremely tough and willing the entire fight, and it made for a great fight. But Ricci was the more busy and technical fighter from the opening round. This continued to the very end as he showed determination to earn the win.

Jason Saggo vs. Iraj Hadin (Lightweight)

It took him a few tries to do it, but Jason Saggo was able to secure a rear-naked choke submission victory over a very tough Iraj Hadin. Saggo got Hadin's back early in the first round but was unable to close the deal, as Hadin showed good determination in his submission defence. It is always a smart move for Saggo to take it to the ground, a tactic he commented on after the show.

Yeah, we knew that he was aggressive in his stand-up, and it was just a riskier fight with his power hooks. And I'm more of a technician on the ground, so that was the game plan.

After tasting some leather from Hadin to start the second, Saggo went to the well again, taking him down and quickly getting his back. This time, he was able to outlast Hadin and get the choke at 3:41 of the second round. Saggo is set for a nice step up in his next fight as he continues to work on his all around game.

There's room to improve in every area and I'm actually going to Thailand in three weeks. I'm going to be spending two months in Thailand just working my Muay Thai.

Fans on Twitter are calling for Saggo-Ricci next, and I would love to see it.

Ryan Dickson vs. Brandt Dewsbery (Welterweight)

Ryan Dickson needed every ounce of his brawn and technical ability to outlast a very tough Brandt Dewsbery to get a rear-naked choke submission at 4:39 of the second round. Dickson mauled Dewsbery early to dominate the first round before Dewsbery was able to briefly turn the tide early in the second.

In the end, Dickson's strength was just too much for Dewsbery, and he was able to grapple and maneuver for the choke. Dickson stays undefeated at 5-0, with all his wins coming via submission. It's time for another step up for the Joslin's MMA prodigy.

Prelim Results

Elias Theodorou vs Ali Mokdad (Middleweight)

Elias Theodorou kept his undefeated record intact, using his patented all-around game to initiate and control Windsor's Ali Mokdad all night. Theodorou was first off all night and Mokdad seemed hesitant to initiate anything at all on his way to his third loss in his last four fights.

Adam Assenza vs. Tommy Cote (Lightweight)

Adam Assenza dominated a game Tommy Cote for three rounds to take home a unanimous decision win. Assenza was clearly the stronger fighter, but Cote hung in there and it made for a very good fight.

Rory McDonell vs. Desmond Green (Lightweight)

Veteran Rory McDonell pulled off a beautiful submission from the guard at 4:41 of the first round to defeat Desmond Green. It was part omoplata, part gogoplata and part arm bar, and Score commentator Robin Black described it best as a "club sandwich" submission, because it had a bit of everything in it.

Paul Jalbert vs. Oliver Vadnais (Lightweight)

In one of the uglier fights of the night, Burlington fighter Paul Jalbert made a successful debut by taking a unanimous decision win.

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and guest blogger for Sportsnet.ca UFC.

Catch him on Facebook and Twitter @wakafightermma.

The fans in the jam-packed Hamilton Theatre chanted, "UFC UFC UFC!" as Jesse Ronson put on an absolute fighting clinic at the expense of Ryan Healy tonight in the co-main event of SFS 7. Despite eating a barrage of various kinds of strikes, and getting bloody in the process, the tough veteran in Healy simply refused to go away.

Ronson battered Healy for three rounds, seemingly scoring strikes at will, as Healy forged on to try and get Ronson to the ground. Even when the two went to the ground, Ronson was able to thrive with his wrestling and defence until he got it back to the feet again.

I was a little worried because every time I dropped, he dropped; he has that wrestling base. I wanted to take him down—believe me, I wanted to be the first guy to submit him. But after I realized I could land, I literally was able to land everything I wanted on this guy and he still stood there.

The Adrenaline Training Center fighter once again showed that his striking is some of the best in the country at 155 pounds. With the fans chanting UFC every time Ronson fights now, it is clear the big show should give the man a serious look.

In his in-cage, post-fight interview with Arda Ocal, Ronson stated that all he wanted for Christmas is a UFC contract, and he repeated it when I spoke to him in the dressing room.

"All I want for Christmas is a UFC contract. Please just give it to me. If not, I really don't know who's next.

Ronson was a naughty boy tonight against Healy, and for that, he deserves a nice UFC gift from Santa.

(See the video for post-fight comments from Jesse Ronson.)

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and guest blogger for Sportsnet.ca UFC.

Catch him on Facebook and Twitter @wakafightermma.

Jordan Mein performed as advertised as he beat up Forrest Petz with power strikes to get a quick knockout at 1:29 of Round 1 at SFS 7. Mein didn't take long to get comfortable and find his range, and then he hurt Petz with a shot to the liver during a torrid exchange.

Mein admitted he wasn't sure if Petz was playing possum, but he had some help from his corner in that regard.

I think it was the liver shot that hurt him, and then I heard my dad in my corner yelling finish him, I didn't really realize that he was hurt too bad, but they saw it so I jumped on him and I threw a couple to crash his guard and then threw an elbow and that got him in the temple and hurt him pretty bad.

Mein is a long welterweight who can throw his strikes from anywhere at anytime, and Petz didn't know what was coming next. Mein is very effective with lead elbows and was able load up and hurt Petz before he really had a chance.

I would love to see Mein in the UFC, and I asked him if he thought the finish was enough to impress the UFC. He said, "I think so because I've been in lots of wars, I've been in lots of three round fights and I'm really glad I got the quick finish here and put him away."

(See the video for post-fight comments from Mein and his father/trainer Lee.)

 Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and guest blogger for Sportsnet.ca UFC.

Catch him on Facebook and Twitter @wakafightermma.

After hosting a thrilling atomweight title fight in its last event, Invicta FC is ready to crown another women's divisional champion in its fourth fight card.

As announced on the official Invicta FC website, the regional promotion's first 2013 event will feature a 115-pound main-event bout for the first Invicta FC Strawweight Championship. Like the company's last three cards, Kansas City's Memorial Hall will serve as the venue.

On January 5, top-ranked Carla Esparza (8-2) will vie for the strawweight belt against Brazilian prospect Claudia Gadelha (9-0), who will be fighting abroad for the just the second time in her career.

Here's how the card looks so far, with a full slate of fights currently confirmed for January:

Invicta FC 4 Main Card

• Carla Esparza (8-2) vs. Claudia Gadelha (9-0)
• Shayna Baszler (15-7) vs. Alexis Davis (12-5)
• Leslie Smith (4-2-1) vs. TBA
• Amanda Nunes (7-2) vs. Sarah D'Alelio (6-3)
• Hiroko Yamanaka (12-2) vs. Ediene Gomes (8-2)
• Joanne Calderwood (4-0) vs. Bec Hyatt (4-1)

Invicta FC 4 Preliminary Card

• Stephanie Frausto (4-4) vs. Cassie Rodish (3-3)
• Tamikka Brents (1-0) vs. Amanda Bell (0-0)
• Jodie Esquibel (2-0) vs. Liz McCarthy (1-0)
• Emily Kagan (2-0) vs. Rose Namajunas (0-0)
• Paige VanZant (2-0) vs. Tecia Torres (1-0)
• Veronica Rothenhausler (0-0) vs. Katalina Malungahu (2-1)

According to MMA Rising, Esparza was initially expected to face undefeated Japanese strawweight Ayaka Hamasaki (8-0), the current reigning JEWELS lightweight champion. However, Hamasaki pulled out of the match in order to defend her title at Jewels 22nd Ring in Tokyo this December.

Gadelha is currently recognized as a member of Team Nova Uniao—the same camp supporting UFC champions Jose Aldo and Renan Barao, as well as Hacran Dias and Bellator fighter Marlon Sandro. Her fight against Esparza will be her first in the United States and her second in North America.