Bec Hyatt (left) and Carla Esparza (right) headlined Invicta FC 4 last night. Photo credit: Esther Lin/Invicta FC

By Joshua Molina

Shannon Knapp may be the owner of Invicta FC, but she proved Saturday night that she also has the heart and brains of a fighter.

That’s because even though she hit some turbulence in the early rounds of Invicta FC’s foray into Pay Per View, she showed that she knows how to adjust her game under pressure – and still win the fight.

Knapp decided to take down the pay wall and stream the fight for free after viewers reported difficulties successfully logging into the show.

Her decision means that fans still won, despite the technical problems.  Streaming the fight for free means that viewers will be more likely to pay for the show next time.

Invicta’s show lasted more than five hours, including two fights that Invicta offered for free to start the show.

In the show stealer, a bloodied Alexis Davis choked out Shayna Baszler with a devastating rear naked choke. Baszler, who won the first between the two by decision, refused to tap out and fell limp in dramatic fashion.

Baszler displayed the heart and guts of many female fighters on the show and in Invicta FC who not afraid to fight or take a punch.

While there are a million opinions about the differences between male and female fighters, one point that is practically indisputable is that women put on great fights.

In the other news of the night, Carla Esparza defeated Bec Hyatt by an overwhelming unanimous decision to win the company’s first 115 pounds Straw Weight Championship.

In another close fight, Tamikka Brents narrowly defeated Amanda Bell by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), in an outcome that could have gone either way. Jodie Esquibel defeated Liz McCarthy by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27), in a battle that seemed like it should have gone the other way.

Despite the Pay Per View problems with the first show, Invicta is committed to Pay Per View in the long run.
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Invicta is expected to return in April with Invicta FC 5, headlined by former Strikeforce Bantamweight Champion Sarah Kaufman.

Kaufman is also reportedly also under contract with the UFC, where she will likely compete later in the year, if she can bounce back from her embarrassing loss to Ronda Rousey last year.

It’s unclear whether the UFC will stick with women’s MMA once the sheen of Rousey dissipates, which makes the existence and success of Invicta FC all the more important and necessary for female fighters and fans in 2013.