Featherweight Julia Budd

Danielle West replaces injured Elaina Maxwell in featherweight battle

By FCF Staff

Invicta Fighting Championships will stream its highly-anticipated Penne vs. Sugiyama, world championship 14-fight women’s professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event, live in its entirety and free of charge to a worldwide audience on the promotion’s website, InvictaFC.com, from Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. this Saturday, Oct. 6.

Returning to the Invicta FC broadcast booth to call the action for promotion’s third event will be Showtime MMA and former PRIDE Fighting Championships voice Mauro Ranallo, light heavyweight superstar “King Mo” Lawal and women’s MMA standout Julie “Fireball” Kedzie.

Additionally, road warrior Danielle “The Honey Badger” West (4-3-1) of London, UK will replace Elaina Maxwell, who has withdrawn from the event due to a concussion, in the leadoff main card featherweight (145 pounds) matchup against hard-hitting Julia “The Jewel” Budd (3-2) of Port Moody, CA.

Danielle West

“We are thrilled to once again be able to showcase an entire night of world-class women’s professional MMA action live to a global audience,” said Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp.  “We hope that Elaina has a speedy recovery and will be able to return to competition soon and, at the same time, commend Danielle for taking this fight on just a week’s notice, especially given the fact that she has a long journey from overseas.”

The 35-year-old West’s road to the Invicta FC cage hasn’t been an easy one.  A native of Boston, Mass. and former resident of Toronto, CA where she endured a period of homelessness and took shelter in various parking garages and cardboard boxes, she found a new life in London in 2000 and a new means of getting fit in judo and capoeira.

Since then, West, a full-time marketing strategist and analyst, has simultaneously labored to establish herself as a professional athlete, venturing to The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Russia and Japan to compete, while also winning a gold medal in each of the last five grappling tournaments she entered.

In her Invicta FC debut on July 28, the 29-year-old Budd put forth a powerful performance, taking Elina Nilsson to the ground in the first round of their matchup and finishing Nilsson at the 3:49 mark of the round with a series of punches and elbow strikes from mount position.

Budd, a protégé of former UFC and Shooto competitor Lance Gibson, has also made a mark in the sport of Muay Thai kickboxing, winning a national championship and earning a victory over superstar Gina Carano.

The live stream of the Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama event on InvictaFC.com will begin at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST with the event’s six-bout preliminary card and continue with the eight-bout main card.  Doors at Memorial Hall will open at 5 p.m. CST.

Updated Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama Fight Card
Main Event: Atomweight (105 pounds) Championship Bout (Vacant Title): Jessica Penne (9-1) vs. Naho Sugiyama (8-0)

Bantamweight: Shayna Baszler (14-7) vs. Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio (6-2)

Bantamweight: Sarah Kaufman (15-2) vs. Kaitlin Young (7-6-1)

Flyweight (125 pounds): Bar Honchak (6-2) vs. Aisling Daly (13-3)

Flyweight: Tara LaRosa (21-2) vs. Vanessa Porto (14-5)

Atomweight: Michelle Waterson (9-3) vs. Lacey Schuckman (7-5)

Featherweight: Julia Budd (3-2) vs. Danielle West (4-3-1)
Preliminary Card:

Strawweight (115 pounds): Carla Esparza (7-2) vs. Lynn Alvarez (5-2)

Flyweight: Ashley Cummins (3-0) vs. Joanne Calderwood (3-0)

Atomweight: Stephanie Frausto (3-4) vs. Amy Davis (3-3)

Bantamweight: Marciea Allen (1-0) vs. Jessamyn Duke (1-0)

Strawweight: Tecia Torres (0-0) vs. Kaiyana Rain (0-0)