Invicta FC

What is Invicta FC?

Invicta Fighting Championships, better known as Invicta FC, is a professional MMA promotion that puts on cards made up entirely of women’s fights. Shannon Knapp and Janet Martin started it in 2012. The name comes from a Latin word meaning “invincible,” written in its feminine form.

The promotion exists because of a gap. In 2011, the UFC’s parent company bought Strikeforce, until then the main home for women’s MMA in the US. UFC boss Dana White had claimed women would never fight in his promotion, which left female athletes with few places to compete regularly. Knapp, who had worked at Strikeforce, built Invicta to fix that.

Anthem Sports & Entertainment, the Canadian media company behind AXS TV and the Fight Network, has owned Invicta since 2021. The promotion runs out of a home base in the Kansas City area, and its shows are numbered in sequence, reaching Invicta FC 62 by May 2025.

How Invicta FC works

The mechanics of an Invicta event mirror any other major MMA show. Bouts run under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, the same ruleset the UFC and most US athletic commissions use.

The promotion runs five weight classes:

Division	Upper weight limit
Atomweight	105 lb (48 kg)
Strawweight	115 lb (52 kg)
Flyweight	125 lb (56 kg)
Bantamweight	135 lb (61 kg)
Featherweight	145 lb (66 kg)

Atomweight is the one that stands out. At 105 pounds, it sits below anything the UFC offers, so Invicta became one of the few major promotions where the sport’s smallest fighters can chase a world title.

Invicta has also tried formats you won’t see elsewhere. Its Phoenix Series events are single-night tournaments in which eight fighters win three bouts in one evening to earn a title shot. In 2020, at Phoenix Series 3, Invicta became the first major US promotion to trial open scoring, displaying the judges’ round-by-round tallies to the fighters and the broadcast audience.

American fans can currently watch Invicta on CBS Sports Network, which became the promotion’s television home in 2024 and renewed the arrangement for 2025. Earlier events streamed on UFC Fight Pass and aired on AXS TV.

Invicta FC vs. the UFC

Because both put on women’s MMA, Invicta and the UFC get mixed up often. They are separate companies with no ownership tie between them. The UFC is a mixed promotion where women fill a small share of each card, while every Invicta bout is a women’s bout.

	Invicta FC	UFC
Roster	Women only	Men and women
Owner	Anthem Sports & Entertainment	TKO Group Holdings
Smallest women’s division	Atomweight (105 lb)	Strawweight (115 lb)
Founded	2012	1993
Typical role	Developmental proving ground	Sport’s top global stage

The two are tied together in practice. After the UFC added women’s divisions in 2013, beginning with Ronda Rousey’s win over Liz Carmouche at UFC 157, it drew talent straight from Invicta, signing 11 of its strawweights to launch the 115-pound class through The Ultimate Fighter. Knapp now calls Invicta a proving ground, a place where fighters build records and get noticed before the UFC signs them.

The fighters who came through Invicta FC

Plenty of women’s MMA history passed through Invicta on the way up. Cris “Cyborg” Justino held the promotion’s featherweight title before moving to the UFC, where she won a title again. Michelle Waterson took Invicta’s atomweight belt, and Jennifer Maia its flyweight belt, and both went on to UFC careers.

Rose Namajunas and Amanda Nunes competed under the Invicta banner early on, years before they won UFC titles of their own. The promotion points to that track record when explaining why it still matters. A typical UFC card carries only one or two women’s fights, so Invicta gives female fighters somewhere to stay active and get seen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Invicta FC part of the UFC?

No. Invicta is a separate company owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment. The two have no corporate link, though the UFC has signed many fighters who started in Invicta.

Is Invicta FC still active?

Yes. It runs regular numbered events, with cards airing on CBS Sports Network in the US as of 2025.

Who owns Invicta FC?

Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company, has owned it since 2021. Shannon Knapp stays on as president.

Who founded Invicta FC?

Shannon Knapp and Janet Martin launched the promotion in 2012.

Where can I watch Invicta FC?

Events air on CBS Sports Network in the United States and stream on Invicta’s official YouTube channel.

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Sources

1. Wikipedia. “Invicta Fighting Championships.” Accessed August 2025.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invicta_Fighting_Championships
2. Wikipedia. “List of Invicta FC events.” Accessed August 2025.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Invicta_FC_events
3. Invicta Fighting Championships. “About.” Accessed August 2025.
   https://invictafc.com/about-us/
4. ESPN. “Invicta women’s MMA promotion sold to Anthem.” Accessed August 2025.
   https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/31261546/invicta-women-mma-promotion-sold-finds-new-television-slot
5. MMA Fighting. “Invicta FC announces new broadcast partner, rest of 2024 schedule.” Accessed August 2025.
   https://www.mmafighting.com/2024/6/11/24176198/invicta-fc-announces-new-broadcast-partner-rest-of-2024-schedule
6. 411Mania. “Invicta FC Renews TV Rights Deal With CBS Sports.” Accessed August 2025.
   https://411mania.com/mma/invicta-fc-renews-tv-rights-deal-cbs-sports/
7. CBS Sports. “Invicta FC president details changing role in MMA landscape.” Accessed August 2025.
   https://www.cbssports.com/mma/news/invicta-fc-president-details-changing-role-in-mma-landscape-building-legends-in-womens-mma
8. Combat Press. “Making History: Invicta FC Takes Big Step with Open Scoring at Phoenix Series 3.” Accessed August 2025.
   https://combatpress.com/2020/03/making-history-invicta-fc-takes-big-step-with-open-scoring-at-phoenix-series-3/
9. Sports Illustrated. “Invicta Fighting Championships puts women’s MMA on center stage.” Accessed August 2025.
   https://www.si.com/more-sports/2012/04/27/invicta-0

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