Karina Rodriguez Takes Split Decision Over Daiana Torquato in Invicta FC 46 Main Event

Karina Rodriguez is now 2-0 against Daiana Torquato, but only by the slimmest of margins.

Rodriguez retained her flyweight crown with a split-decision triumph over Torquato in the Invicta FC 46 headliner on Wednesday at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. Rodriguez (10-4, 6-2 Invicta) secured scorecards of 48-47 and 49-46 from the cageside judges, while a third saw it 48-47 in favor of Torquato (10-5, 0-2 Invicta). Torquato was elevated from the co-main event on less than a week’s notice after Kelten Souza was forced to withdraw from the card.

Forward movement and combination punching propelled Rodriguez to her successful title defense. Torquato made things interesting through clinch work, the occasional takedown and held her own in striking exchanges, but Rodriguez’s role as the aggressor — including some wicked elbows when separating from tie-ups — likely curried favor with the judges.

Rodriguez defeated Torquato via unanimous decision in their initial meeting at Invicta on AXS TV last May.

In the co-main event, Denise Gomes rallied for an improbable technical knockout victory against three-time UFC veteran Milana Dudieva in a flyweight affair. The Parana Vale Tudo representative ended the contest with a swarm of punches on the ground at the 1:56 mark of Round 3.

Gomes (5-1, 1-0 Invicta), who stepped in on short notice after Torquato was elevated to the main event, weathered a rough opening 10 minutes. Dudieva landed a takedown and hammered away with ground-and-pound from back mount in the opening stanza before dropping her Brazilian foe twice with massive right hands in Round 2. After both knockdowns, Gomes was able to regain her bearings thanks in part to questionable strategy by Dudieva.



The final frame began with both fighters brawling enthusiastically before Gomes asserted her will. With Dudieva (12-9, 1-4 Invicta) fading, Gomes swarmed with body shots against the fence before dropping her foe with a knee. From there, Gomes followed Dudieva to the ground and teed off with punches until the bout was halted.

In earlier action: Liz Tracy (8-4, 3-3 Invicta) defeated Danielle Taylor (11-8, 1-3 UFC) via unanimous decision (30-26 30-27, 30-27) at strawweight; Kristina Williams (6-3, 1-0 Invicta) garnered a split-decision triumph (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) against Flore Hani (4-3, 0-1 Invicta) at flyweight; and Monique Adriane (6-2, 1-1 Invicta ) defeated Paulina Granados (4-6, 0-1 Invicta) via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27 in an atomweight clash.