Tonya Evinger Retains Bantamweight Strap, Angela Hill Claims 115-Pound Gold at Invicta 17

Tonya Evinger’s first Invicta Fighting Championships bantamweight title defense was methodical, efficient and occasionally dominant. Facing a game opponent who refused to wilt under her pressure, “Triple Threat” retained the 135-pound strap with a unanimous decision over Colleen Schneider in the Invicta 17 headliner on Saturday at The Hangar at OC Fair in Costa Mesa, California. Two judges scored it 50-44 for Evinger, while a third saw it 49-45 in her favor. “I think that was one of my worst performances,” she said. “I felt pretty good in the first two rounds. The last three rounds, I felt pretty sick. I felt like I should have won it in the first two rounds, but I just didn’t perform well.” Evinger nearly made it short night. She caught Schneider with a short left hand near the fence in the opening frame and then pounced on her opponent’s back. Evinger spent the remainder of the period pummeling Schneider with punches and elbows from back control. Somehow, Schneider made it to the bell. From there, Evinger (18-5, 6-0 Invicta) controlled the fight, but she was not nearly as overpowering. The Missouri native landed periodic punches, grinded her foe against the fence and landed occasional takedowns. Schneider (10-7, 1-1 Invicta), while not especially active offensively, managed to hang tough the rest of the way. “I think I worked a little too much on certain areas and I didn’t work enough on other areas,” Evinger said, “but every training camp’s a new one, so let’s get back to it.” The post-Ultimate Fighting Championship resurgence of Angela Hill continued in a major way in the co-main event, as she captured the Invicta strawweight crown with a signature performance against Livia Renata Souza. At the end of five competitive rounds, Hill emerged with a split decision — 48-47, 47-48, 48-47 — for her third straight victory within the all-female promotion. “It’s a really good feeling. I wish it could’ve been more decisive,” Hill said. “Livia has a really tough chin. I felt like a hit her a few times and it didn’t do anything. She hit me …

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