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| (Image Source: Murthy Sports Marketing) |
Anthem Sports and Entertainment, a globally integrated media company creating content for passionate communities through its properties including AXS TV, Fight Network, Game+ and IMPACT Wrestling among others, has officially acquired Invicta Fighting Championships, the world's premier all-female mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. MMA and combat sports fans around the globe can look forward to a wide variety of Invicta FC events including world championship fight nights, the popular PHOENIX tournaments and tentpole PPV events plus behind the scenes shoulder programming.
Founded in 2012 by experienced combat sports promoter Shannon Knapp, Invicta FC changed the landscape of mixed martial arts with over 400 fights taking place in 46 all-female Invicta events featuring a who's who in the list of greatest fighters of all time such as Rose Namajunas, Cris "Cyborg" Justino and Amanda Nunes. Knapp will join Anthem's executive team as a senior member of the Sports Media Group and will continue to spearhead Invicta FC as it moves into an exciting new era as part of the Anthem family. “This is a huge moment for Invicta and for women in the sport. Invicta FC was founded to give female mixed martial artists a platform where they could compete and prove the doubters wrong. Now, as part of the Anthem portfolio and with shows on national television for the first time, Invicta’s platform will be bigger than ever, and more people will have the opportunity to see the world’s elite female athletes compete. With Anthem’s backing, it’s going to be easier than ever for our fans to catch all the Invicta action and for new fans to find out exactly why Invicta is one of the world’s most exciting fight promotions," Knapp said.
For Anthem Sports and Entertainment Chief Corporate Officer and President of Anthem's Sports Media Group and Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions, LLC (IMPACT Wrestling) Ed Nordholm, “We are very excited to acquire this uniquely positioned MMA promotion, adding a new content pillar to our combat sports portfolio as part of our overall strategy to transform Anthem into a leading global content company. What Shannon has accomplished with Invicta is one of the sport’s great success stories. She will play a vital role as a senior member on the Anthem executive team and as a shareholder in Anthem, and we look forward to helping her take Invicta to new heights.” Invicta FC events will be broadcast live on AXS TV in the US, Fight Network in Canada and digital platforms across the globe for fans outside North America with the first event to be held on May 21st headlined by a world championship title bout. As the world emerges from the pandemic, Anthem plans to steadily increase the number of Invicta FC events across AXS TV, Fight Network, digital streaming platforms and standalone PPV supercards featuring current Invicta headliners such as Pam Sorenson, Alesha Zappitella and Pearl Gonzalez. It will also celebrate Invicta's rich legacy with regular programming showcasing the promotion's historic fights and shoulder programming on the backgrounds and lifestyles of fighters.
“AXS TV has a great legacy of supporting MMA under its AXS Fights brand and Invicta will be a centerpiece of our AXS Fights programming," said AXS TV General Manager Frank Tanki. He added, "“Invicta’s Phoenix Series is the perfect format for live television. It combines hard-hitting combat sport with the sort of compelling, fly-on-the-wall storytelling reminiscent of the best of live reality TV. I’m very excited a wider fanbase will get the chance to enjoy this innovative fight night for the first time on AXS.” Speaking of Invicta's PHOENIX series, Knapp explained, "The Phoenix series is the fastest paced format in MMA. For those who’ll be witnessing it for the first time, it is an intense rapid-fire event where eight athletes compete across one grueling night. The Quarter and Semi-Final bouts consist of a single round – giving fighters no more than five minutes to either win and advance in the tournament or crash out in defeat. The two victorious semi-finalists then go toe-to-toe that same night in a three five-minute round finale match, with the winner being crowned tournament champion.”
