Missouri Office of Athletics overturns Invicta FC 20 ruling; Tonya Evinger retains
Missouri Office of Athletics overturns Invicta FC 20 ruling; Tonya Evinger retains
Insert song from rapper Ice Cube – “Today was a good day.”
It certainly was a good day today for bantamweight mixed martial artist Tonya Evinger who received notification from the Missouri Office of Athletics that the decision in the main event of Invicta FC 20 on November 18 will be overruled and Evinger will retain her title.
Evinger filed an appeal to her title loss to Yana Kunitskaya from Invicta 20 earlier this month after an incorrect application of the rules by the referee. The complaint was filed with the Missouri Office of Athletics.
Kunitskaya defeated Evinger via armbar submission at 1:59 of the first round after taking the challenger to the ground. Evinger is challenging the result, because referee Mike England told her, while she was in the armbar, that she had to move from a legal position. Evinger argues that movement is what led to Kunitskaya sinking in the armbar deeper, forcing her to tap.
Evinger, 35, put her foot on the face of the grounded Kunitskaya to gain leverage in an effort to get out of the armbar. England told Evinger to move from that position, though it is a legal one. A strike to the face of a grounded opponent is illegal, but Evinger didn’t land a stomp, she just pushed off with her foot.
With Evinger having the title again it is assumed that a rematch with Kunitskaya is in order to settle the unfinished business.
