Queen of Sparta – 115 lb All Female Pro Tournament Goes the Distance
After the success of Sparta Combat League’s 155 Pound King of Sparta Tournament this summer, the Colorado promotion went out on a limb hosting 115 pound females in competition for the Queen of Sparta Title and ten thousand dollars.
The catch is that the title requires fighters to compete in full boxing, kickboxing and MMA bouts all in one night. The original card held eight solid competitors. The day of the event it was announced that one of the women would be unable to compete due to complications from cutting weight. The promotion quickly improvised allowing one of the three fighters on the losing end of their first match to compete a second time.
Queen of Sparta Boxing Matches
- Diana Schissler def Kaniso Feliciano
- Heather Denny def Celine Haga
- Stephanie Skinner def Cassie Robb
- Kathryn Paprocki def Cassie Robb
Though all of the boxing rounds were competitive, Stephanie Skinner and Cassie Robb stole the show with Skinner winning the decision after three aggressive rounds. Robb was awarded a second chance and faced Kat Paprocki immediately after her bout against Skinner. Paprocki’s long jab and striking set-ups won her the boxing match, though Robb still came out and put on a good show.
Queen of Sparta Muay Thai Matches
- Diana Schissler def Heather Denny
- Kathryn Paprocki def Celine Haga
At 115 pounds Heather Denny had significant reach on Diana Schissler, which looked like it would put her ahead early. Though staying very aggressive, Denny’s range was just off by inches. Schissler had a harder time getting inside but landed when she did. The matchup made for a great Muay Thai bout with Schissler just inching out the split decision to move on.
Stephanie Skinner was unable to come out for her second fight of the night due to a knee injury. Celine Haga won the coin toss and re-entered the ring to face Kat Paprocki. Paprocki did a great job of establishing her range with straight punches and long kicks. Haga played an inside game that scored and left noticeable damage to the leg of Paprocki. The bout went the full length with Paprocki winning a unanimous decision to advance.
Queen of Sparta MMA Final Match
- Kathryn Paprocki def Diana Schissler
The Queen of Sparta main event between Kat Paprocki and Diana Schissler was a bloody war. The opening round was a back and forth battle both standing and on the ground. Both women seemed to be hoping to get this third and final fight over with early. Though each had moments of brilliance on the ground, Paprocki ended the round in dominant position, wishing for another 30 seconds to finish the fight. The second and third rounds were dominated by technical stand up on both sides. Paprocki was able to use her range to control the distance well, and with cardio that refused to stop, Paprocki became the first Queen of Sparta Champion via unanimous decision.
It is worth noting that all of the Queen of Sparta fights went the whole distance, meaning that by the time the last bell rang, the finalists had completed three full fights. Most states do not sanction a fighter to compete in more than five rounds a night. This is why the Professional Fighters League (PFL) tournament has only two rounds in the first fight and three in the second. These ladies fought nine rounds.
Other matches:
Pro MMA
- Michael Stack def Joseph Galaviz via Unanimous Decision
Amateur MMA
- Jamison McClarin def Abe Gorjoux via RNC in round 1
- Anel Dudo def Alex Pietisfeso via 3rd round armbar for the 125 title
- Frankie Diaz def Steve Lontine via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in round 1
- Ian McGee def Jared George via TKO in round 1
- Veronica Graves def Nikki Ward Hinds via guillotine choke in round three for the 115 title
Muay Thai
- Zach Aya def Allen Dudo via Unanimous Decision
- Nemanja Jong def Winston Martian via KO
- Shayna Cordova def Avery Sage via Split Decision
- Bailey Winters def Breigh Wareiczuk via Unanimous Decision
