Sarah Kaufman made history last night (Fri., May 4, 2018) at Invicta FC 29 when she put a stop to opponent Katharina Lehner via third-round submission to become just the second female fighter ever to hold titles in both Strikeforce and Invicta FC (the unflappable Cris Cyborg being the other).
This was Kaufman’s second appearance in Invicta since signing with the promotion in December of 2016, which came after Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) failed to renew her contract. Kaufman’s debut was a unanimous decision win over Pannie Kianzad back in January, but this title fight meant so much more.
While Kaufman scored in bunches on the feet, she ultimately relied on her wrestling and transitions to stifle Lehner. After nearly finishing the fight via arm triangle in the second round, Kaufman went back to her ground game in the third, secured a timely takedown, worked for back control, and eventually sunk in the rear-naked choke finish.
Check out the memorable submission above courtesy of UFC Fight Pass.
With this victory, Kaufman reestablishes herself as one of the top bantamweight fighters in the world. Lehner wasn’t a champion as this main event scrap was for the vacant 135-pound strap, but the German contender was undefeated at 7-0 coming into the fight.
As the new titleholder of a talented bantamweight division, Kaufman will be out to prove that her 1-2 (1 NC) record under UFC control was a bad representation of her abilities inside of the cage.
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