All-female MMA promotion Invicta FC has been bought over by Anthem Sports & Entertainment and as such will now be airing on TV screens in the near future.
Invicta FC events will now move from the UFC Fight Pass service to air on AXS TV, which is no stranger to airing MMA content, having previously hosted the likes of Legacy FC, Titan FC and CES MMA, while they are also currently the home of Impact Wrestling.
“This is the first time with Invicta that I’ve had the opportunity to really make a decision based on what I feel is best for the athletes, the sport and then me. Pretty much in that order,” Invicta FC founder Shannon Knapp told MMA Fighting. “I had a moment to weight all of the options and there were multiple offers. I had broadcast offers, partnership offers, all kinds of different offers and I really wanted to take the time to really do the research. To really walk this thing through.
“Invicta has always been bigger than me and to have the resources that are available to me now. It’s just a game changer for the women and that’s what was important for me.”
A former UFC and Strikeforce employee, Knapp founded Invicta FC back in 2011 with the unique angle of hosting female fights only, which led to it becoming a breeding ground for future stars.
Knapp will remain in a prominent role for Invicta FC after the sale as well as being a senior executive for Anthem Sports Media Group.
“They had all the pieces that I was missing,” Knapp said. “The infrastructure, the platforms, everything was already available. All of the pieces to the puzzle that could make Invicta even better and help take it to that next level, to help make it incredible. I did a lot of research on the owners and the people I’d be working with. Everything aligned. When it call came down to it, they were the perfect fit.”
