Jillian DeCoursey Submits Jessica Delboni, Captures Atomweight Crown at Invicta FC 49

Jessica Correa Delboni provided an opportunity, and Jillian DeCoursey took full advantage.

The Queens, N.Y., native claimed atomweight gold with a submission of Delboni in the Invicta FC 49 headliner at Sugar Creek Casino in Hinton, Okla., on Wednesday night. DeCoursey (6-3, 5-2 Invicta) brought the show to a close with a rear-naked choke 4:49 into Round 1, forcing Delboni (12-4, 4-3 Invicta) to tap for the first time in her professional career.

“Never let anyone doubt you. If you put a goal in mind and you work hard enough, anything is possible,” DeCoursey said. “I definitely proved that tonight.”

It was a measured beginning for both fighters, but Delboni appeared to control the majority of exchanges in the early going with quick punching combinations and kicks to the legs of her opponent. However, momentum shifted when Delboni punched her way into the clinch and changed levels for a takedown late in the round. The Brazilian was able to ground her adversary, but DeCoursey quickly reversed into top position and took Delboni’s back. From there, the East Coast Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu representative locked in a rear-naked choke and applied the squeeze. Delboni held on for as long as she could, but she couldn’t make it to the end of the stanza.

In the co-main event, Ketlen Souza enjoyed a successful Invicta FC debut, taking a clear-cut unanimous decision against short-notice foe Maiju Suotama in a flyweight clash. All three judges submitted 30-27 tallies in favor of the Brazilian, who has won four straight fights.

Souza (12-3, 1-0 Invicta) controlled the fight at range with unorthodox movement, flashy leaping and spinning attacks and consistent body work — most notably hurting her opponent with a spinning back kick to the midsection in Round 1. Suotama tried (8-7, 0-2 Invicta) her best to get the fight to the mat, but Souza did well to remain upright, often punishing the Finland native with short punches, elbows and knees in close quarters after stuffing takedown attempts. Suotama has lost her last four professional outings.

In earlier action: Valesca Machado (10-3, 1-0 Invicta) outpointed (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Liz Tracy (7-5, 3-4 Invicta) at strawweight; Kaytlin Neil (6-4, 1-1 Invicta) dominated Hannah Guy (4-2, 0-1 Invicta) en route to a unanimous decision victory (30-25, 30-27, 30-27) in a flyweight affair; Poliana Botelho (9-5, 1-0 Invicta) garnered a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) against Helen Peralta (5-3, 5-2 Invicta) at flyweight; Montserrat Rendon (5-0, 1-0 Invicta) took a contentious split-decision win (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) over Brittney Cloudy (4-5, 0-3 Invicta) at bantamweight and Shauna Bannon (3-0, 1-0 Invicta) defeated Nadia Vera (3-1-1, 0-1 Invicta) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) at strawweight.