After claiming championship gold in her last appearance, Ayaka Hamasaki returned to the Invicta FC cage on Friday night and picked up her first successful defense of the atomweight title with a third-round submission win over a game and gutsy Amber Brown at Trinidad Pavillion in Tropicana Las Vegas.
The opening round was one of the best rounds of 2016, with Hamasaki hitting an explosive double in space early, posturing up to rain down shots on Brown before the Albuquerque native threw up a triangle choke and put the champion at risk. After defending and escaping, Hamasaki attacked with a submission of her own, connecting her hands on a keylock, but this time it was Brown’s turn to defend and counter, rolling through and ending the frame in full mount.