Invicta FC 47: Ducote vs. Zappitella Breakdown and Prediction

Barring any postponements between now and fight night, INVICTA FC 47 will be a seven-fight MMA card, capped off by a championship showcase in the INVICTA FC 47 main event of the evening this Wednesday.

Supremacy at 115 lbs. on the Line Wednesday During Invicta FC 47 Main Event

Incumbent INVICTA FC Strawweight Champion Emily Ducote (10-6 MMA, 3-1 INVICTA FC) puts her strap at risk against challenger Alesha Zappitella (9-3 MMA, 6-1 INVICTA FC) in the INVICTA FC 47 main event.

As with all MMA championship bouts, Wednesday’s headliner will be a maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close the show in Kansas City’s Memorial Hall.

INVICTA FC 47 Main Event Fighter Comparison

Heading into the INVICTA FC 47 main event on Wednesday evening for the strawweight championship, titleholder Emily Ducote is the taller combatant at 5-foot-2, while Alesha Zappitella counters with a 4-foot-11 frame.

In addition, the champion owns a four-inch reach advantage (64 inches to 60 inches) over the challenger going into the headlining bout on Wednesday.

Emily Ducote Relishing Stint as Strawweight Champion Ahead of Invicta FC 47 Main Event

Emily Ducote, a veteran of Bellator MMA, enters the INVICTA FC 47 main event on Wednesday night having posted a record of 4-1 in her last five fights and is currently on a two-fight winning streak, having taken the INVICTA FC Strawweight Championship in her most recent appearance, a first-round knockout due to a right cross and head kick against Danielle Taylor in the INVICTA FC 44 main event last August.

Wednesday’s main event will mark Ducote’s first defense of the strawweight strap, a championship stint that she’d like to relish for as long as she’s allowed to, as she told MyMMANews upon winning the belt late last summer.

“I had to do a lot of soul searching after that,” Ducote said about her stint in Scott Coker‘s promotion. “I do want to enjoy my time because I did a lot of growing up with INVICTA and (INVICTA FC President) Shannon (Knapp). I’m happy to be the champ in INVICTA, and I wouldn’t mind another fight or two. But I do want eventually want to be in a division where I’m fighting the very best 115ers in the world.”

Emily Ducote has had two fights in a top MMA promotion, and INVICTA FC has been proven to be a stepping stone for top women’s prospects to get to a major MMA promotion.

Could a victory in her first title defense on Wednesday in the INVICTA FC 47 main event be Ducote’s ticket back to a major MMA promotion?

Only time will tell, so tune in and find out.

Zappitella Hungry for Strawweight Strap in INVICTA FC 47 Main Event Wednesday

In the other corner, Alesha Zappitella, who has competed in three different weight classes throughout her career as a fighter, has gone 4-1 in her last five fights, and the INVICTA FC 47 main event marks her promotional debut at strawweight after spending her entire INVICTA career at atomweight.

Prior to joining INVICTA FC, Zappitella last competed at strawweight in Michigan-based Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting for one fight in February of 2018 after competing in the 105-lb. weight class in Combate Global.

Most recently, she challenged Jessica Delboni in a rematch for the INVICTA FC Atomweight Championship in the INVICTA FC 45 main event on Jan. 12, losing via unanimous decision after 25 minutes, this after taking the championship (split decision) against Delboni on AXS TV last spring.

Can “Half Pint” get back in the win column and secure the INVICTA FC Strawweight Championship on Wednesday night during the INVICTA FC 47 main event?

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

Stylistically, the INVICTA FC 47 main event on Wednesday night seems to favor Emily Ducote, who holds a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, compared to Alesha Zappitella’s purple belt in BJJ.

Thus, it stands to reason that we could be looking at a fight contested on the cage mat this week.

Watch For Emily Ducote’s Ground and Pound in INVICTA FC 47 Main Event

One aspect of Emily Ducote’s fight game that’s particularly telling on film is her ability to score the knockout by landing vicious ground and pound shots, as she did in her INVICTA FC debut against Janaisa Morandin back in August of 2019.

During the first round of a scheduled three, both fighters traded strikes, but on that night, it was Emily Ducote who opened things up by landing a combination of punches late in the round, firing the seminal shot when she landed a right-handed punch to send Morandin down,

From there, she unloaded on Morandin with ground and pound shots to knock her out.

All Emily Ducote will need to walk away as the defending champion of the strawweight ranks after the INVICTA FC 47 main event is as little as one punch to send Alesha Zappitella down.

It could be the opening she needs to pounce on her and end the fight devastatingly.

Alesha Zappitella Can Set Up a Submission

In the other corner, Alesha Zappitella has only won by way of submission twice, so while it might be a rarity, it’s been vicious when it’s happened, as was the case in her fight against Ashley Cummins in September of 2020.

During the fourth round of a scheduled five, Zappitella was able to fight off a guillotine choke attempt from Cummins quickly and was then able to abruptly reverse the script and secure a dangerous Von Flue choke and force Cummins to tap out a minute and 20 seconds into the period.

If Zappitella can reverse the script and take Ducote down, look for her to try and score with ground and pound shots of her own to soften her up, and once she’s able to do that, she can try to apply the torque to get her to tap out in the INVICTA FC 47 main event.

Final Thoughts

On paper, it appears as though the INVICTA FC 47 main event looks to be a cracking affair, so don’t miss this one.

Prediction: Emily Ducote by Unanimous Decision.

Featured Image Credits to Invicta FC