Tonya Evinger has won her appeal, according to the Missouri Athletic Commission, and her Invicta Fighting Championships 20 submission defeat to Yana Kunitskaya has been overturned to a no contest.
Since the result of the fight has been changed, Kunitskaya is no longer the Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion, Evinger has been given the belt back as a part of the ruling.
Evinger posted the following statement on her Facebook page after the ruling:
“History was made today. Our sport has grown beyond what could have been imagined in such a short time. It’s truly amazing to witness the growth from a sport fueled by ego and ignorance to a sport that is now represented by professionals, from athletes to promoters to referees and state commissions. A sport that has matured enough to be able to change an outcome due to a mistake or misjudgment. Today I was informed by the Missouri athletic commission that my appeal was accepted and my last fight in KC Nov 18th was overturned to a no contest. I will retain my world title and move forward awaiting the decisions for what’s next. Thanks to everyone for the support in this stressful situation, it’s a shame that it happened but I believe the sport has grown from this.”
Invicta FC plans on scheduling a rematch between the two as soon as possible. Evinger won the title in July 2015 and has only successfully defended the title once, but fought three times. Pannie Kianzad missed weight at Invicta FC 14, and the aforementioned Invicta 20 fight has been overturned. Evinger is considered among the top female fighters not in the UFC, with her last non-exhibition loss coming in 2011.
