Sherdog.com’s 2014 Upset of the Year
Tiburcio vs. Waterson
4. Herica
Tiburcio vs. Michelle
Waterson
Invicta Fighting Championships 10
Dec. 5 | Houston
Tiburcio was not supposed to defeat Waterson at Invicta Fighting Championships 10, let alone make her tap via guillotine choke.
Nevertheless, at the conclusion of the main event, Tiburcio took the Invicta Fighting Championships 105-pound title home to Brazil. Tiburcio was not originally slated to compete on the Dec. 5 card, but when it was made public that Cristiane Justino would not be making her bantamweight debut, Waterson-Tiburcio was announced as the new main event. Not many gave the 21-year-old a fighting chance -- that was mainly a tip of the cap to Waterson, a Jackson-Wink MMA product who had defeated Jessica Penne at Invicta FC 5 to lay claim to the atomweight crown. “The Karate Hottie” had then gone on to make her first title defense in emphatic style, destroying Yasuko Tamada en route to a technical knockout victory at Invicta FC 8.
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Tiburcio came out fearlessly against Waterson, attacking the champion and weathering the storm against several dangerous armbar attempts. Tiburcio began to swing momentum late in the opening round, where she beautifully swept into mount and scored a damaging right hand that caused visible damage to the left eye of Waterson. After more of the same in the second round, Tiburcio took down Waterson in the third and cinched the guillotine choke. The finish almost seemed to happen in slow motion, as it was hard to believe Waterson was being forced to submit. The two women embraced immediately, signifying the emotional release such a moment often brings about.
The win put Tiburcio on the map as a force to be reckoned with in the Invicta FC atomweight division.
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