Taneisha Tennant (born June 15, 1989) is a female American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

, currently competing in the

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

division of

Invicta FC Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is current ...

, where she is the former Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion.

Background

Tennant was in nursing school when she was diagnosed with

Hodgkin's Lymphoma Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the lymph nodes. The condition was named a ...

, after which she spent the next year having chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Right after that,

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...

hit the New York area, and Tennant's house was flooded to the upper level, losing many of her possessions, photos, and videos. Tennant is currently a full-time nurse charged with the health and safety of her local retirement community.

Mixed martial arts career

Invicta FC

In her MMA debut at Ring Of Combat 68, she faced Despina Karavas and went on to knock her out in the first round. Tennant made her Invicta FC debut against Serena DeJesus at Invicta FC 38: Murata vs. Ducote on November 1, 2019. Murata won the fight by split decision, with two judges scoring the bout 48-47 and 49–46 in her favor. She won the bout via unanimous decision. Tennant participated in the Invicta Bantamweight Tournament for the next title shot at the Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship at Invicta FC Phoenix Series 3 on March 6, 2020. She defeated Brittney Victoria via unanimous decision in the quarterfinals, followed by Hope Chase via unanimous decision in the semifinals. In the finals, Tennant defeated Taylor Guardado via unanimous decision. Tennant moved up to Featherweight and faced Danyelle Wolf at Dana White's Contender Series 33 on September 15. She lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Invicta FC Bantamweight champion

Tennant faced Lisa Verzosa for the vacant Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship at Invicta FC 44: A New Era on August 27, 2021. Tennant won the one sided bout via unanimous decision, becoming the new Invicta Bantamweight Champion Tennant made her first Invicta FC Bantamweight title defense against the one-time

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

featherweight title challenger Olga Rubin at Invicta FC 48: Tennant vs. Rubin on July 20, 2022. She retained her title by split decision, with scores of 47–48, 48–47 and 50–45. Tennant made her second Invicta FC Bantamweight title defense against the four-fight

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

veteran Talita Bernardo at Invicta FC 51 on January 18, 2023. She lost the fight by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the bout 48–46 for Bernardo.

Professional grappling career

Tennant was invited to compete a 135lbs grappling tournament at Rise Invitational 11 on April 1, 2023.

Championships and accomplishments

Invicta Fighting Championships Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is current ...

** Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship (One time, former) *** One successful title defense

Mixed martial arts record

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Lisa Verzosa , Decision (unanimous) , Invicta FC 44: A New Era , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–1 , Danyelle Wolf , Decision (unanimous) , Dana White's Contender Series 33 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Taylor Guardado , Decision (unanimous) , Invicta FC Phoenix Series 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Serena DeJesus , Decision (unanimous) , Invicta FC 38: Murata vs. Ducote , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , -

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Brittney Victoria , Decision (unanimous) , Invicta FC Phoenix Series 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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References

External links

Taneisha Tennant
at

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tennant, Taneisha 1980 births Living people Martial artists from New York City African-American mixed martial artists American female mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists 21st-century American women