Shannon Knapp and Invicta FC clean house!

[keithlewis]

Shannon Knapp opens up about why Janet Martin is no longer with Invicta FC


http://www.examiner.com/article/shannon ... invicta-fc


During the Oct. 27 episode of WMMA Jam Live, Invicta FC boss Shannon Knapp said her promotion will keep pushing forward despite losing Janet Martin as official Invicta FC matchmaker.

Over the weekend, Invicta FC strawweight title holder Carla Esparza broke to news to many fight fans that Martin was no longer with the promotion due to unprofessional behavior, and Knapp essentially confirmed what the champ said.

"So I guess the word is out, Janet Martin (matchmaker) is no longer with Invicta FC," Esparza wrote on Facebook. "There was unethical activity going on, so this had to be done. Although she was always nice to me, she has been hurting a company that has done so much for me and for WMMA, and that is definitely NOT COOL."

WMMA Jam Live host Jessica Philippus asked Knapp if Invicta FC 8 would be held in January, and the CEO immediately turned the conversation back to the drama that unfolded over the weekend.

Knapp did not discuss exactly why Martin is no longer with the promotion, but she did admit there were several layers of issues and "messes" that she's now left to clean up.

"It's highly possible, it's highly possible," Knapp said of the chance for Invicta FC 8 to be held in January of 2014. "I know everyone has danced around and nobody wants to bring it up and I feel really bad because you guys are the first time anyone has spoken to me since the situation with Janet. I can tell you that you can ask me questions about that, and in all fairness I don't think it's fair to you that you're the first ones that are talking to me and everyone wants to avoid that conversation. I will answer you as honestly as I can.

"There are a few things that I wouldn't answer because I feel it's unprofessional, but the situation has thrown a few wrenches we might say, so I just need some time to kind of evaluate again. I'm cleaning up a lot of messes and peeling back a lot of layers of issues, problems, lies. So I hate to be promising or committing to anything right at this moment, but definitely it is something that I am working on. However, I want to get this stuff cleaned up before I move in on to announcing that and talking more in-depth about 2014.

"That's not saying we're going down or anything like that. That's just being a responsible business person and really needing to go through everything because I've still got a lot of restructuring to do. In other words, I'm just being responsible in saying 'yes that is the plan.' If one didn't happen in January, it would happen in February. Only thing that would throw us off is if it was a little more complicated in what I'm cleaning up. But it doesn't look like it will be at this point in time."

Knapp seemed to want to come out with the full story of why Martin is no longer with Invicta FC, but she refrained from doing so in an attempt to remain as professional as possible.

Luckily for fight fans, she explained that the "situation" won't keep her promotion down in the dumps for a long period of time.

She expects Invicta FC to keep pressing forward, and get back in the swing of things as soon as possible.

"My first instinct is just to tell it like it is, but you can't always do that in business," Knapp said. "You can't just go out there and say it exactly the way it is because there are so many other intertwined things. But c'mon it's Invicta. You look at our logo, it's the Phoenix. We're not going to go down and stay down. It doesn't matter. We are going to hurdle a lot of obstacles as we continue to grow, and we've already hurdled tons."