Shannon Knapp, right, consulted on the Netflix movie “Bruised,” produced by and starring Halle Berry, left.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is known as one of the fastest-rising sports globally. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the top institution that organizes MMA for male athletes and because of the vision of Shannon Knapp, female combat fighters are now getting the same opportunities in the sport. Knapp’s company, Invicta FC, has rapidly gained success and became the top female athlete MMA organization.

Invicta’s CEO Shannon Knapp grew up in Rock Port, Missouri, in the 1980s, the daughter of Linda and Pat Fuston and Gilbert and Delores Holmes. Though she may be known locally here, she is recognized nationally as the first female executive in MMA sports.

Before Shannon made a name for herself in MMA, she created an impressive career in broadcasting, specializing in combat sports like UFC, Affliction and Strikeforce on Showtime. As an executive in the sport, she recognized that women were increasingly interested and passionate about competing even though the sport was predominantly centered on male athletes. Their passion for MMA inspired Shannon to start Invicta Fighting Championships. The word invicta means “unconquerable” and has proven to be a very fitting name as it has led to some very exciting opportunities for female combat sport athletes and for Shannon.

On its website, Invicta shares that the organization is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible match-ups, as well as identifying and developing future superstars of the sport.

There are 100 athletes on Invicta’s roster that includes UFC Champion Amanda Nunes, Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino, Rose Namajunas and many more successful women who continue to excel in the sport. It is extremely important to Shannon that women who are passionate about combat sports get the opportunity to enjoy the sport while also leading full lives. Her athletes are also excelling in careers such as nurse practitioners and police officers, and even holding office, like Kansas Senator Sharice Davids.

Shannon’s recent project was consulting on the Netflix movie “Bruised,” produced by and starring Oscar Winning actress Halle Berry. “Bruised” tells the story about a female MMA fighter who overcomes immeasurable hardships but ultimately becomes triumphant through the sport. “Bruised” debuted on Netflix in November 2021. The movie quickly landed the streamer’s #1 film of the week slot in the U.S., and has charted at #2 on its Top 10 Global English Film list. “Bruised” hit #1 in a total of 21 countries, and was watched for 47.7M hours in its first five days.

Following the positive reaction “Bruised” has received, Berry has been offered a “multi-title deal” that will allow her to produce and star in several feature films for Netflix.

In a recent interview, Halle Berry says she is “forever indebted” to Shannon and her team for the assets and expertise that they gave her for the production of the film.

When Halle Berry attended an Invicta event, she was struck by the fact that male fighters are given opportunities that female fighters are not. It made her want to bring more light and attention to the female warriors and get to really know them and learn about their passion behind the sport.

Shannon loaned her expertise about MMA and her experience cultivating the success of Invicta to Halle Berry by personally taking Halle on a tour through Invicta’s training arenas. Invicta’s success was at the foundation of the movie’s storyline about the sport. “I enjoyed consulting on the movie, and was honored that Invicta was a part of it,” Shannon said.

Shannon has more projects in the works that will continue to bring attention to women in combat sports, including documentary projects.