Jena Bishop stunned Liz Carmouche by unanimous decision at PFL Chicago on October 16, 2026, to claim the title the league had billed as its first-ever women’s flyweight world championship. Unbeaten French welterweight Oualy Tandia also won his promotional debut on the same card at Wintrust Arena.
Bishop Turns the Tables on Carmouche
Billed by the league as the fight to crown its first women’s flyweight world champion, the main event pit Bishop against Carmouche on a card that aired on ESPN2, with prelims at 7 p.m. ET and the main card at 11 p.m. ET. Carmouche, who challenged Ronda Rousey for the UFC’s first women’s title at UFC 157 in February 2013, is also a former Bellator champion and the 2025 PFL women’s flyweight tournament champion, and had won 13 of her last 14 fights before facing Bishop. Bishop, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and former IBJJF no-gi world champion, had seven submission wins among her 11 pro victories.
The two had already met in that same tournament’s final in August 2025, where Carmouche won by third-round stoppage after landing a hook. This time, all three judges scored it 48-47 for Bishop, and the belt changed hands. The win moved Bishop to 12-3 as a pro, while Carmouche dropped to 26-9.
A Fight That Swung Both Ways
Carmouche dropped Bishop with a short hook late in round one. Bishop rallied in round two but lost top position after landing illegal shots to the back of the head. She took Carmouche’s back in round three and won that round and the next on the scorecards, before Carmouche answered with cleaner striking in round four. In the fifth and final round, Bishop again took Carmouche’s back and threatened several submissions until the final horn, without finishing the fight.
“I knew this was going to happen and I knew I was coming home with this belt,” Bishop said afterward. She said she believed round four was the last, which pushed her to push the pace on the ground as soon as round five started.
Ditcheva Calls for the Next Shot
Unbeaten Dakota Ditcheva, 16-0 and the 2024 PFL women’s flyweight tournament champion, used the night to announce she is back to full-contact training after breaking both hands in her July decision win over Denise Kieholtz. She has already faced Bishop once, stopping the now-champion by first-round knockout in the 2024 PFL playoffs, before Bishop rebuilt her way to Friday’s title fight.
“Now that I’ve been cleared, I want to be the next person to fight for the belt,” she said, adding she wants to compete in February or March. The PFL has not yet announced an opponent or date for Bishop’s first title defense.
Tandia Moves to 6-0 in PFL Debut
Unbeaten French welterweight Oualy Tandia, 24, won the Hexagone MMA title in the 77-kilogram (170-pound) division on May 29, 2026, before signing with PFL in New York on July 28. In his promotional debut, he took a unanimous decision over American J.P. Saint Louis, with scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. The win extended Tandia’s professional record to 6-0 since turning pro in January 2025, with three stoppages and two decisions. He is currently the only French fighter on the promotion’s roster, and the PFL has not yet named his next opponent.
Rest of the Card
Timur Khizriev edged Gabriel Braga by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28), a result the Wintrust Arena crowd booed. Sarvarjon Khamidov finished Rafael do Nascimento by knockout at 1:49 of the first round.
On the preliminary card, Eliezer Kubanza stopped Trey Waters by first-round knockout, Emiliano Sordi finished Abraham Bably by second-round TKO, and Kevin Pease submitted Cássio Barão by rear-naked choke in the first round. Shannon Clark stopped Lucero Acosta by third-round TKO, Gamid Khizriev finished Michael Boylan by first-round TKO, and Cobey Fehr submitted Rosario Romero in under a minute. Levan Khabalaev finished Brock Hamer by TKO in the first round, Noah Hermosillo finished Caden Cox by TKO in the third round, and Paulina Wisniewska won a decision over Chelsea Hackett.
