Liz Carmouche Record, stats and next fight

Analysis

Liz Carmouche, a former US Marine who became one of the pioneers of women’s MMA, now fights at flyweight for the PFL after a run in the UFC and a title reign at Bellator. Her most recent fight pitted her against Jena Bishop on October 16, 2026, in Chicago for the inaugural PFL women’s flyweight title, which she lost by unanimous decision.

Career

Born on February 19, 1984, in Lafayette, Louisiana, Elizabeth Marie Carmouche served five years in the United States Marine Corps before turning to MMA. She made her professional debut in March 2010 with a TKO win over Trudie Ginn, then put together several wins on the American and Mexican regional circuits. She went on to join Strikeforce Challengers, where she beat Colleen Schneider and Jan Finney, before suffering her first loss to Marloes Coenen by submission, then a second to Sarah Kaufman by decision. Back in the win column at Invicta FC against Ashleigh Curry and Kaitlin Young, she built the record that led to her UFC signing.

Career in the UFC

Liz Carmouche made history on February 23, 2013, facing Ronda Rousey at UFC 157, the promotion’s first women’s fight, which she lost by first-round submission after briefly taking the champion’s back. She bounced back in July 2013 with a TKO win over Jessica Andrade, before two decision losses to Alexis Davis and then Miesha Tate. She then strung together wins over Lauren Murphy and Katlyn Chookagian, before another decision loss to Alexis Davis in 2017. Moving to flyweight, she beat Jennifer Maia and Lucie Pudilova, before two decision losses to Valentina Shevchenko, the second of which, in August 2019, cost her a spot on the roster.

Career at Bellator and the PFL

A free agent, Liz Carmouche signed with Bellator and strung together wins over DeAnna Bennett, Vanessa Porto and Kana Watanabe. In April 2022, she beat Juliana Velasquez by TKO to become Bellator women’s flyweight champion, a title she defended against the same Velasquez by submission and then against Bennett by rear-naked choke. In October 2023, she added a win over Ilima-Lei Macfarlane to her record. Bellator’s merger with the PFL moved her into the league’s women’s flyweight tournament, where she beat Velasquez again by decision, then Watanabe by submission, before a decision loss to Taila Santos in August 2024. In 2025, she won the tournament by beating Ilara Joanne, Elora Dana and then Jena Bishop by KO in the final, earning the PFL tournament championship. In June 2026, she submitted Viviane Araujo by guillotine choke, before facing Jena Bishop again on October 16, 2026, for the inaugural PFL women’s flyweight title, which she lost by unanimous decision after five rounds.

Fighting style

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under the 10th Planet system, Liz Carmouche has built her career on solid grappling and relentless ground pressure, which has earned her the majority of her wins by submission, most notably by rear-naked choke, arm-triangle or armbar. Over the years, she has sharpened her boxing and elbows on the feet, which has allowed her to add KO or TKO finishes in the later part of her career, particularly during her run at the PFL.

Record

• Professional record: 26 wins, 9 losses, 0 draws
• Wins by KO or TKO: 11
• Wins by submission: 7
• Wins by decision: 8
• Title: Bellator women’s flyweight world champion (2022-2023)
• Award: PFL women’s flyweight tournament champion (2025)
• Award: first fighter to compete in a women’s bout in the UFC, against Ronda Rousey in 2013

Fighter profile

• Full name: Elizabeth Marie Carmouche
• Nickname: Girl-Rilla
• Born: February 19, 1984, Lafayette, Louisiana, United States
• Nationality: American
• Height: 5’6″ (167 cm)
• Reach: 5’6″ (168 cm)
• Division: flyweight (women’s division)
• Team: The Arena
• Coach: not specified in available sources
• Technical base: Brazilian jiu-jitsu (10th Planet), grappling and submissions

Sources

• fr.wikipedia.org
• en.wikipedia.org
• www.sherdog.com
• www.tapology.com
• cagesidepress.com
• pflmma.com