When Liz Carmouche arrived in Bellator last year, cut unceremoniously after a title fight loss in the UFC, the thought process was that she would quickly land a title fight. The fact that friend and training partner Ilima-Lei Macfarlane held the Bellator women’s flyweight title mattered not: the pair were open about their willingness to compete, and go back to friendship after.
When Macfarlane lost the title last year, it made the path to a Carmouche title shot even clearer. All she needed to do was win. And at Bellator 256 against former Invicta FC flyweight champ Vanessa Porto, she did just that.
Now, Carmouche said following Friday’s win, she’s “absolutely” ready for the title shot. “As soon as they say I’m clear and I’m good, I’m ready to get back into fight camp and go for the belt,” she stated during the post-fight press conference.
Winning a major championship at long last “would mean the world. It’s something that I’m always trying to pursue,” said Carmouche. “I’m trying to be the best version of myself, and it’s in pursuit of holding the belt, and showing what a champion should be as a title hold. That hasn’t changed. So for me to actually have that title, have the opportunity to do that and take that home to San Diego, it would mean the world to my family, to myself, to my wife and my son, and that’s ultimately always what I’m going for.”
If the title shot isn’t next, Carmouche admitted that she’d be disappointed. “You tell me who I need to beat to get there to get to the fight, and I’ll do it. And I’d certainly hope that beating somebody who has more fights than I do, and beating her tonight would put me in contention for that belt.”
Watch the full Bellator 256 post-fight press conference with Liz Carmouche above.
