Liz Carmouche Takes Juliana Velasquez to Clear Decision Win in Trilogy Bout at PFL 1

Liz Carmouche, PFL 1
Liz Carmouche, 2024 PFL 1: San Antonio at the Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas, Thursday, April 4, 2024. (Cooper Neill / PFL)

Bellator MMA women’s flyweight champ Liz Carmouche kicked off her hunt for a second major title on Thursday at PFL 1 in San Antonio, TX, throwing down with a very familiar foe in Juliana Velasquez.

It was from Velasquez that Carmouche had claimed gold two years ago; the “Girl-Rilla” then went on to defeat the Brazilian in an immediate rematch before defending her title twice more.

That made Thursday’s trilogy bout, albeit under a new promotional banner, something of a surprise. But the chips had fallen that way, with Carmouche as surprised as anyone at being paired up with an opponent she had already defeated twice.

Carmouche charged across the cage early on Thursday, putting Velasquez up against the fence. From there, knees and foot stomps followed for the Bellator champ; what did not follow was a takedown, and instead, Velasquez reversed. A couple more reversals followed before the pair moved back to center, though they wouldn’t stay there long.

Come the final minute, Carmouche pursued a takedown with renewed urgency, but she still could not take the Brazilian down. Velasquez was showing some damage under one eye, however.

Another fierce start by Liz Carmouche saw the Bellator champ come out firing in round two, punching her way in while pursuing the takedown. This time, she landed it, settling into half guard right off the bat. Carmouche did plenty of work there before standing back up, and chopping at the legs of a very busy-off-her-back Velasquez. Carmouche then pretty much jumped over a Velasquez kick to to settle back in on top, looking to pull her leg through the Brazil’s guard and move to mount. While mount didn’t happen just then, Carmouche did transition to side control.

With time winding down in round two, Carmouche then trapped an arm, initially looking at a kimura, then arm-bar, then simply raining down some hammer fists to finish the round strong.

Some back-and-forth action in the clinch kicked off round three, including Velasquez landin a couple of lefts. That was followed by Carmouche shooting a bit wild for a takedown. Still, she was able to land it, moving into Velasquez’s guard. Needing a finish, that was not where Juliana Velasquez wanted to be in the least.

With Velasquez unable to escape, it was Carmouche instead moving to mount. She would attempt a late heel hook, to no avail. Ultimately Carmouche wasn’t able to find the finish, but she did secure a dominant three-round decision win for three points towards a playoff berth.

Official Result: Liz Carmouche def. Juliana Velasquez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)