Liz Carmouche will be fighting in familiar territory come June.
Carmouche (25-8) will face fellow UFC alum Viviane Araujo (13-7) in the co-main event of PFL San Diego on June 27, 2026, promotion officials announced on Wednesday. The card takes place at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.
“The Girl-Rilla” is Louisiana born but called San Diego home for years, fighting out of the San Diego Combat Academy. The PFL World Tournament winner, former Bellator MMA women’s flyweight champion and UFC title challenger has more recently called Tennessee home, but has continued to train both in San Diego and Virginia as well.
Last year, Carmouche, who turned 42 in February, went on a three-fight tear to defeat Ilara Joanne, Elora Dana, and BJJ star Jena Bishop to claim the PFL’s World Tournament crown at flyweight. Most then widely suspected a fight with #1 ranked flyweight and promotional darling Dakota Ditcheva, but that has not yet come to pass.
Ditcheva had been paired up with Denise Kielholtz in February, but was forced out of the fight due to injury.
Instead, Carmouche gets the #8-ranked women’s flyweight in the PFL, with Liz herself sitting at #2. Araujo made her PFL debut earlier this month, earning a unanimous decision over Shanna Young.
PFL San Diego is headlined by a featherweight match-up featuring the #2-ranked AJ McKee taking on #6-ranked Salamat Isbulaev.
