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.

The post Liz Carmouche vs. Viviane Araujo Added As PFL San Diego Co-Main appeared first on Cageside Press.

The pair were also former training partners, adding a little twist to the women’s flyweight World Tournament final.

Carmouche, with vastly more MMA experience, circled outside early, forcing Bishop to chase her. Two minutes in, Bishop fired an overhand, changed levels, and moved in for a takedown, eating a right hand on her entry. Carmouche, back to the cage, fought off the attempt, and remained standing, at least for the time being, though Jena was able to secure a body lock.

Round two did see the pair go to the ground, but it was Carmouche who got on top. Bishop, a highly decorated jiu-jitsu talent, was not deterred, locking up an arm-bar off her back. Carmouche hoisted her up and slammed her, but Bishop didn’t let to. She transitioned to a triangle, and added elbows on top of that! Carmouche, however, refused to be put away and would escape, soon attempting a triangle on her own. It was back on the feet where she was able to do damage however, landing a standing elbow before Bishop tied things up with a clinch.

The next trip to the canvas saw Jena Bishop hunting a leg lock, but she didn’t have it. Returning to the feet, Carmouche would start teeing off, though the round was over moments later.

Round three started with a slightly slower pace, but that didn’t matter when Carmouche exploded halfway through the round. Carmouche tagged Bishop, who rolled over backwards off the crushing right hand. Carmouche stayed right on her, dropping hammerfists on the fallen Bishop until the ref waved things off!

With that, Liz Carmouche had the PFL World Tournament women’s flyweight championship, claiming a belt in a second major promotion, though it’s Dakota Ditcheva who will no doubt be in her sights next.

Official Result: Liz Carmouche def. Jena Bishop by TKO, Round 3, 2:56

The post PFL Charlotte: Liz Carmouche Knocks Out Jena Bishop for World Tournament Win appeared first on Cageside Press.

Gadzhi Rabadanov, the 2024 PFL Global champion, was looking to win a second straight tournament when he took on fellow Bellator MMA veteran Alfie Davis. The co-main event, meanwhile, featured Liz Carmouche, the multi-time UFC title challenger and Bellator champ, facing BJJ star Jena Bishop.

Where to Watch the PFL World Tournament Finals

Friday, August 15, 2025 sees the Professional Fighters League visiting the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. PFL Charlotte airs live on ESPN and ESPN+ in the U.S., and DAZN elsewhere. Full results can be found below. The preliminary card starts at 6:30PM ET, 3:30PM PT followed by the main card at 9PM ET, 6PM PT.

PFL Charlotte: Rabadanov vs. Davis Results

Lightweight: Alfie Davis def. Gadzhi Rabadanov by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) – World Tournament Lightweight Final
Women’s Flyweight: Liz Carmouche def. Jena Bishop by TKO, Round 3, 2:56 – World Tournament Women’s Flyweight Final
Bantamweight: Marcirley Alves def. Justin Wetzell by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) – World Tournament Bantamweight Final
Lightweight: Robert Watley def. Mads Burnell by TKO, Round 3, 2:43

Preliminary card

Women’s Flyweight: Juliana Velasquez def. Ekaterina Shakalova by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Lightweight: Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Adryan Grundy by knockout, Round 3, 3:23
Women’s Flyweight: Sabrina de Sousa def. Saray Orozco by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Bantamweight: Renat Khavalov def. Vilson Ndregjoni by TKO, Round 1, 2:49
Welterweight: Chris Mixan def. Kendly St. Louis by TKO, Round 1, 4:36
Catchweight (150): Damion Nelson def. Isaiah Diggs by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

The post PFL Charlotte: Rabadanov vs. Davis Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Carmouche (24-8) has gone from Strikeforce to Invicta to the UFC to Bellator and now the PFL, and at 41 is one of the most recognizable names on the women’s side of MMA. During this week’s PFL Charlotte media day, she spoke about being invested in the future of the PFL, in part because of their willingness to give female fighters equal opportunities.

“It’s really important in trying to cultivate an opportunity for women to succeed, and to do it in a male dominated support, to show them that success, dreams, all that is possible with hard work,” stated Carmouche. “I see PFL being able to help women achieve that. Investing in the future of women, treating them equally with men. There aren’t very many organizations that are doing that, and there’s even less where women can make a living doing this. I’m all about PFL and what they’re doing with women.”

It’s worth noting that some of the PFL’s biggest stars past and present, from Kayla Harrison to Larissa Pacheco to Dakota Ditcheva, have been women.

Jena Bishop has far less experience than Carmouche in MMA proper, but the former UFC title challenger and Bellator MMA champion noted that the tables turn when you factor in her opponent’s jiu-jitsu background.

“What Jena can say over me is that she’s been a black belt almost as long as I’ve been training and fighting professional,” noted Carmouche. “As much as she’s gotten into the game of mixed martial arts later, not in terms of one of the aspects of of martial arts. In that, she has more ground that I do, and it’s just kind of putting those pieces together of MMA that she’s bringing into it.”

Watch Liz Carmouche’s PFL Charlotte media day appearance above. The event takes place this Friday, August 15, 2025 at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The post Liz Carmouche “All About PFL and What They’re Doing with Women” appeared first on Cageside Press.

It’s really no surprise to see former Bellator flyweight champ Liz Carmouche here. Carmouche was a favorite to make the finals in last year’s PFL Global season, but was eliminated in the semifinals by Taila Santos. Dakota Ditcheva would go on to win the season; with Ditcheva now the PFL’s biggest star, it seems Carmouche and Jena Bishop are fighting for a shot at the champ.

Gadzhi Rabadanov won the 2024 PFL Global lightweight season, and he’s looking to double up as a PFL World Tournament champion when he takes on Alfie Davis in an all-Bellator main event. On a 12-fight win streak and with four straight finishes, Rabadanov is looking deadlier than ever.

Weigh-ins for PFL Charlotte take place Thursday; results can be found below.

PFL Charlotte: Rabadanov vs. Davis Weigh-In Results

Main card

Lightweight: Gadzhi Rabadanov (154.8) vs. Alfie Davis (154.2) – World Tournament Lightweight Final
Women’s Flyweight: Liz Carmouche (125) vs. Jena Bishop (124.8) – World Tournament Women’s Flyweight Final
Bantamweight: Marcirley Alves (134.8) vs. Justin Wetzell (134.8) – World Tournament Bantamweight Final
Lightweight: Mads Burnell (154.8) vs. Robert Watley (156)

Preliminary card

Women’s Flyweight: Juliana Velasquez (125.6) vs. Ekaterina Shakalova (125.2)
Lightweight: Biaggio Ali Walsh (155.2) vs. Adryan Grundy (155.4)
Women’s Flyweight: Sabrina de Sousa (125.8) vs. Saray Orozco (125.4)
Bantamweight: Renat Khavalov (136) vs. Vilson Ndregjoni (135.8)
Welterweight: Kendly St. Louis (169.2) vs. Chris Mixan (170.2)
Featherweight: Damion Nelson (149)* vs. Isaiah Diggs (146)

* Nelson missed weight by 3lbs, bout moves forward at a 150lb catchweight

The post PFL Charlotte: Rabadanov vs. Davis Weigh-In Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Carmouche did what Carmouche does and worked to cause damage early with her elbows. Dana eventually got back to her feet, but not until after Carmouche had already landed enough to cause a large hematoma to the forehead. After the fight got back to the feet, both women traded shots to finish off the round.

In the second round, there were lots of shots traded, and the fight stayed on the feet for the most part. After positioning her opponent up against the cage, Carmouche got the fight to the ground once again, landing more ground and pound but ultimately controlling her opponent and dominating the round. After getting back up with about ten seconds left in the round, Dana ate a punishing three-piece combination.

The final round emulated a lot of what we saw in Round 2 with both fighters trading on the feet for the first half of the round. Both fighters were looking for the big moment but later in the round, Carmouche was able to stuff Dana up against the cage to do some work in the clinch where she was able to use the last bit of energy she had to control Dana and land her shots up tight. After both fighters broke free in the last twenty seconds, Carmouche completely unloaded and came very close to connecting cleanly with the huge shots she was coming forward with.

Two former Bellator flyweights in Liz Carmouche and Jena Bishop will now meet in the 2025 PFL World Tournament Finals this August.

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

The post PFL Wichita: Liz Carmouche Puts On Veteran Showing, Lands Spot in World Tournament Finals appeared first on Cageside Press.

Atop the card, 2025 PFL Global champion Gadzhi Rabadanov. The Dagestani standout was looking for a second tournament win, albeit with roughly half the prize money on the line. Opposite Rabadanov should have been Jay-Jay Wilson, but with Wilson forced out, UFC veteran Kevin Lee was stepping in, looking for one of the biggest wins of his career.

In the co-main event, Bellator women’s flyweight champ Liz Carmouche was paired up with undefeated Jungle Warriors champion Elora Dana.

Where to Watch the PFL World Tournament Semifinals

The PFL World Tournament continues on Friday, June 20, 2025 with PFL Wichita taking place at the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. The airs live on ESPN and ESPN+ in the U.S., and DAZN elsewhere. Full results can be found below. The action gets underway at 5:30PM ET, 2:30PM PT.

PFL Wichita: Rabadanov vs. Lee Results

Main Card

Lightweight: Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Kevin Lee by TKO, Round 1, 2:37 – World Tournament Semifinal
Women’s Flyweight: Liz Carmouche def. Elora Dana by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – World Tournament Semifinal
Lightweight: Archie Colgan def. Mansour Barnaoui by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Bantamweight: Marcirley Alves def. Jake Hadley by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26) – World Tournament Semifinal
Lightweight: Alfie Davis def. Brent Primus by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – World Tournament Semifinal
Bantamweight: Justin Wetzell def. Mando Gutierrez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – World Tournament Semifinal

Early Card

Women’s Flyweight: Jena Bishop def. Ekaterina Shakalova by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 2:07 – World Tournament Semifinal
Bantamweight: Magomed Magomedov def. Savarjon Khamidov by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – World Tournament Alternate bout
Lightweight: Vinicius Cenci def. Antonio Caruso by submission (triangle), Round 1, 1:43 – World Tournament Alternate bout
Lightweight: Darragh Kelly def. Mike Hamel by submission (face crank), Round 3, 3:09
Women’s Flyweight: Ilara Joanne def. Saray Orozco by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) – World Tournament Alternate bout
Welterweight: Nick Meck def. Alan Domingues by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:10

The post PFL Wichita: Rabadanov vs. Lee Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Headlining the show, last year’s PFL Global champ, Gadzhi Rabadanov, was paired up with replacement fighter and UFC veteran Kevin Lee, stepping in for Jay-Jay Wilson. The co-headliner saw Liz Carmouche opposite undefeated Brazilian Elora Dana, while Mansour Barnaoui and Archie Colgan faced off in a showcase, non-tournament lightweight bout.

A bantamweight semifinal also graced the card with Jake Hadley facing Marcirley Alves.

Weigh-ins for the event took place on Thursday in Wichita, KS, results can be found below. Of note, Kevin Lee was successful in his return to the lightweight division for the first time in four years.

PFL Wichita: Rabadanov vs. Lee Weigh-In Results

Main Card

Lightweight: Gadzhi Rabadanov (155.6 lbs) vs. Kevin Lee (156 lbs) – World Tournament Semifinal
Women’s Flyweight: Liz Carmouche (126 lbs) vs. Elora Dana (125 lbs) – World Tournament Semifinal
Lightweight: Mansour Barnaoui (155.4 lbs) vs. Archie Colgan (155.6 lbs)
Bantamweight: Marcirley Alves (135.6 lbs) vs. Jake Hadley (135.8 lbs) – World Tournament Semifinal
Lightweight: Brent Primus (155.8 lbs) vs. Alfie Davis (155.8 lbs) – World Tournament Semifinal
Bantamweight: Justin Wetzell (135.8 lbs) vs. Mando Gutierrez (136 lbs) – World Tournament Semifinal

Early Card

Women’s Flyweight: Ekaterina Shakalova (126 lbs) vs. Jena Bishop (125.6 lbs) – World Tournament Semifinal
Bantamweight: Magomed Magomedov (136 lbs) vs. Savarjon Khamidov (175.4 lbs) – World Tournament Alternate bout
Lightweight: Antonio Caruso (155.4 lbs) vs. Vinicius Cenci (154.8 lbs) – World Tournament Alternate bout
Lightweight: Darragh Kelly (170.6 lbs) vs. Mike Hamel (156 lbs)
Women’s Flyweight: Saray Orozco (145.4 lbs) vs. Ilara Joanne (124.4 lbs) – World Tournament Alternate bout
Welterweight: Alan Domingues (170.8 lbs) vs. Nick Meck (170.2 lbs)

The post PFL Wichita: Rabadanov vs. Lee Weigh-In Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Marches on might be an understatement. Carmouche, at 41, has just one loss since 2019. She continues to beat some of the best and brightest in her weight class; this Friday, it’s Elora Dana she faces off against.

“I have nothing to lose, because I’m still doing this when most people have long-since retired,” Carmouche (23-8), who challenged for gold in the UFC twice and won Bellator MMA’s 125lb title, noted. “But I’m always used to, they seem to always put me up against somebody who’s that new up-and-comer, they’re the champion in whatever organization they’re in, they’re undefeated, and they think that they’re going to pave their way with me, instead of I pave my way with another loss for them, and their first on their record.”

Winning the World Tournament (and perhaps the PFL Global title beyond that), and even helping launch a women’s bantamweight division in the promotion, which Carmouche hopes to do, “would mean a lot,” Carmouche later added. “It would mean that I can have a sense of closure in being able to close out my career knowing that I helped develop the possibilities for future fighters. And to do it with an organization that I know is taking care of their fighters. It’s not all just going back into their pockets, it’s going into the fighters’ pockets, and that I can stand behind.”

Waiting at the end of the tournament, barring unforeseen circumstances, is Dakota Ditcheva. A fighter who seems to be the complete package in Carmouche’s eyes. In addition to look and mic skills, noted the Bellator champ, Ditcheva has “the most important part, she can carry her own in the cage.”

“It’s not like she just has that attractive element that people like, but she has the skill and talent to be able to back it. And that’s what we need to be able to really build up the divisions.”

Watch the full PFL Wichita media day appearance by Liz Carmouche above.

The post PFL Wichita: Liz Carmouche Has “Nothing to Lose” At This Stage of Career appeared first on Cageside Press.

Suddenly, Rettinghouse, himself a replacement for Magomed Magomedov, was in need of replacing. That duty went to Marcirley Alves, a tournament alternate who had been scheduled to face Vilson Ndregjoni in the first bout of the evening.

Vilson Ndregjoni was left without a dance partner, resulting in the card being shifted back half an hour. End result, PFL 2 has a very different look, especially when Taila Santos dropped out of the PFL World Tournament previously.

Quite the scramble, but the tournament continues with women’s flyweight and bantamweight semifinals now locked in. Also on the card, UFC veterans Jake Hadley and Matheus Mattos faced off in prelim action. All fights are quarterfinals in the PFL World Tournament.

Where to Watch PFL 2

This year’s PFL 2 card takes place on April 11, 2025 at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL. The action gets underway at 9PPM ET, 6PM PT, airing live on ESPN2/ESPN+ and DAZN. Full results from the event can be found below.

2025 PFL 2: Higo vs. Alves Results

Main card

Marcirley Alves def. Leandro Higo by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Liz Carmouche def. Ilara Joanne by TKO (punches), Round 1, 1:25
Mando Gutierrez def. Francesco Nuzzi by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:13
Justin Wetzell def. Kasum Kasumov by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Preliminary card

Ekaterina Shakalova def. Juliana Velasquez by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:05
Jake Hadley def. Matheus Mattos by submission (Scottish twister), Round 3, 2:16
Jena Bishop def. Kana Watanabe by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Elora Dana def. Diana Avsaragova by submission (neck crank), Round 1, 4:48

The post 2025 PFL 2: Higo vs. Alves Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.