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Tag: Liz Carmouche

  • “The Epitome Of A Timeless Fighter” – Fans React As Liz Carmouche Crushes Jena Bishop With Devastating Left Hand To Claim Women’s Flyweight PFL World Tournament Title

    “The Epitome Of A Timeless Fighter” – Fans React As Liz Carmouche Crushes Jena Bishop With Devastating Left Hand To Claim Women’s Flyweight PFL World Tournament Title

    Liz Carmouche’s legacy grows following the PFL World Tournament event in Charlotte, North Carolina, as she claimed the women’s flyweight tournament gold with a knockout of Jena Bishop in the co-main event.

    The opening round saw both women trading jabs, with Bishop landing combinations to the body while Carmouche answered with steady low kicks. Bishop pressed forward with volume and clinch control, but Carmouche battled back with short strikes inside and a late flurry.

    Round two saw the drama go up to another level, with the fight going to the ground after a caught kick by Bishop. Bishop nearly locked up an armbar and then transitioned to a triangle choke. Carmouche escaped and threatened her own submissions. The round ended with the two trading heavy shots and battling for positional control.

    After a slow start to the third round, with Bishop trying to establish her range again, Carmouche exploded with a big left hand that dropped Bishop for the finish.

    Liz Carmouche KOs Jena Bishop For 2025 PFL Women’s Flyweight World Tournament Title

    After falling short in last year’s women’s flyweight competition, Carmouche reached the finals this year through wins over Ilara Joanne and Elora Dana.

    Bishop also fell just short of the final last year, losing to eventual champion Dakota Ditcheva. She reached the final with wins over Kana Watanabe and Ekaterina Shakalova.

  • PFL World Tournament Week 9 Results & Highlights

    PFL World Tournament Week 9 Results & Highlights

    The second of three events to mark the conclusion of the PFL’s 2025 World Tournaments goes down in Charlotte, North Carolina tonight — and MMA News has you covered with all the action.

    The World Tournament is the spiritual successor to the season-and-the-playoffs has had since its inaugural season in 2018. As part of the changes in format to the PFL upon the official folding of the Bellator brand earlier this year, the PFL changed its global season to a single-elimination tournament format, adding more weight classes, eight fighters per weight class.

    First-round action took place in April and May, with June — previously hosting the second leg of the regular season — hosting semifinal action. This month will see the conclusion of these tournaments, with eight winners receiving PFL World Tournament title belts and $100,000.

    This evening will be headlined by the lightweight tournament final between defending champion Gadzhi Rabadanov and Alfie Davis. Rabadanov, who defeated Brent Primus to claim the 2024 lightweight title, looks to become just one of a handful of PFL fighters to become a back-to-back tournament champion, let alone a two-time PFL tournament champion. Rabadanov made it to the finals with a pair of first-round finishes against Marc Diakiese and Kevin Lee. Davis, meanwhile, advanced here with a first-round knockout of Clay Collard and a decision win over Primus.

    The co-main event will be the women’s flyweight tournament final between Liz Carmouche and Jena Bishop. Carmouche, the former Bellator women’s flyweight champion, reached the finals through an 85-second finish of Ilara Joanne and a decision over Elora Dana. Bishop reached with a unanimous decision over Kana Watanabe and a second-round submission of Ekaterina Shakalova.

    Also featured will be the bantamweight tournament final featuring Marcirley Alves and Justin Wetzell. Alves made it to the final through decision wins over Leandro Higo and Jake Hadley. Wetzell scored decision wins over Kasum Kasumov and Mando Gutierrez.

    2025 PFL World Tournament Week 9 Results & Highlights

    Main Card:

    • Lightweight Final: Alfie Davis def. Gadzhi Rabadanov via unanimous decision (48-47 x3)
    • Women’s Flyweight Final: Liz Carmouche def. Jena Bishop via KO (R3, 2:56)
    • Bantamweight Final: Marcirley Alves def. Justin Wetzell via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47 x2)
    • Lightweight: Robert Watley def. Mads Burnell via TKO (R3, 2:43)

    Preliminary Card:

    • Women’s Flyweight: Juliana Velasquez def. Ekaterina Shakalova via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
    • Lightweight: Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Adryan Grundy via TKO (R3, 3:23)
    • Women’s Flyweight: Sabrinna de Sousa def. Saray Orozco via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
    • Bantamweight: Renat Khavalov def. Vilson Ndregjoni via TKO (R1, 2:49)
    • Welterweight: Chris Mixan def. Kendly St. Louis via TKO (R1, 4:36)
    • Featherweight: Damian Nelson def. Isaiah Diggs via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)

    Damian Nelson vs. Isaiah Diggs

    Kendly St. Louis vs. Chris Mixan

    Renat Khavalov vs. Vilson Ndregjoni

    Sabrinna de Sousa vs. Saray Orozco

    Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Adryan Grundy

    Juliana Velasquez vs. Ekaterina Shakalova

    Mads Burnell vs. Robert Watley

    Marcirley Alves vs. Justin Wetzell

    Liz Carmouche vs. Jena Bishop

    Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Alfie Davis

  • ‘Still Out Here’ – Fans React To Liz Carmouche Easily Defeating Elora Dana At PFL Wichita To Clinch Another PFL World Tournament Final

    ‘Still Out Here’ – Fans React To Liz Carmouche Easily Defeating Elora Dana At PFL Wichita To Clinch Another PFL World Tournament Final

    Liz Carmouche can add to her trophy case with one more victory this summer, as she defeats Elora Dana in the semifinals of the PFL World Tournament in the co-main event of PFL Wichita.

    Carmouche wasted no time in the opening round, scoring an early takedown and landing a big elbow that created a hematoma on Dana’s head. Dana threatened with submissions off her back, but Carmouche’s ground-and-pound gave her the edge.

    Carmouche controlled clinch exchanges and landed another takedown in the second frame, briefly securing a crucifix position. Carmouche dished out ground strikes and a big elbow in the final seconds, rocking Sana to close the round.

    Dana tried to rally with combination in the third, but Carmouche remained composed and landed heavy low kicks and controlled the exchanges.

    Liz Carmouche Punches Ticket To Second Straight Women’s Flyweight Final At PFL World Tournament In Wichita

    Carmouche made the PFL women’s flyweight finals in last year’s season, losing to Dakota Ditcheva. Carmouche entered tonight’s semifinals off a first-round finish of Ilara Joanne. She’ll now face Jena Bishop in the August tournament final.

    Dana entered tonight’s bout with a perfect 8-0 record and four finishes. She earned her semifinal spot with a first-round submission of Diana Avsaragova.

  • Taila Santos, Liz Carmouche Feature In Lineup For PFL Women’s Flyweight World Tournament

    Taila Santos, Liz Carmouche Feature In Lineup For PFL Women’s Flyweight World Tournament

    The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is continuing to roll out the rosters for eight “World Tournaments” set for 2025, with the latest release being the women’s flyweight lineup.

    Major change is coming to the PFL this year, with the promotion making the decision to eliminate the season and playoff format from its yearly structure. Replacing that and the $1 million prize money will be Grand Prix-style tournaments across eight divisions, with the winners of each collecting $500,000.

    After confirming the dates and venue for four events that will host first-round matchups earlier this month, the PFL has begun to announce the full rosters. Thus far, both the welterweight and featherweight lineups have been confirmed, with ex-Bellator champion Jason Jackson and undefeated Dagestani Movlid Khaybulaev marking the two standout names.

    And this week, the rollouts continued with the eight women set to compete in the inaugural flyweight tournament. Among the most notable inclusions is Taila Santos, a former UFC title challenger who fell short of PFL glory in last year’s championship final opposite Dakota Ditcheva.

    While the 2024 champ won’t be part of the tournament, a number of names from last year’s season will, including former Bellator titleholders Liz Carmouche and Juliana Velasquez.

    See below for the full eight-woman roster for this year’s flyweight β€œWorld Tournament,” as announced by the PFL on social media.

    • Taila Santos (22-4)
    • Liz Carmouche (22-8)
    • Kana Watanabe (13-3-1)
    • Juliana Velasquez (13-3)
    • Jena Bishop (7-2)
    • Elora Dana (7-0)
    • Ilara Joanne (12-9)
    • Diana Avsaravoga (6-1)
  • 2024 PFL 7 Playoffs Results & Highlights: Denis Goltsov TKOs Tim Johnson, Dakota Ditcheva Stays Unbeaten

    2024 PFL 7 Playoffs Results & Highlights: Denis Goltsov TKOs Tim Johnson, Dakota Ditcheva Stays Unbeaten

    PFL kicked off its 2024 playoffs on August 2 with matchups from the heavyweight and women’s flyweight divisions. MMA News has the results here!

    The promotion held the event at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. In the main event, Denis Goltsov moved to the final of the playoffs in a heavyweight matchup against Tim Johnson.

    The Russian took his opponent down within two minutes of the fight and got into full mount. Goltsov landed 22 ground strikes from the top position to get the TKO win.

    Elsewhere on the card, Dakota Ditcheva faced Jena Bishop in a women’s flyweight bout in the co-main event. The fight lasted one round, with Ditcheva getting a TKO victory after landing a knee and a few punches to get the referee to step in.

    PFL 7: Denis Goltsov vs. Tim Johnson Fight Card Results

    Main card (ESPN+ & ESPN):

    • Heavyweight: Denis Goltsov def. Tim Johnson via TKO: R1, 2:26
    • Women’s Flyweight: Dakota Ditcheva def. Jena Bishop via TKO: R1, 3:54
    • Heavyweight: Oleg Popov def. Linton Vassell via Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)
    • Women’s Flyweight: Taila Santos def. Liz Carmouche via Unanimous Decision (29-27×3)

    Preliminary card (ESPN+):

    • Heavyweight: Sergey Bilostenniy def. Tyrell Fortune via Submission (Heel Hook): R1, 2:00
    • Featherweight: Alexei Pergande def. Daniel Boehle via Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)
    • Featherweight: Cody Law def. Zachary Hicks via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke): R1, 3:15
    • Catchweight(163lbs): Dedrek Sanders def. Sergio Cossio via KO: R1, 2:34
    • Catchweight(173lbs): Anthony Ivy def. Jaleel Willis via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke): R2, 4:49
    • Welterweight: Kevin Pease def. Nick Meck via Unanimous Decision (29-28×3)

    Main Card Highlights

    Denis Goltsov def. Tim Johnson

    Dakota Ditcheva def. Jena Bishop

    Preliminary Card Highlights

    Sergey Bilostenniy def. Tyrell Fortune

    Cody Law def. Zachary Hicks

    Dedrek Sanders def. Sergio Cossio

    Anthony Ivy def. Jaleel Willis

  • 2024 PFL 7 Playoffs: Denis Goltsov vs. Tim Johnson Weigh-In Results: Liz Carmouche Misses Weight

    2024 PFL 7 Playoffs: Denis Goltsov vs. Tim Johnson Weigh-In Results: Liz Carmouche Misses Weight

    PFL returns this Friday to kick off the 2024 playoffs with matchups from the heavyweight and women’s flyweight divisions. Before they can compete, they must weigh in today, and MMA News has the results here!

    Everyone on the main card made weight successfully except for Liz Carmouche. She was one pound over the women’s flyweight limit for her bout against Taila Santos. However, the matchup will still occur, but Carmouche will lose a point on the judges scorecards.

    The preliminary card as several fighters that also missed weight. Jaleel Willis and Anthony Ivy missed the welterweight limit for their fight against each other. They will compete in a catchweight bout and will be deducted a percentage of their purse. Sergio Cossio failed to make weight, as he was over six pounds for his lightweight fight taking on Dedrek Sanders.

    All fighters that missed weight will lose a percentage of their purse.

    PFL 7 Main & Co Main Event Preview

    DraftKings currently has the former Bellator heavyweight title contender as a +310 underdog. That said, Johnson has shown in his last three fights that he is still a threat at age 39. Both fighters are known to want to finish their opponents, so fans should be prepared for a potential early knockout.

    Elsewhere on the card, Dakota Ditcheva will take on Jena Bishop in a women’s flyweight playoff bout. Ditcheva comes into the matchup undefeated with 12 wins and entered the season as one of the favorites to win the PFL women’s flyweight championship. Bishop will try to shock the MMA community by ending her win streak this Friday and advance to the final. However, it will be a difficult task as Ditcheva will have a significant height and reach advantage.

    PFL 7 will occur at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The main card will start at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT, while the preliminary card will kick the event off at 5:30 PM ET/2:30 PM PT.

    PFL 7: Denis Goltsov vs. Tim Johnson Weigh-In Results

    (Fight Card Is Subject To Change)

    Main card (ESPN+ & ESPN):

    • Heavyweight: Denis Goltsov (247.6 lbs) vs. Tim Johnson (265.8 lbs)
    • Women’s Flyweight: Dakota Ditcheva (125.2 lbs) vs. Jena Bishop (125.2 lbs)
    • Heavyweight: Oleg Popov (247.2 lbs) vs. Linton Vassell (248 lbs)
    • Women’s Flyweight: Taila Santos (125.2 lbs) vs. Liz Carmouche (127 lbs)*

    Preliminary card (ESPN+):

    • Heavyweight: Tyrell Fortune (255.6 lbs) vs. Sergey Bilostenniy (249.6 lbs)
    • Featherweight: Alexei Pergande (146 lbs) vs. Daniel Boehle (145.2 lbs)
    • Featherweight: Cody Law (145.4 lbs) vs. Zachary Hicks (145.6 lbs)
    • Lightweight: Sergio Cossio (162.8 lbs)* vs. Dedrek Sanders (155.25 lbs)
    • Welterweight: Jaleel Willis (172.6 lbs)* vs. Anthony Ivy (172 lbs)*
    • Welterweight: Kevin Pease (169.2 lbs) vs. Nick Meck (170.2 lbs)

    *Liz Carmouche missed the women’s flyweight limit by 1 pound

    *Sergio Cossio missed the lightweight limit by 6.8 pounds

    *Jaleel Willis missed the welterweight limit by 1.6 pounds

    *Anthony Ivy missed the welterweight limit by 1 pound