Liz Carmouche has seen all of it in blended martial arts (MMA).
The present Bellator girls’s Flyweight champion holds her spot in historical past as one-half of the primary struggle between girls in Final Combating Championship (UFC) historical past. Carmouche, 40, challenged for the Bantamweight title in opposition to Ronda Rousey in February 2013. Though she got here up quick by way of a primary spherical armbar defeat, Carmouche remained amongst that pivotal pool of 135-pound trailblazers till she dropped to 125 kilos in December 2017.
It has been ten-plus years because the girls arrived with the 135-pound division, and the panorama is nowhere close to what it was concerning expertise and publicity. Since Rousey, Holly Holm, Miesha Tate, Amanda Nunes, and Raquel Pennington have held the celebrated title. Finally, “Girlrilla” believes the present state of affairs will be attributed to the dearth of follow-up champions who may captivate audiences to the diploma Rousey did.
“I positively really feel like we simply haven’t had a champion that’s had the charisma at 135 to carry over the expertise,” Carmouche instructed MMA Mania. “For those who have a look at Bellator being a chief instance, numerous these 145ers that fill and implement what we all know as being their division are actually 135ers, proper? They moved up a weight class as a result of they know there’s no means they will make 125, or possibly they only don’t need to. Regardless of the case occurs to be, they’re not taking place to 125, so that they went as much as 145.
“We have now some 125ers like myself which are killing ourselves to make 125 that might carry out so significantly better at 135,” she continued. “Or girls that might in all probability carry out higher and don’t comprehend it. They will make it, however they don’t have numerous muscle on their physique. They’re probably not pulling it collectively at 125. Do issues proper; it could possibly be a significantly better 135 fighter. If we (PFL) may have these two weight lessons, we’d be dominating all over the place, and that might positively be the group to look out for.”
As top-of-the-line Flyweights on the planet, Carmouche (20-7), is ready to tackle a brand new enterprise when she makes her PFL debut in opposition to Juliana Velasquez at PFL San Antonio subsequent weekend (Thurs., April 4, 2024). Carmouche is on the most effective stretch of her profession, using a seven-fight profitable streak, six of which ended by end (three submissions, three knockouts).
The San Diego, Calif., native didn’t have to proceed after her most up-to-date title protection in opposition to Ilima-Lei Macfarlane at Bellator 300 in October 2023 (watch highlights). Nonetheless, she believes two extra weight lessons, one in every of which introduces her outdated division to her new promotion, could be the right send-off.
“I believe the most effective, finest case situation could be to get the belt at 125, boycott — get in PFL’s ear, having gotten the belt to have the ability to affect them, and hopefully get to realize bringing a 135 division over, and ending it with the 135 belt,” Carmouche mentioned of an ideal retirement situation. “So, I believe one other season, however going up a weight class, that might be the cherry on prime, and that might shut the whole lot out.”
For all the newest PFL and Bellator MMA information and notes click on right here and right here.