Some experiences are once in a lifetime, from a toddler taking a first step to an adventure traveler trekking to Machu Picchu. But one time apparently isn’t enough for Liz Carmouche.
When the pioneer of women’s MMA steps into the PFL SmartCage at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Friday (11 p.m. ET, ESPN2; prelims at 6 p.m. on ESPN+), it will not be the first time Carmouche has fought for a championship. She has had gold in her sights many times before.
She won the women’s flyweight tournament just last year in the PFL’s final season under its tournament format. She won the Bellator MMA flyweight title in 2022 and defended it three times. During her time in the UFC, she competed for the bantamweight title in 2013 and the flyweight belt in 2019. Way back in 2011, Carmouche fought for the Strikeforce bantamweight championship.
This week, the newly created PFL women’s flyweight belt is up for grabs, and the other fighter vying for the vacant title is Jena Bishop, who represents another not-a-first situation for Carmouche. She knocked out Bishop to win the PFL tournament in August 2025. Bishop has won two consecutive fights since to earn a second chance.
Carmouche (26-8) knows better than to dwell on her past with Bishop (11-3), especially after what happened to her in past rematches.
“Every time I’ve rematched with somebody, they have leveled up by approaching the second fight with a growth mentality,” Carmouche recently told ESPN. “They realize the mistakes they made in our previous fight and they have grown from it. Every time I think I have the number of my opponent, the second time around they are a whole different opponent and I have to make on-the-fly adjustments. Every single time.”
Carmouche is speaking from hard-won experience. It turns out rematches are something of a specialty for her. Over a 16-year career spanning 34 fights, she has fought rematches with four women, including a trilogy fight with one of them. When Bishop is added to her list, Carmouche will have more rematches with more opponents than any other active women’s MMA fighter.
Carmouche has found success in rematches, going 4-1 with two wins over former Bellator champion Juliana Velasquez and one each over DeAnna Bennett and Kana Watanabe. Her only rematch loss came in a 2019 challenge of then-UFC flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko. Nine years earlier, Carmouche had won their first meeting by TKO in a regional promotion in Oklahoma. It was Shevchenko’s only loss before joining the UFC.
“I’d like to say that my rematches were of my choosing, but they’re not. I just say yes when I get offered a fight,” Carmouche said. “I’ve learned to mentally put a different perspective on a second fight. But mostly I just go out there and do my thing.”
How much longer will Carmouche be doing her thing? She is 42 years old, after all, so the answer depends on whether she’s doing her thing inside the cage or outside.
“I’m going to try and hold out as long as I possibly can as a fighter, until the rational mind of my wife tells me that it’s time. She’ll be the one to step in,” said Carmouche, who has won her past four fights. “I’m also aware that there are other opportunities springing up that weren’t here before.”
She is referring to the recent merger between the PFL and Most Valuable Promotions, the company co-founded by influencer/boxer Jake Paul. MVP and its MVPW brand, led by unified women’s featherweight champion Amanda Serrano, have drawn significant attention to women’s boxing. When the PFL rebrands as MVP MMA in January, opportunities could follow for women in the sport as well.
“I’m excited, hoping it means inclusion of women and the addition of more female weight classes,” Carmouche said. “Women don’t embody just one or two body types. There are so many men’s divisions, but with women, we’re limiting it down to one or two. I think that needs to change.”
Carmouche envisions herself being part of that change, even after she’s done fighting. “It would be really fun to be a headhunter for women’s MMA,” she said. “Go out there and travel the world trying to find the talent that can fill the weight classes, give women an opportunity to be in a big show.”
Carmouche isn’t focused exclusively on the plight of women in MMA. She sees fighters across the sport who need help maximizing their exposure and earning potential. That is right down Paul’s alley.
“He knows how to really captivate views on social media and to utilize that for big paydays in and outside of competing,” Carmouche said. “I’m hoping that he can educate fighters to be able to help us yield those kinds of opportunities.”
For Carmouche, a title-winning victory on Friday and the attention-grabbing backing of Paul’s promotion could lead to high-profile fights such as a matchup with undefeated PFL star Dakota Ditcheva. After that? Well, how about a rematch?
