Liz Carmouche – Page 10 – Syndication Server

Liz Carmouche: UFC ‘PR nightmare’ ended up being a ‘blessing for me’ to sign with Bellator

Former UFC title challenger Liz Carmouche reflects on her release from the UFC after having signed with Bellator.

HONOLULU – [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] is happy with the way things turned out in the latest chapter of her MMA career.

The former two-time UFC title challenger signed with Bellator last week after she was abruptly released from the UFC earlier in the month. Carmouche (13-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), a notable name in the UFC women’s flyweight division, had fought for the promotion for almost seven years, with her debut being a championship bout against UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey – the first female fight in UFC history.

Having challenged for the flyweight title against Valentina Shevchenko in August and being a ranked contender in the division, many were surprised by the UFC’s decision to release Carmouche. Yet, Carmouche wasn’t caught too caught off guard.

“I kind of had suspicions of what was going to happen with the UFC,” Carmouche told reporters backstage at Bellator 235. “I didn’t think it was going to happen in that form, but I certainly had my suspicions that they were going to cut me just in the fact that I had been reaching out in the promise that, ‘Hey, you’ll have a fight in November or December the latest.’

“And every time I had a competition for jiu-jitsu or anything else, they would keep saying, ‘Hey, you’re still on standby.’ And then we went into December, and I was like, ‘Well, December is here. All the fights for the rest of the year have been announced.’

“I had this feeling inside, so I let my management know, ‘Hey, can we start reaching feelers out? I just have a sneaking suspicion.’ So we were kind of set there. I thought, ‘OK, this would happen after (Washington D.C.), maybe them bringing me out to D.C. (for promotional work), I was wrong, and it’s not going to happen that way.’ So I was definitely surprised, but what their PR nightmare happened to be, it was a blessing for me.

“And to come here (in Hawaii), come out and support the troops – and they also support my training partner, Ilima-lei (Macfarlane) – and just come out and bring my family to Hawaii and have a good time and close out the year on a good note, it was just even better.”

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Having been eager to compete while signed to the UFC, Carmouche wants to get in the Bellator cage sooner rather than later. She hopes she can get booked for a fight in early 2020.

“I hope those talks start really soon,” Carmouche said. “I was really hopeful I was going to start fighting in November, December for the UFC, so when I got that cut, I was already ready, and I’m staying ready.

“I’m hoping I can get a fight as early as February, so I can get right back in there. I want to support the organization and the division. I want to work my way up just like everyone else has. I don’t want to be that person that just slides in and goes right into contention for the belt. That’s not fair for everyone who’s been working up, so I really want to work my way to the top and earn my right to fight for the belt just like everyone else.”

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Liz Carmouche discusses free agent move from UFC to Bellator

Bellator 236: Scott Coker announces Liz Carmouche free agent signing

Former UFC title challenger Liz Carmouche signs with Bellator

Liz Carmouche has a new home with one of her best friends, Bellator champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane.

Former two-time UFC title challenger [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] has joined the Bellator roster.

Company president Scott Coker on Friday revealed to MMA Junkie during a media scrum in Hawaii that Carmouche (13-7 MM, 0-0 BMMA) has signed an exclusive contract with Bellator following her release from the UFC this month.

A date and opponent for Carmouche’s debut have yet to be announced. However, Coker said a women’s flyweight tournament is potentially in the plans for 2020, and Carmouche would be a candidate to fit into the field.

Carmouche, who fought for UFC titles at 125 and 135 pounds, had her nearly seven-year octagon tenure come to an unceremonious end. She was informed of her UFC release while doing promotional activities at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington D.C.

After the news came out, Carmouche’s good friend and longtime training partner Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, Bellator’s flyweight champion, told MMA Junkie she hopes Carmouche joins her under the Bellator banner.

Now she gets her wish.

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Ilima-Lei Macfarlane hopes Bellator signs Liz Carmouche: ‘I want to lose the belt to her’

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane wants her good friend and training partner Liz Carmouche to sign with Bellator.

[autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] wants good friend and training partner [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] to sign with Bellator, and she’s more than open to meeting her in a championship bout.

Not only would Macfarlane (10-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) be down to put her Bellator flyweight title on the line against Carmouche (13-7 MMA), but she wouldn’t be mad if she ended up dropping it and suffering the first loss of her career in that fight.

“I want her to come to Bellator,” Macfarlane told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “I want to lose the belt to her. I’m not overlooking (my next fight against) Kate Jackson at all or any of these other girls, but my dream would be to lose the belt to Liz.”

Carmouche, the former two time UFC title challenger, had her nearly seven-year tenure with the organization come to an unceremonious end this past week. Carmouche was informed of her UFC release while doing promotional activities at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, and spoke to MMA Junkie first following the news.

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Naturally, Carmouche had somewhat of a bad taste in her mouth over the experience. She didn’t rule out Bellator as a potential landing spot, and Macfarlane said her confidant should come to a place where she’ll be appreciated.

“I thought the nature in which (her UFC release) happened was really (expletive), because I think she deserves better,” Macfarlane said. “But I don’t think that her former employer respected her as a fighter or as a person. It’s good. I think it’s ultimately a good thing because Liz deserves to be with a promotion that treats her good. I think this is a new chapter. She’s incredible, she’s done so much for the sport and I’m just excited to see what this next chapter brings her.”

Macfarlane appears to genuinely hope the future brings of a matchup between the two, and said Carmouche coming Bellator is something they’ve discussed privately “for years.” The champ has a title defense against Jackson set for Bellator 236, which takes place Dec. 21 at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, but the division is ripe for a new contender to step up afterward.

If that does happen to be Carmouche, then it’s a showdown Macfarlane would be happy to have.

“I’m not planning on fighting forever,” Macfarlane said. “If I’m going to lose the belt I want it to be to somebody who is my mentor and my main training partner and my coach through this entire journey. That’s who I would want to lose to. But don’t get me wrong, we would totally go out there to try to kill each other. It’s not like I’m just going to hand it over. People always ask me my dream fight, I’m like, ‘Liz.’ Hopefully she can come over.”

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Spinning Back Clique: UFC 245 preview, UFC DC reaction

MMA Junkie’s John Morgan, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” unpack the latest MMA news and notes in Episode 6 of “Spinning Back Clique.”

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, John Morgan, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” react to what transpired at UFC on ESPN 7 and preview what’s to come this Saturday at UFC 245.

Show rundown:

[autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] at UFC DC. He was getting mostly dominated and on his way to a guaranteed decision loss before a huge right hand knocked out Overeem (and shattered his lip) with four seconds remaining in the fifth round. Rozenstruik remains undefeated at 10-0 overall and 4-0 in the UFC. But after that performance, are we buying or selling him as a legit contender at heavyweight?
[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] delivered a pair of painful groin’ kicks to [autotag]Stefan Struve[/autotag] at UFC DC, then went on to score a TKO victory – but not before referee Dan Miragliotta advised Struve to continue fighting. Since when should a referee be offering fighters advice during a fight?
[autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] made history as the first woman to step inside the octagon back in 2013. More recently, she competed for a UFC title again earlier this year but lost to flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. Carmouche, 4-2 in her last six fights, was released last Friday by the UFC – get this – while she was in Washington D.C. doing a promotional tour with troops for the promotion. What do we make of her unceremonious exit, and what’s next for her?
It’s UFC 245 fight week, which means we’re on the verge of finally seeing [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] clash with [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], who’s been promoting the heck out of this showdown, but has he gone too far?
Speaking of UFC 245, there are two other big title fights on the card: [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] and [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] 2. Which challenger is more likely to win? And which “old dog” on the main card is more likely to turn back the clock: [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] or [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag]?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 6 of “Spinning Back Clique.”

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Liz Carmouche ‘a little bit pained’ by unexpected UFC release during promotional appearances

Liz Carmouche said she paid her own way to do promotional work for the UFC this week, which made her sudden release all the more surprising.

WASHINGTON – [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] thinks her sudden release from the UFC could have been better handled.

An Iraq War veteran in the Marine Corps, Carmouche (13-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) was brought out for UFC DC fight week to serve as a guest fighter in the nation’s capital and to participate in promotional appearances, including a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

Friday, in the midst of the fight-week happenings, Carmouche was notified she had been cut from the UFC. The move, she claims, was made a while back, but she was not notified until her management called her Friday.

A UFC official told MMA Junkie that matchmakers were not aware Carmouche was in Washington at the time of her release.

“I’m a little bit pained,” Carmouche told MMA Junkie. “They brought me out here and had me doing a lot of media obligations. I went to Arlington Cemetery and was part of the wreath ceremony. They brought me out as a veteran and as a fighter. Then today they had me going to the hospital and talking to different people and different wards – only to find out that I’d been released earlier. The news just finally trickled down to me.”

A two-time UFC title challenger, Carmouche is having a tough time wrapping her head around the situation. She said she paid her own way out to Washington to do something for the promotion. The UFC didn’t even tell her to her face that she had been cut.

“It’s a little bit insane that you would (do that),” Carmouche said. “I took time off from work to be here at my own pocket expense. It’s a little bit sad. Then, two, that it would be done that way… I’m here with the UFC and you could have actually spoken to me firsthand then hear it from my management team.

“Especially during the holiday season. I have a four-year-old at home. My wife is at home and I’d love to be spending it with them. Especially saving up as much money to spoil them for Christmas. To take a week off from that definitely sucks and is kind of a setback. And to be done this way is definitely not a great taste.”

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Additionally, Carmouche said she was wasn’t given a reason for her release. Carmouche, who has won four of his past six fights, indicated the news came as a surprise, especially considering she had most recently competed in a UFC title fight in August and had soon thereafter inked a new contract.

Trying to view the situation through a positive lens, Carmouche said she’s excited to explore free agency. For years, she’s received offers from other promotions, but didn’t consider them.

“It definitely sucks, but at the same time, I know it’s for good reason,” Carmouche said. “They’re are a lot more positive things in my future. There’s been all different organizations that have been contacting me for years now. And I just expressed my loyalty to the UFC and stayed with the organization.

“So now I can actually be a free agent and see what the best opportunity is, who is going to have the best fighters, and really I’m looking forward to that aspect of it.”

Carmouche is close with Bellator flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, and sees Bellator as potentially the next venture. But she isn’t ruling out Asia-based promotions RIZIN or ONE Championship, either.

“I stayed in the UFC because they had the top, most competitive women. Bellator is second to that and I see a lot of prospects,” Carmouche said. “They’re building their division doing a phenomenal job. (Macfarlane) has built that up and I really feel like she’s made Bellator what it is as far as the women are concerned. So I certainly don’t want to take anything from her.

“But I also know there are other organizations like RIZIN and ONE. Both have such great fighters and they’re great shows.”

Carmouche’s stint in the UFC began with the historic UFC 157 in Feb. 2013, where she took on then-bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in the main event in what was the first-ever women’s fight in the company. The bout was competitive before Rousey won via armbar late in the first round. In a trivia footnote, Carmouche’s victory over Kaitlyn Chookagian in the opening bout of UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden made her the winner of the first legally sanctioned MMA fight in New York State.

Check out MMA Junkie’s full interview with Liz Carmouche in the video above.

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