Liz Carmouche – Page 2 – Syndication Server

With emotional Macfarlane matchup in rearview mirror, Liz Carmouche sets sights on Kana Watanabe in Japan – and a belt at 135

The future may be a little murky for Bellator as a promotion right now, but that doesn’t have to transfer to all of its fighters.

SAN DIEGO – The future may be a little murky for Bellator as a promotion right now, but that doesn’t have to transfer to all of its fighters.

[autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag], who quickly has become one of Bellator’s most dominant champions with four finishes in four title fights in less than 18 months, seems to have a pretty clear vision of what she’d like her near-term future to be.

Carmouche (20-7 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) on Saturday put away her good friend, former teammate and longtime training partner, and protege, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (13-3 MMA, 12-3 BMMA), with a fifth-round TKO. Carmouche defended the women’s flyweight title at Bellator 300 in San Diego, the home base for her and Macfarlane for years. Macfarlane was ineligible to recapture the belt she held for years because she missed weight.

The fight no doubt was more emotionally draining for Carmouche than normal, given her close friendship with Macfarlane. But with that hurdle cleared, Carmouche wants to go to the other side of the world for her next one.

“I’m going to take some time with my family (first),” Carmouche said after Bellator 300. “Every time that I’m in fight camp, I go away to the East coast for two months to be away and to just concentrate on the fight for two to three months. I haven’t seen my son. I haven’t seen my wife. They’ve been going through a lot, so I want to spend some time with them – hopefully enjoy the holidays because I don’t usually get to do that.

“And then next year, I’d like to start ramping it up and I’d love to face Kana Watanabe in Japan. It’s my dream, it’s my bucket list – to fight back home. I want to go home.”

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Carmouche, 39, was born in Louisiana, but grew up on a military base in Okinawa, Japan.

Carmouche beat Watanabe in June 2021 in just 35 seconds. After that, she got a shot at Juliana Velasquez and won the belt. She defended it eight months later in a rematch, then beat DeAnna Bennett earlier this year in Hawaii. Coincidentally, in that fight, Bennett, like Macfarlane on Saturday, could not win the title after she missed weight – but Carmouche could have lost it to vacancy in both fights.

Bellator has done shows in Japan with Rizin, so that certainly could be something attainable – if Bellator is around to make it happen. Carmouche, like virtually everyone in the sport, has heard the rumors of an impending Bellator sale or merger with the PFL – or the possibility that the promotion even could just close up shop if parent company Paramount doesn’t want to be in the combat sports business any longer. (Paramount is shuttering its Showtime Boxing brand, as well.)

“I’m always open for change,” Carmouche said. “Having been in this game for so long and been a part of so many purchases and changes, I’m just grateful that I’m still living this life and enjoying every moment. If there’s a run to a new banner and it happens to be a PFL that happens to do the buyout, great.

“My biggest hope is that they open up a 135 division, whether that’s here in Bellator or in another organization. That’s my dream is to be able to hold a belt in the 135 division now in addition to 125.”

Check out Carmouche’s full interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 300.

Bellator 300 post-event facts: Cris Cyborg upgrades already legendary resume

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 300, which saw Usman Nurmagomedov, Cris Cyborg and Liz Carmouche exit as champs.

The landmark Bellator 300 event took place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, and all three champions who entered the event left with the belts around their waists.

[autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (18-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) retained his lightweight belt in the main event and advanced to the grand prix final, [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag]’s (27-2 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) continued her dominant legacy to retain women’s featherweight gold in the co-headliner, and women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag]’s (20-7 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) scored a stoppage in the main card opener.

For more on the numbers to come out of the event, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 300.

Liz Carmouche def. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane at Bellator 300: Best photos

Check out these photos highlighting Liz Carmouche’s TKO win over Ilima-Lei Macfarlane to retain her flyweight title at Bellator 300.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoKwoL-WUVk

Check out these photos highlighting [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag]’s TKO win over Ilima-Lei Macfarlane to retain her flyweight title at Bellator 300 from Pechanga Arena in San Diego. (Photos courtesy of Bellator MMA)

Bellator 300 salaries: Five of six main-card fighters earn same six-figure payout

Cris Cyborg led the list of Bellator 300 fighters who earned six figures.

SAN DIEGO – Five of the six Bellator 300 main-card participants earned a disclosed payout of $150,000, with [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] earning twice that amount.

California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster released a full list of fighter purses Saturday to MMA Junkie. The amounts reflect the disclosed payouts only and do not include any off-contract bonuses, sponsor payments or discretionary bonuses.

Lightweight champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag], [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag], [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag], flyweight champ [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag], and [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] each took home $150,000, while women’s featherweight champ Cyborg earned $300,000. All six fighters earned a flat amount as opposed to being paid show money and win money.

Scroll below to see what the 32 fighters to compete at Bellator 300 were paid – disclosed amounts only.

Bellator 300 results: Liz Carmouche stops Ilima-Lei Macfarlane with leg kicks in battle of friends

This was likely not how Liz Carmouche wanted to finish the fight, by sending her friend off on a stretcher at Bellator 300. But it was unavoidable.

SAN DIEGO – Bellator president Scott Coker figured the friendship between flyweight champion [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] and [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] would go out the window once the bell rang in their Bellator 300 fight.

It wasn’t quite like that – but in the end, one of them was taken off on a stretcher.

Carmouche (20-7 MMA, 7-0 BMMA), who wasn’t at risk of losing her title after Macfarlane (13-3 MMA, 12-3 BMMA) missed weight, earned a surprising fifth-round TKO victory to retain her belt Saturday night at Pechanga Arena that, at times, resembled a glorified sparring session – at least in the beginning.

Round 1 saw the two friends mostly just circle each other, with Macfarlane initiating most of the offense, although nothing significant ever landed. Prior to Round 2, referee Blake Grice brought both women to the center of the cage to encourage action, but it didn’t exactly resonate.

It wasn’t until Round 3 that things took a turn once Carmouche found a home for leg kicks that Macfarlane had trouble defending. Carmouche landed several of them, which showed visible damage on Macfarlane’s left leg. That continued into Round 4, with a Carmouche leg kick dropping Macfarlane to the canvas, but the champ didn’t rush in for a finish and let her friend back up. Some more leg kicks had Macfarlane nearly hopping on one leg, but she made it to the end of the round hobbling back to her corner.

Just 17 seconds into the fifth, Carmouche landed one more leg kick as Macfarlane closed distance, and this one buckled the challenger for good and forced Grice to stop the fight.

Given what was said leading up to the fight, it likely wasn’t the way Carmouche would’ve liked the fight to end but was unavoidable.

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Up-to-the-minute Bellator 300 results include:

Liz Carmouche def. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane via TKO (leg kick) – Round 5, 0:17 – to defend flyweight title
Bobby Seronio III def. Alberto Garcia via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Leah McCourt def. Sara McMann via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:30
Sergio Cossio def. Jesse Roberts via submission (triangle choke) –Round 3, 4:05
Kai Kamaka def. Henry Corrales via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Slim Trabelsi def. Davion Franklin via technical submission – Round 1, 3:09
Doveltdzhan Yagshimuradov def. Maciej Rozanski via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Mukhamed Berkhamov def. Herman Terrado via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Grant Neal def. Romero Cotton via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Jena Bishop vs. Ilara Joanne submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:45
Josh Hokit def. Spencer Smith via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 3:12

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 300.

Bellator 300 breakdown: Will Ilima-Lei Macfarlane stop friend Liz Carmouche’s title run?

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the Bellator 300 women’s title fight between friends Liz Carmouche and Ilima-Lei Macfarlane.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down MMA’s top bouts. Today, we look at the featured flyweight title fight for Bellator 300.

Bellator 300 takes place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. The main card, which features three title fights, airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Bellator 300 referees, judges assigned for three title fights

Veteran Jason Herzog is among the referees assigned to oversee three title fights at Bellator 300 in San Diego.

Referees and judges for the three Bellator 300 title fights have been assigned.

California State Athletic Commission executive officer Andy Foster informed MMA Junkie of the assignments for the event, which takes place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. The three title-fight main card airs on Showtime after prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

Lightweight champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) in the designated headliner. The fight, which also serves as a grand prix semifinal, will be officiated by referee Jason Herzog, with Derek Cleary, Ron McCarthy and Chris Leben serving as judges.

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In the night’s co-headliner, women’s featherweight champ [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (26-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) defends her belt against [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 4-0 BMMA). Referee Frank Trigg will be the third person in the cage while judges Chris Crail, Eliot Kelly and Cleary score the fight from cageside.

The third featured title fight pits friends and former teammates against each other as flyweight champ [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) puts her title on the line against ex-champ [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA). Blake Grice will serve as referee while judges Bryan Miner, Felicia Oh and McCarthy score the bout.

Bellator 300 is the first event in the promotion’s history to feature three title fights. The event originally had four, but a rematch between heavyweight champ Ryan Bader and Linton Vassell was scrapped after Vassell withdrew earlier this week because of an undisclosed illness.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 300.

Friends Liz Carmouche, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane embrace being foes – for one night only at Bellator 300

Yes, Bellator champ Liz Carmouche and Ilima-Lei Macfarlane are friends, but don’t expect them to be friendly once they step in the cage.

SAN DIEGO – Friends and former teammates competing against each other is common in sports. Take the NFL, for example, where each Sunday players are always up against guys with whom they used to share the locker room.

Like MMA, football is a violent sport. Unlike MMA, there is no intent to injure with every tackle – only to bring the ball carrier down to the turf.

And therein lies the rub, the main reason why friends and training partners from the same gym don’t like to compete against each other in MMA. The whole point is to hurt your opponent with every strike.

Bellator flyweight champion [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] and [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag], however, view things differently ahead of their title fight Saturday at Bellator 300.

“Maybe I’m like a different kind of fighter, but I don’t go into my fights purposefully trying to hurt the other person,” Macfarlane said Wednesday at the Bellator 300 pre-event news conference. “So it’s really not a different mindset for me, the fact that I’m facing a friend and somebody I care about, because I don’t ever want to hurt, hurt somebody. This is our lives. These are our bodies and our health. It really doesn’t change the mindset for me.”

Added Carmouche: “It’s definitely a different element. We’re not looking to maim people, to take them out of their careers. That’s the last thing we want to do, and it’s nothing different here. The benefit we have is we know we’re gonna throw down, and it’s no malintent. There’s no cheating going on. I can rest assured there’s not some sneaky stuff where she’s fish-hooking me in the mouth and all these other things.”

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Wednesday’s news conference and ensuing faceoff was filled with smiles and giggles from both Carmouche (19-7 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) and Macfarlane (13-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA), who go way back as teammates at 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu in San Diego. Carmouche, now at The Arena in San Diego, and Macfarlane are excited to square off for Bellator gold.

And while they’ve gone at each other before in training, it’s never been at 100 percent, which is something Macfarlane relishes.

“I’m not sure if we’ve ever gone super hundred percent before,” Macfarlane said. “That’s what makes it fun and exciting to look forward to, just really feeling each other’s true, true power.”

Much has been made about the fact that Carmouche and Macfarlane once spent countless hours training each other for fights and who could use that to their advantage Saturday night. But both believe it’s been long enough – “two years at least,” according to Macfarlane – since they’ve trained together that their history is irrelevant from a strategy standpoint.

“If anything, I know her physical power,” Macfarlane said. “That’s something that’s never gonna leave her. I know that side of her. But as far as what she does in fights, she’s constantly improving and changing.”

Added Carmouche: “We have the benefit of showing up Saturday night with new people, in front of each other, to show new games we have on the line to impress everybody with.”

The bond Carmouche and Macfarlane share was evident Wednesday. They are, indeed, still good friends, but they won’t be friendly Saturday night. Bellator president Scott Coker expects any sentimental feelings to fade away once they step in the cage.

“I feel like it’s all gonna be friendly until the bell rings, and then I think they’re gonna go at it,” Coker said. “Once somebody gets punched in the face, it’s all over and then it’s gonna be on. Friendship is one thing, but this is a competitive fight at the highest level. This is a world championship fight, and I think it’s gonna be great.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 300.

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Bellator 300 video: Friends, teammates Liz Carmouche and Ilima-Lei Macfarlane have first official faceoff in San Diego

Bellator’s three title fights start with a storyline straight out of a movie. Check out the Liz Carmouche and Ilima-Lei Macfarlane faceoff.

SAN DIEGO – The trio of title fights at Bellator 300 starts with a showdown storyline straight out of a movie.

Wednesday, Carmouche and Macfarlane took questions from the media at a pre-fight news conference at the host hotel. They were joined by Bellator president Scott Coker, the other four title fighters and former fighter Chael Sonnen, who served as the event’s emcee.

Check out the Carmouche-Macfarlane faceoff in the video above. Bellator 300 takes place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 300.

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Video: Watch Bellator 300 pre-fight press conference on MMA Junkie

Bellator 300 takes place Friday in San Diego. Watch a live stream of the pre-event news conference with three title fights at 4 p.m. ET.

SAN DIEGO – Bellator 300 takes place Friday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, and you can watch a live video stream of the pre-event news conference here on MMA Junkie at 4 p.m. ET.

The press conference takes place at the Bellator host hotel in San Diego. The media event will be hosted by Chael Sonnen, as well as Bellator President Scott Coker.

Women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) takes on longtime teammate, friend and former titleholder [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA). Women’s featherweight champ [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (26-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) meets [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 4-0 BMMA). And lightweight champ [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) puts his belt on the line against ex-champ [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) to close out the three title fights on the main card.

Check out the press conference and subsequent faceeoffs in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 300.

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