Liz Carmouche – Page 8 – Syndication Server

Why Liz Carmouche chose Kana Watanabe fight at Bellator 261 over waiting for title shot

Entering her third Bellator fight, Liz Carmouche is certain that an impressive win over unbeaten Kana Watanabe will earn her a title shot.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] spoke with MMA Junkie on Wednesday ahead of her women’s flyweight fight with Kana Watanabe at Bellator 261.

Carmouche (15-7 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) discussed why she chose to stay active vs. Watanabe (10-0-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) instead of waiting for a title shot, the challenge Watanabe presents as an undefeated opponent, her most recent win over Vanessa Porto, the upcoming title fight between champion Juliana Velasquez and Denise Kieholtz, and more.

You can watch Carmouche’s full interview in the video above.

Bellator 261 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena and airs on Showtime following prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

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Bellator 261 pre-event facts: The first interim title fight in heavyweight history

Check out all the facts and figures about Bellator 261, which takes place Friday with a Timothy Johnson vs. Valentin Moldavsky main event.

Bellator returns on Friday with Bellator 261 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

A historic fight is featured in the main event. With heavyweight champion Ryan Bader tied up with the promotion’s light heavyweight grand prix, the company will implement an interim title for the first time at heavyweight.

[autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) will clash for that belt, with the winner set up to unify with Bader when he becomes available.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 10 pre-event facts about Bellator 261.

Bellator 256 post-event facts: Lyoto Machida falls to 0-4 in rematches

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 256, which took place Friday in Uncasville, Conn.

Bellator’s second event of the year took place Friday with Bellator 256 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

The opening fight of the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix headlined the card. Former champ [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) became the first man to advance to the semifinal round when he beat [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag] (26-11 MMA, 2-3 BMMA) by unanimous decision, avenging a knockout loss from August 2012.

For more on the numbers, check below for 15 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 256.

Bellator 256 results: Liz Carmouche outhustles Vanessa Porto to win unanimous decision

Liz Carmouche might not get any credit for style points, but she’s got a victory.

[autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] might not get any credit for style points, but she’s got a win.

Carmouche, a former two-weight UFC title challenger, picked up her second Bellator victory in as many tries Friday night, defeating former Invicta FC champion [autotag]Vanessa Porto[/autotag] by unanimous decision in their Bellator 256 flyweight co-headliner. The judges’ final scores after 15 minutes read 29-28 and a pair of 30-27s.

From the start, the fight played out like a chess match, with Carmouche (15-7 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) showing comfort at range while Porto (22-9 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) followed her around the cage. Carmouche came out southpaw against the orthodox and spent a lot of Round 1 circling to Porto’s right while popping in and out for strikes.

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Carmouche closed the distance in Round 2 and managed to hold Porto against the cage for the majority of the time, landing knees from inside the clinch. It wasn’t until less than two minutes that Porto finally found separation, but she couldn’t make anything happen.

Porto tried closing distance in Round 3, with the fight’s biggest moment coming midway through when she rushed in and Carmouche tripped near the cage. Carmouche recovered, though, and turned it into a takedown attempt, and they clinched against the fence for most of the remainder of the fight.

Carmouche now has won four of her past five fights dating back to her UFC tenure, with her only defeat to UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. Porto, meanwhile, had her three fight winning streak snapped.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 256 results include:

Liz Carmouche def. Vanessa Porto via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Adam Borics def. Jeremy Kennedy via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Cat Zingano def. Olivia Parker via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:56
Dan Moret def. Goiti Yamauchi via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET)

Dalton Rosta def. Tony Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Talita Nogueira def. Jessica Borga via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Jornel Lugo def. Cass Bell via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Cody Law def. Nathan Ghareeb via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jaylon Bates def. Jeffrey Glossner via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 1:27
Nainoa Dung def. Izzy William via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Diana Avsaragova def. Tara Graff via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:29
John Douma def. Will Smith via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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Bellator 256 predictions: Ryan Bader or Lyoto Machida in tournament rematch?

Check out our staff members’ predictions for the Bellator 256 main card, featuring Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida in the 205-pound tournament.

	Bader vs. Machida	Carmouche vs. Porto	Borics vs. Kennedy	Parker vs. Zingano	Moret vs. Yamauchi
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 31-26	Bader (64%)	Carmouche (69%)	Borics (72%)	Zingano (90%)	Yamauchi (88%)
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2021: 35-22 2020 Champion	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2021: 35-22	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 34-23	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 34-23	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 34-23 2018 Champion	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 34-23	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 33-24 2017 Champion	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 32-25	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 32-25	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 29-28	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 29-28 2014 Champion	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 27-30	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
BetMGM Betting Favorites	Bader -300	Carmouche -185	Kennedy -125	Zingano -800	Yamauchi -400

Bellator keeps its 2021 rolling Friday, and a former light heavyweight champion will try to get back on track at the top of the bill.

Bellator 256 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, former light heavyweight champion and current heavyweight champ [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (27-6 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag] (26-10 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) in the opening round of Bellator’s 205-pound tournament. The two first fought in the UFC nearly nine years ago, and Machida won by knockout. This time, Bader is a -300 favorite at BetMGM in the rematch, and our 12 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts are taking him unanimously – one of three 12-0 nods on the main card.

In the co-feature, former UFC title challenger [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] (14-7 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) is a -185 favorite against former Invicta FC women’s flyweight [autotag]Vanessa Porto[/autotag] (22-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), and Carmouche is a near-unanimous pick on the main card at 11-1 from our staff members.

Also on the main card, our only truly contentious fight from a picks standpoint takes place at lightweight with [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) just a -125 favorite against [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA). Borics has a slim 7-5 picks lead.

Our second unanimous nod is former UFC title challenger [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who is a huge -800 favorite against promotional newcomer [autotag]Olivia Parker[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a women’s featherweight bout. Zingano, not surprisingly given the odds, is a 12-0 pick.

And to open the main card, our third 12-0 unanimous pick is [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) in a lightweight bout against [autotag]Dan Moret[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). Yamauchi is a -400 betting favorite.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Bader (64 percent), Carmouche (69 percent), Borics (72 percent), Zingano (90 percent) and Yamauchi (88 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Bellator 256 faceoff video highlights: Cat Zingano returns in vintage fashion

Check out the Bellator 256 competitors’ ceremonial faceoffs.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator makes its return Friday and kicks off its light heavyweight grand prix with a rematch between heavyweight champion and former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] and [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag].

Bellator 256 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The entire card will be live and free on MMA Junkie.

Following Thursday’s official Bellator 256 weigh-ins, the athletes came face to face for some traditional pre-fight staredowns.

Check out the faceoffs below, including Bader vs. Machida, [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vanessa Porto[/autotag], [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag], [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Olivia Parker[/autotag], and more.

Having studied both, Liz Carmouche expects to beat Vanessa Porto, Juliana Velasquez

Liz Carmouche has “been” both Vanessa Porto and Juliana Velasquez in the past and believes she has them figured out.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] likes her chances against her Bellator 256 opponent – and her division’s champion.

Scheduled to make her second Bellator appearance, Carmouche (14-7 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) faces former Invicta FC champion [autotag]Vanessa Porto[/autotag] in a co-main event showdown Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Carmouche has “been” both Porto (22-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and Bellator women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] in recent years as she’s prepared teammates for fights against the two women she believes are standing in between her and title gold.

“(Porto) is a name I’ve known for a few different reasons,” Carmouche told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “One, because she’s a veteran, and she’s been fighting longer and has more fights than I do. I think a lot of people don’t realize that in the mix of things. I’m just a well known name. But also, she fought one of my teammates, Pearl Gonzalez. I helped her prepare and studied tons of tape in preparation for Pearl. I was ready to go into this having already studied this opponent.”

The launch of the Bellator rankings placed Carmouche in the No. 2 slot at 125 pounds. The only fighter between her and Velasquez (11-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) is teammate Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, who lost the title in December. Situationally, Carmouche thinks Bellator 256 could punch her ticket into a title fight.

“I’m really hoping that by having that spot and having that number, this win really puts me in title contention,” Carmouche said. “I hoped last fight would, but I think certainly with the rankings, that that should be right toward title contention.”

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Carmouche, 37, isn’t overlooking Porto. However, she set both short-term and long-term goals. The short-term is to get a win Friday. The long-term is to become Bellator champion. The latter is achievable in her mind. Carmouche wasn’t overly impressed with Velasquez’s title-clinching performance in December.

“I don’t think it was her best performance,” Carmouche said. “… I had already studied her, and I just saw a lot more out of her that I thought was exceptional. Her last fight, I didn’t really think it was championship-worthy. I think she can certainly showcase as a champion. She has a belt, but that fight to me wasn’t her best representation of what she’s actually capable of.”

Bellator 256 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

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Bellator 256: Make your predictions for Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida 2

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 256 event in Connecticut.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesdday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 256 main card staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 256 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for the fights below.

Liz Carmouche meets former Invicta FC champion Vanessa Porto at Bellator 256

Liz Carmouche welcomes former Invicta FC champion Vanessa Porto to Bellator on April 9.

[autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] is set to welcome a former Invicta FC champion to Bellator.

The former UFC title challenger takes on [autotag]Vanessa Porto[/autotag] in a flyweight contest at Bellator 256 on April 9 in Uncasville, Conn. MMA Junkie on Monday confirmed the report following an initial report by Fansided MMA.

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Carmouche (14-7 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) looks to follow up on a third-round submission win over DeAnna Bennett back in September, which marked her debut with Bellator. Prior to that, the 37-year-old fighter had lost a unanimous decision in a UFC women’s flyweight title fight against champion Valentina Shevchenko.

On the other hand, Porto (22-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) makes her promotional debut after a year-and-a-half of inactivity. The Brazilian last fought in November 2019 at Invicta FC 38, where she outpointed Karina Rodriguez in a unanimous decision. She’s currently on a four-fight winning streak, which includes a bout where she captured the Invicta FC flyweight title. Porto signed with Bellator in late 2020.

With the addition, the Bellator 256 lineup now includes:

Champ Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida – for light heavyweight title; light heavyweight tournament opening round
Corey Anderson vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov – light heavyweight tournament opening round
Diana Avsaragova vs. Tara Graff
Nainoa Dung vs. Izzy William
Jaylon Bates vs. Jeffrey Glossner
Nathan Ghareeb vs. Cody Law
Jessica Borga vs. Talita Nogueira
Olivia Parker vs. Cat Zingano
Liz Carmouche vs. Vanessa Porto

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Bellator 246 results: Liz Carmouche finishes DeAnna Bennett in third

DeAnna Bennett gave her a run for her money, but Liz Carmouche was victorious in her Bellator debut.

For a minute or two, there, it looked like [autotag]DeAnna Bennett [/autotag]might ruin [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag]’s Bellator debut.

Their flyweight main card bout at Bellator 246 on Saturday night seemed tied going into the third, and the underdog got off to a solid start in the third.

But just as soon as you thought there might be an upset, Carmouche (14-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) was the winner. A well-executed rear-naked choke finished things at the 3:17 mark of the final round as the pioneering former UFC and Strikeforce title challenger got off to solid start in her new promotion.

“I knew going into the third round I was getting the finish,” Carmouche said. “I was convinced I was getting the finish, it wasn’t going to the decision tonight.”

Carmouche did her best to finish things in the opening round, as she scored a slam early in the round and attempted to get into position for a twister. Bennett (10-7-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) got back to her feet, but Carmouche was the aggressor and beat her foe to the punch for the bulk of the round.

In the second, though, it was Bennett’s turn to shine, as she scored a takedown and worked from top position. The veteran Carmouche managed to lock Bennett in a heel hook, but Bennett escaped and spent the rest of the round in top position, landing frequent strikes.

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In the third, Bennett appeared to be going for broke, but she eventually gave Carmouche an opening on which she instantly seized. Bennett did her best to fight it off before finally tapping.

Carmouche’s third win in her past four fights was her fourth career submission victory. Bennett has lost three in a row, the past two via submission.

The flyweight fight was on the main card of Bellator 246, which took place Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 246 results:

Liz Carmouche def. DeAnna Bennett via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 3, 3:17
Keoni Diggs def. Derek Campos via technical submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 3, 4:59
Daniel Madrid def. Pat Casey via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
Ty Gwerder def. George Tokkos via TKO (strikes) — Round 3, 1:05
Davion Franklin def. Ras Hylton via unanimous technical decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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