Liz Carmouche – Page 9 – Syndication Server

Bellator 246 predictions: Juan Archuleta or Patchy Mix – who’s the next 135 champ?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 246 main card, featuring Juan Archuleta vs. Patchy Mix for the bantamweight title.

	Archuleta vs. Mix	Fitch vs. Gracie	Bennett vs. Carmouche	Campos vs. Diggs
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 91-58	Archuleta (57%)	Gracie (59%)	Carmouche (86%)	Diggs (51%)
Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 103-46	Mix	Gracie	Carmouche	Campos
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 102-47	Mix	Gracie	Carmouche	Campos
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 101-48	Mix	Gracie	Carmouche	Campos
Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 99-50 2019 Champion*	Mix	Gracie	Carmouche	Campos
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 98-51	Archuleta	Gracie	Carmouche	Campos
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 97-52 2017 Champion	Archuleta	Gracie	Carmouche	Campos
Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 96-53	Archuleta	Gracie	Carmouche	Campos
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 96-53	Mix	Gracie	Carmouche	Diggs
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 96-53 2014 Champion	Mix	Gracie	Carmouche	Campos
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 93-56 2018 Champion	Mix	Gracie	Carmouche	Campos
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 92-57	Mix	Gracie	Bennett	Diggs
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 91-58	Mix	Gracie	Carmouche	Campos
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 89-60	Mix	Gracie	Carmouche	Campos
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 62-87	Archuleta	Fitch	Bennett	Campos

Bellator has back-to-back events in Connecticut this week, and the second half will give out the vacant bantamweight title.

Bellator 246 takes place Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

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

In the main event, [autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag] (24-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) for the vacant 135-pound title. Mix is a -175 favorite, and our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts have him with a big lead at 10-4.

In the co-main event, former WSOF welterweight champion [autotag]Jon Fitch[/autotag] (32-7-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) meets [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA). Gracie is just a slight favorite at -125, but he’s a near-unanimous pick among our staff members with just one person picking Fitch.

Also on the main card, former UFC title challenger [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) meets [autotag]DeAnna Bennett[/autotag] (10-6-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a women’s flyweight bout. Both women are making their promotional debuts. Carmouche is the biggest favorite on the card at -550, and she’s got a 12-2 lead in the picks.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag] (20-10 MMA, 9-8 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Keoni Diggs[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) at lightweight. And though Diggs is favored in the fight, Campos has a 12-2 picks lead.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Archuleta (57 percent), Gracie (59 percent), Carmouche (86 percent) and Diggs (51 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Liz Carmouche explains how she could slide into shot at Ilima-Lei Macfarlane’s Bellator belt

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on foreign fighters’ ability to get into the U.S., and that could open the door for a Liz Carmouche title shot in Bellator.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] is no stranger to title shots: She gave the legendary Marloes Coenen all she could handle in Strikeforce; gave Ronda Rousey a run for her money before falling in one of the most important fights in MMA history at UFC 157; and last time out, went the distance with dominant UFC flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko.

With that in mind, Carmouche (13-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) didn’t see any reason to rush to the front of the line when she signed with Bellator earlier this year. Sure, she and her friend and training partner, Bellator flyweight champ Ilima-Lei MacFarlane, have long agreed that fighting one another wouldn’t be a problem.

But the “Girl-Rilla,” who makes her Bellator debut Saturday night against DeAnna Bennett at Bellator 246 at Mohegan Sun Arena, didn’t see a rush to jump the line when there are others out there who could face Macfarlane and have been with Bellator longer.

“I had initially anticipated that, I wanted to prove that this was a fresh start, this was a clean slate, and I’ll work my way through just like everyone else,” Carmouche told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “Because there have been people who have been waiting for their chance for years and I’m not about to take that from anybody.”

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But then, well, the COVID-19 pandemic happened. Much of the pack at 125 pounds resides outside the United States, and with the U.S. lagging behind the bulk of the developed world in controlling the spread of the virus, many nations have been travel to the country, which has prevented fighters from getting into the country.

“With the current scene state of COVID, and people not being able to get in the country, there are a lot of people that, like, yeah, definitely they deserve the contender’s spot, but they can’t get into the country to get on a fight card,” Carmouche said. “I don’t want to sideswipe them and get ahead the front of it, but there are only so many options so if that happens to me, I’m going to be ready.”

So, should Carmouche defeat Bennett (10-6-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) on Friday night, Carmouche believes things just might play out in such a manner that her fight with her San Diego compadre might come sooner than you’d expect.

“Both of our original opponents are from outside the country, and neither of us were able to book our original fights because of the restrictions,” she said. “So we’re limited on the pool we can actually dip into for possible fights, and that’s very limited.”

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Bellator 246: Liz Carmouche Pre-fight Interview

Spinning Back Clique: Who should fight Nick Diaz? Is Alistair Overeem a lock for the UFC Hall of Fame?

Check out “Spinning Back Clique,” which covers the fallout from UFC on ESPN+34, looks ahead to a busy Bellator weekend, and more.

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week, Simon Head hosts and is joined by MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze,” as well as MMA Junkie lead staff reporter John Morgan. Let’s get to it!

SHOW TOPICS

It seems beloved MMA veteran [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] is prepping for a return to the cage in early 2021, in what would be his first fight since January 2015. So who should he fight in his UFC comeback?
The UFC has been a leader in the sporting world in dealing with COVID-19, but in recent weeks, a number of bouts have fallen out at the last minute. What should the UFC be doing better as a response?
Bellator hosts a big doubleheader at the FightSphere this weekend. But which card has the more intriguing main event? Is it Bellator 245 with a [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag] rematch, or Bellator 246, with [autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] for the promotion’s vacant bantamweight title?
Speaking of Bellator titles, former UFC title challengers [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] and [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] are each set to make their Bellator debuts this weekend. Which one has best shot at holding Bellator gold?
Lastly, [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] picked up a big win at UFC on ESPN+ 34 and says he wants to hold UFC gold before he calls it a career. Is he still a UFC Hall of Famer if he falls short of that goal?

Liz Carmouche vs. DeAnna Bennett, Campos vs. Huerta among Bellator 246 additions

The second half of Bellator’s shows on two consecutive nights has additions, including the debut of a former UFC title challenger.

The second half of Bellator’s shows on two consecutive nights has some new additions, including the promotional debut of a former UFC title challenger.

[autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will fight in Bellator for the first time when she takes on [autotag]DeAnna Bennett[/autotag] (10-6-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a women’s flyweight bout on the Bellator 246 main card. Plus, [autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag] (20-10 MMA, 9-8 BMMA) is set to take on [autotag]Roger Huerta[/autotag] (24-12-1 MMA, 1-5 BMMA) in a lightweight bout.

On the prelims, [autotag]Ty Gwerder[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) fights [autotag]George Tokkos[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) at middleweight and [autotag]Davion Franklin[/autotag] (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) meets [autotag]Ras Hylton[/autotag] (6-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) in a heavyweight bout.

Bellator 246 takes place Saturday, Sept. 12, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie. One night prior, the same venue hosts Bellator 245.

Carmouche in 2013 made history when she became the first woman to step into a UFC cage for a fight when she challenged Ronda Rousey for the women’s bantamweight title. She lost with a first-round submission. In 2017, she dropped to flyweight and after back-to-back wins got a shot at UFC champ Valentina Shevchenko in August 2019. She lost that fight by unanimous decision. Now she makes her way to Bellator with a resume that includes 10 UFC fights, a pair of Invicta FC bouts and three fights in Strikeforce, where she also fought for a title.

Bennett fought on Season 26 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” She fought to a draw with Melinda Fabian at the TUF 26 Finale, which was her only official UFC bout. Most recently, she’s been with Invicta. In September 2019, she won her first two fights in the promotion’s single-night women’s flyweight tournament, but was submitted by Miranda Maverick in the third round of the tourney’s final.

With the additions, the Bellator 246 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (Paramount, DAZN, 10 p.m. ET)

Juan Archuleta vs. Patchy Mix – for vacant bantamweight title
Jon Fitch vs. Neiman Gracie
DeAnna Bennett vs. Liz Carmouche
Derek Campos vs. Roger Huerta

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie)

Daniel Madrid vs. Austin Vanderford
Ty Gwerder vs. George Tokkos
Davion Franklin vs. Ras Hylton

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Triple Take: Which Bellator fight is missed most after May postponements?

Bellator postponed more than 30 fights over three events in May due to the coronavirus outbreak. But which one was the biggest loss?

Bellator postponed three additional events from its May calendar due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bellator 232 (San Jose, Calif.) on May 9, Bellator Europe 8 (London) on May 16 and Bellator 243 (Temecula, Calif.) on May 29 were all pushed back due to safety concerns over the ongoing crisis, causing more than 30 matchups to fall apart.

There were certainly some matchups of significance and great intrigue on the docket, too, but which fight is the biggest loss from our upcoming watchlist? MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Dave Doyle, and Farah Hannoun give their opinions in the latest edition of Triple Take.

* * * *

Mike Bohn: James Gallagher vs. Cal Ellenor

It’s not difficult to understand why [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] is a polarizing figure. Many aren’t fans of his, and only tune in out of hope he gets his trademark pre-fight talk flipped on him like we saw Ricky Bandejas do in Gallagher’s only career loss.

Still, though, it’s hard not to feel for Gallagher (10-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) in this scenario. With his fight at Bellator Europe 8 in London postponed, Gallagher vs. [autotag]Cal Ellenor[/autotag] has now been canceled a whopping three times over an eight-month stretch. I don’t believe in curses, but it certainly seems like a higher power doesn’t want these two matched up.

The pair were supposed to fight at Bellator Europe 4 in September, but Ellenor (8-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) had to pull out at the last minute when his medicals revealed a brain abnormality that required further examination. He overcame the issue and received clearance to return, and the fight was rescheduled for Bellator Europe 7 in February.

Gallagher sustained a back injury during the final stages of his preparation, though, and had to pull out of the main event bout with Ellenor in his native Ireland. He said he was “heartbroken,” but remained determined to make the contest happen.

It seemed the third time was going to be the charm with Bellator Europe 8, but then the coronavirus pandemic derailed the matchup once more.

On paper, the fight is Gallagher’s to lose. He’s been a sizable betting favorite each time he’s been matched up with Ellenor, who feels he has the tools to expose Gallagher. Hopefully the fight can come together one day, though, because both men have put enough time and effort into preparation that they deserve the payoff.

Next page: Dave Doyle on Liz Carmouche’s Bellator debut

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Liz Carmouche to make Bellator debut May 29 in Temecula

Liz Carmouche is ready to embark on the next phase of her career with Bellator.

[autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] is ready to embark on the next phase of her career with Bellator.

On Friday, the promotion announced that Carmouche will headline Bellator 243 against [autotag]Mandy Bohm[/autotag]. The event will take place May 29 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. – not far from Carmouche’s home in San Diego – and air on Paramount Network/stream on DAZN.

Carmouche, 36, signed with Bellator last December after she was unceremoniously released by the UFC. Carmouche was informed of her release while doing promotional activities at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington D.C. She fought for the UFC for nearly seven years, debuting at UFC 157 against then bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in the promotion’s first women’s fight.

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Carmouche’s most recent fight was last October. At UFC on ESPN+ 14, she lost a unanimous decision to flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. Prior to that setback, Carmouche (13-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) had won two in a row and four of five bouts overall.

Bohm, who trains under coach John Kavanagh at SBG Ireland, also will be making her Bellator debut. She’s undefeated in six fights, most recently winning by rear-naked choke submission against Jade Masson-Wong last May.

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UFC in 2019: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids and record-setters

A full recap of 2019’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2019’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

* * * *

EVENTS

The UFC held 42 events in 39 different cities across 15 countries and five continents.

Within those events, there were 516 fights across 13 different weight classes (including catchweight bouts).

Those 516 fights combined for a total cage time of 94:59:04.

The longest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN+ 19: Joanna vs. Waterson” in Tampa, Fla., at 2:57:27. It was the second longest in company history behind “UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum vs. Tybura” (3:04:18).

The shortest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” in Minneapolis at 1:38:12.

“UFC on ESPN+ 13: de Randamie vs. Ladd” featured 62 seconds of total fight time in the main and co-main event, the single-event record in company history.

At those events, the UFC drew an announced total attendance of 548,023 for a live gate total of $61,050,133.74 (Note: Live gate was not announced for 11 events; no attendance was revealed for one event).

The highest reported attended event of the year was “UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya” in Melbourne (57,127), which was the all-time company record, while the lowest attended event was “UFC on ESPN+ 20: Maia vs. Askren” in Singapore (7,155).

The highest reported income gate of the year was “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” in New York ($6,575,996.19) while the lowest reported income gate of the year went to “UFC on ESPN+ 4: Lewis vs. Dos Santos” in Wichita, Kan. ($636,417.26).

In 2019, 168 fight-night bonuses were given out for a sum of $8.4 million.

In 2019, athletes were paid $7,370,500 in Promotional Guidelines Compliance money.

The most knockouts at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos,” “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” and “UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington” with seven each.

“UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes” featured a total of 1,818 significant strikes landed, a new single-event record. UFC 231 held the previous high with 1,647.

The most submissions at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 5: Covington vs. Lawler” with five.

The most fights to go to a decision at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” with 10.

“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” featured nine consecutive decision results, tied for the single-event UFC record.

“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” started with nine consecutive decision results, the single-event record.

“UFC on ESPN 7: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik” marked the third event in company history to feature two draws. UFC 22 and UFC 216 were the others.

Betting favorites went 319-182. Fifteen fights ended in a draw, no contest or had even odds.

Betting favorites went 22-18 in event headliners. Two fights ended in a no contest or had even odds.

“UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” and “UFC on ESPN+ 22: Blachowicz vs. Jacare” had the most favorites come through victorious, with 10 each. On the flip side, seven underdogs won at three separate events.

A total of 30 fighters officially missed weight for their respective contests. The 28 fighters in that group to compete went 10-17-1 in their respective bouts.

A total of 135 fighters made their UFC debut in 2019. Those fighters went 57-74-2 with two no contests. Debuting fighters who faced an opponent with at least one bout of UFC experience went 43-58-2 with two no contests.

A variety of circumstances caused a total of 19 UFC main event or co-main event fights to be adjusted, postponed or canceled entirely.

One entire event was canceled (UFC 233 in January in Anaheim, Calif.)

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Ilima-Lei Macfarlane: Liz Carmouche and I ‘totally prepared to fight each other’ in Bellator

If it’s meant to be for these teammates to throw down in the cage, it’s meant to be.

HONOLULU – [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] says she would have no issue fighting her teammate and newly signed Bellator flyweight [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] if their paths cross in 2020.

Macfarlane, the Bellator 125-pound champion, notched her fourth successful title defense when she defeated Kate Jackson via unanimous decision in the Bellator 236 main event.

And with company president Scott Coker hinting at a possible flyweight grand prix, both Macfarlane (11-4-1 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) and Carmouche (13-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) have stated that they’d have no issue facing each other inside the Bellator cage.

“We are totally prepared to fight each other,” Macfarlane told MMA Junkie backstage at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena. “Obviously we’d want to be on the opposite sides of the brackets, but yeah, I am so down for a tournament. In fact, when I heard that Scott announced it, I was like, ‘OK, great, I don’t have to call it out on the mic.'”

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The only potential issue in a possible Macfarlane-Carmouche matchup is a conflict of interest with regard to their cornering situations. Both fighters come from the same camp and share the same coaches. But Macfarlane said she has a simple solution.

“The only thing that we have to figure out – and we’ve already talked about this with our coaches – because Liz and I have been with Manolo and Bill since the beginning, and so they’re like, ‘What are we going to do?’ And we’re like, ‘OK, why don’t you guys just be in the audience, and we’ll just have our teammates corner us or something?'”

It remains to be seen whether the two are destined to face off, but it seems both Macfarlane and Carmouche are making sure all their bases are covered, just in case.

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Liz Carmouche has no issue fighting teammate and Bellator champ Ilima-lei Macfarlane

“I would much rather fight somebody for the belt that I care about than somebody I don’t really know.”

HONOLULU – [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] has no issue going to battle with a friend and teammate.

The former two-time UFC title challenger is now part of Bellator’s flyweight roster, a division that’s currently being ruled by champion [autotag]Ilima-lei Macfarlane[/autotag]. Both Carmouche (13-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and Macfarlane have trained alongside each other for quite some time and have grown to be close friends.

“The great thing about Ilima and I is that I mentored her from the beginning,” Carmouche said backstage at Bellator 236. “I was the first person when she walked through the doors, I was the first person that she saw. (I’m) that training partner she calls when everyone doesn’t show up because it’s the holiday or they’re injured. No matter what, she can call me, and I’ll come through, and I’m there to help her.”

Carmouche, who left the UFC as a top contender at 125 pounds, has her sights set on the belt just like she did in the UFC, and she’ll have no issues fighting Macfarlane for gold if she was to get the title shot.

“We’ve been on same competitions together, on the same tournaments, and we’re looking at (each other) like, ‘I know the coaches said we’re not supposed to do this, and we’re supposed to tap out, but we’re going to do this as hardest we possibly can. We’re going to be mean to each other.’ And we always said if we fight each other it’s going to be the bloodiest, goriest fight, and we’re going to throw down until one of us dies. And that’s because in the end, that’s the person I care about. We support each other, we call each other sister wife, so I would much rather fight somebody for the belt that I care about than somebody I don’t really know.”

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Carmouche said that both she and Macfarlane have envisioned a future where both are at the top of the game. And being in the same weight class, the idea of one day fighting each other has definitely crossed their minds.

Carmouche doesn’t think a potential fight with Macfarlane could be problematic for their friendship, as they already fight each other – just off camera.

“We’ve always had that sneaking suspicion that this moment could happen,” Carmouche explained. “We always knew in our hearts that eventually we’re going to be fighting each other for the belt. We already knew that, and we’ve been in talks about that for a long time.

“I think to other people it comes as a surprise instead of a reality, but it’s just a matter of when it was going to come to fruition. And we’ve already competed side-by-side in tournaments, so we’ve always had that same mentality. We’re going to throw down. It’s you and me, (and) we are going to go harder than anybody else and try to snap each other’s limbs off, choke each other out. And if it’s fighting, we’re going to hit each other harder. There have been days when we go to train with each other and were like, ‘I’m sorry I have to do this to you, but you have to be ready for your fight.’ We don’t want to, but you hit them as hard as you can, so fighting wouldn’t be any different.”

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