It didn’t take long for Liz Carmouche to find a new home.
Fight fans were surprised to hear the news of Carmouche’s UFC release. “Girl-Rilla” competed against Ronda Rousey in the first-ever women’s bout in UFC history. She went 4-2 in her last six outings and is coming off a women’s flyweight title bout against champion Valentina Shevchenko, losing via unanimous decision.
Liz Carmouche Signs With Bellator
During a media scrum ahead of this weekend’s events, Bellator president Scott Coker confirmed that Carmouche has been signed. During the Bellator 235 broadcast, Carmouche made an appearance and the signing was officially revealed. Peep the press release on Carmouche’s signing below.
“HONOLULU – On the same night as Bellator and the USO Present: Salute the Troops, Bellator is proud to announce the signing of United States Marine Corps veteran and established flyweight competitor Liz Carmouche (13-7) to an exclusive multi-year, multi-fight contract.
Carmouche joins Bellator’s women’s flyweight division following a six-year run in UFC – a tenure that includes world title bouts in both the bantamweight and flyweight divisions, as well as notable wins over Katlyn Chookagian and Jessica Andrade.
Fighting out of San Diego, the 35-year-old Team Hurricane Awesome-product also formerly competed for Strikeforce, notching a pair of victories with the promotion. She earned an additional win over Valentina Shevchenko earlier in her career.
Prior to her days as a professional athlete, the Lafayette, Louisiana-native spent five years serving as an aviation electrician in the United States Marine Corps, where she completed three tours of duty in the Middle East. A longtime friend and teammate of Hawaii’s own Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, “Girl-Rilla” finally has the opportunity to compete alongside Bellator women’s flyweight world champion in an already-stacked 125-pound division.
Carmouche’s promotional debut will take place early 2020 in the flyweight division, which is championed by her training partner, Ilima-lei Macfarlane, who headlines Bellator 236 on DAZN tomorrow night in Honolulu, Hawaii. The division also features Macfarlane’s opponent Kate Jackson, as well as other top athletes competing this weekend in Hawaii, including Juliana Velasquez, Veta Arteaga, Bruna Ellen and Alejandra Lara.”
