UFC Cut Carmouche Because No One Wanted To Fight Her

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC

Former two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title contender, Liz Carmouche, was recently released by the promotion, ending a six-year relationship.

To make it sting a bit more, “Girl-Rilla” was in Washington D.C. — site of last Saturday’s (Dec. 7, 2019) UFC on ESPN 7 event — doing promo work for the company when she was informed of the news by her management team.

In fact, Liz (No. 4) revealed on the Ariel Helwani MMA Show she was in a car with some of the UFC staff when she was informed of the news, as they had just wrapped a visit at a children’s hospital.

“I was in the car with Reed Harris and a few other fighters. We had just came back from a hospital for children. We were talking to some kids who were going through different treatments, and also to some adults that were going through chemotherapy,” she added.

“We had just returned from doing this, and all had just expressed how grateful they were and how much it made a difference going out there. We are on the drive back, on the way to go get food and my management calls. And I’m like, ‘Well that can’t be a good thing, if I’m in this car.’”

Liz, though, didn’t tell anyone in the vehicle of the news she received, but after the UFC employees who were in the car with her found out about the news, they apologized and offered some encouraging words, though they didn’t know what happened beforehand.

As far as why she was let go, Carmouche says it had to do with not being able to land fights, which not only prevented her from staying busy, but it also prevented the promotion from building up the women’s Flyweight division.

“So since I’ve been with the organization over the last few years, I’ve had a lot of difficulty getting fights. Not because of injury or lack of readiness or preparations going into the fight, it just it seems that all of the opponents I had been offered turned down all the fights,” she revealed.

“And the frequency I prefer is to do four fights a year, three, or how many I possibly can. And constantly we were just told that everyone kept saying no,” she added.

“And the reason that they gave is that they are really trying to build up the division. And every female that they have brought in to the 125-pound division I have been able to beat them. So it’s not really giving them the opportunity to build up the division how they wanted to. So unfortunately, for the best well-being of the division, they had to cut me to give me the opportunity to go elsewhere to get the fights I needed,” she explained.

According to this report, UFC executives who were aware of Liz’s release were not privy to the fact that she was in Washington doing promotional work.

Since making her 125 pound debut in 2018, Carmouche defeated Jennifer Maia and Lucie Pudilova, losing to only Alexis Davis and current division queen, Valentina Shevchenko, in a title fight which took place this past August.

Prior to that, however, Liz had defeated Lauren Murphy and Katlyn Chookagian, at Bantamweight, two fighters who now compete at 125 pounds.

As for what’s next or Liz — who took part in the first female fight inside the Octagon against Ronda Rousey in 2013 — says she’d love to sign with a promotion that will keep her busy, as she’s only competed seven times in the last five years for UFC. Furthermore, she revealed a lot of promotions have already reached out, including Bellator MMA, her preferred landing spot given her past relationship with Scott Coker and Co.

As far as saying in an earlier report she had to go to Washington in order to do the promo work for UFC out of her own expenses, Liz cleared up any confusion by saying UFC did pay for her air and hotel.

That said, she had to take time out of her day job as personal trainer in order to make the trip, losing money in that aspect.