HONOLULU – Liz Carmouche is happy with the way things turned out in the latest chapter of her MMA career.
The former two-time UFC title challenger signed with Bellator last week after she was abruptly released from the UFC earlier in the month. Carmouche (13-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), a notable name in the UFC women’s flyweight division, had fought for the promotion for almost seven years, with her debut being a championship bout against UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey – the first female fight in UFC history.
Having challenged for the flyweight title against Valentina Shevchenko in August and being a ranked contender in the division, many were surprised by the UFC’s decision to release Carmouche. Yet, Carmouche wasn’t caught too caught off guard.
“I kind of had suspicions of what was going to happen with the UFC,” Carmouche told reporters backstage at Bellator 235. “I didn’t think it was going to happen in that form, but I certainly had my suspicions that they were going to cut me just in the fact that I had been reaching out in the promise that, ‘Hey, you’ll have a fight in November or December the latest.’
“And every time I had a competition for jiu-jitsu or anything else, they would keep saying, ‘Hey, you’re still on standby.’ And then we went into December, and I was like, ‘Well, December is here. All the fights for the rest of the year have been announced.’
“I had this feeling inside, so I let my management know, ‘Hey, can we start reaching feelers out? I just have a sneaking suspicion.’ So we were kind of set there. I thought, ‘OK, this would happen after (Washington D.C.), maybe them bringing me out to D.C. (for promotional work), I was wrong, and it’s not going to happen that way.’ So I was definitely surprised, but what their PR nightmare happened to be, it was a blessing for me.
“And to come here (in Hawaii), come out and support the troops – and they also support my training partner, Ilima-lei (Macfarlane) – and just come out and bring my family to Hawaii and have a good time and close out the year on a good note, it was just even better.”
Having been eager to compete while signed to the UFC, Carmouche wants to get in the Bellator cage sooner rather than later. She hopes she can get booked for a fight in early 2020.
“I hope those talks start really soon,” Carmouche said. “I was really hopeful I was going to start fighting in November, December for the UFC, so when I got that cut, I was already ready, and I’m staying ready.
“I’m hoping I can get a fight as early as February, so I can get right back in there. I want to support the organization and the division. I want to work my way up just like everyone else has. I don’t want to be that person that just slides in and goes right into contention for the belt. That’s not fair for everyone who’s been working up, so I really want to work my way to the top and earn my right to fight for the belt just like everyone else.”
Liz Carmouche: UFC 'PR nightmare' ended up being a 'blessing for me' to sign with Bellator