Liz Carmouche took a risk Friday but it paid off.
In the Bellator 294 main event at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Carmouche (19-7 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) defeated DeAnna Bennett (13-8-1 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) with an arm-triangle choke submission at 4:29 of Round 4.
Due to a weight miss by Bennett at Thursday’s official weigh-ins, the women’s flyweight contest was a one-way title bout, meaning a new champion could not be crowned. However, Carmouche elected to still put her title on the line. If Carmouche won, she retained her title; if Bennett won, the belt would be vacated.
Early, Carmouche served as her own worst enemy when an errant spinning wheel kick backfired. Carmouche spun off-balance as Bennett grabbed hold and landed on top on the ground.
In Round 2, Carmouche found success with her striking combinations, set up nicely by low calf kicks. Bennett took the fight to the canvas but Carmouche returned back up.
Round 3 was similar. Carmouche landed some good strikes before Bennett tied up her up against the fence and took the fight down. Bennett controlled Carmouche on the mat for the remainder of the round.
In Round 4, Carmouche spent the early stages defending a takedown from Bennett. A front choke neutralized Bennett’s attempted. Carmouche eventually worked her way into top control where she slowly worked her way to an arm-triangle submission. Bennett’s legs flailed with the tap.
𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗟𝗟@iamgirlrilla weathers the storm to submit @DeAnnaDBennett in Round 4⃣.#Bellator294 | LIVE NOW | @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/RbmtEeTskA
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 22, 2023
Bellator 294 wasn’t the first time Carmouche and Bennett competed against one another. They made their simultaneous Bellator debuts in September 2020 when Carmouche defeated Bennett by third-round submission. Bennett also missed weight for that bout.
The victory Friday extended Carmouche’s winning streak to five and marked her second successful title defense.
With the win, Carmouche defeats Bennett for the second time and remains undefeated in Bellator. The first UFC women’s title challenger in history, Carmouche signed with Bellator in December 2019. Three straight wins in the promotion earned her a title shot against Juliana Velasquez, who she defeated twice in back-to-back fights.
Bennett has a three-fight winning streak snapped with the loss. She entered the fight coming off of two wins against the same opponent, Justine Kish.
Up-to-the-minute Bellator 294 results include:
- Liz Carmouche def. DeAnna Bennett via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 4, 4:29
- Tim Johnson def. Said Sowma via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Sara McMann def. Arlene Blencowe via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Levan Chokheli def. Michael Lombardo via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Killys Mota def. Kenneth Cross via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:14
- Tyrell Fortune def. Sergey Bilostenniy via disqualification (illegal strikes) – Round 1, 3:26
- Cris Lencioni def. Blake Smith via submission (rear triangle) – Round 2, 3:39
- Sharaf Davlatmurodov def. Anthony Adams via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 294.
