Liz Carmouche added yet another exemplary chapter to her story at PFL San Diego, but her post-fight interview did not exactly capture the interest of the PFL CEO. The former Bellator MMA champion and multi-division UFC title challenger secured a guillotine choke over Viviane Araujo on June 27th in their co-main event clash.
Pechanga Arena was ecstatic as Carmouche all but cemented herself for a vacant flyweight title shot, but the influential women’s MMA figure ultimately used her post-fight microphone time to call for PFL to establish a bantamweight division for the women.
PFL CEO John Martin spoke to assembled media as the event wrapped up in California, with video footage provided by Home of Fight, and when asked about the aforementioned dynamics related to Carmouche, Martin said,
“Yeah I was less interested in her asking for more [laughs], asking for more weight classes. I would have liked to have seen her demonstrate to me, and everybody else, that she wants the belt. When AJ [McKee] won, what did he do? He’s like I want the belt.”
“So Liz [Carmouche] has got to demonstrate she wants the belt cuz you know who else demonstrated tonight she wants the belt? Jena Bishop and so Liz certainly put on a great fight tonight. Jena did too. But I’m focused on; I want Liz or Jena to be looking at the winner of Dakota [Ditcheva] and Denise [Kielholtz] and get that done short order.”
Liz Carmouche touches on who she thinks her PFL flyweight title opponent will be
Liz Carmouche referenced that a return to bantamweight is motivated by the cut to 125 pounds getting harder in recent times, but the trailblazing figure is still keen on fighting for PFL flyweight gold, if offered. With Carmouche being in the first-ever women’s UFC title fight in history, she fought for the bantamweight crown, but subsequent promotional runs with Bellator MMA and PFL have not seen available options for women’s 135-pound fighters to ply their trade.
Also, at the PFL San Diego post-fight press conference, in addressing the looming PFL New York bout between Dakota Ditcheva and Denise Kielholtz, it seems like Carmouche is confident the former will win in that one and that a Ditcheva vs. Carmouche title bout will be arranged for later on this calendar year.
