If she’s just being honest, Liz Carmouche is tired of the cutting weight part of being one of the best women’s fighters in the world.
The problem in Carmouche’s case is that she’s in the PFL, which doesn’t offer a women’s bantamweight division. Bellator didn’t, either, when Carmouche was champ there. Carmouche, lest people forget, was the first woman to step into a cage for a UFC fight when she challenged Ronda Rousey, and that was at 135 pounds.
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So if she had her druthers, Carmouche would be fighting at 135, not flyweight – where she continued to show she’s still among the elite in the PFL San Diego co-main event Saturday. Carmouche (26-8) submitted fellow ex-UFC fighter Viviane Araujo (14-8) with a second-round guillotine choke.
Now Carmouche says there’s little choice but to give her a title shot for her next fight.
“I want to fight for that belt,” Carmouche said at her post-fight news conference at Pechanga Arena. “I’m ranked No. 2. No. 1 already has her fight lined up, so it only makes sense that if it’s not going to be for the bantamweight division, I’m fighting for 125 (title).”
PFL flyweight champion Dakota Ditcheva, an unbeaten 27-year-old from England, was supposed to defend her title against Denise Kielholtz in February, but had to pull out with an injury. She’s set to return July 31, though, at PFL New York.
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And after that, Carmouche will likely have a better idea of what’s coming next for her, and almost certainly with a belt at stake.
“Dakota vs. Denise is kind of the obvious collision course,” Carmouche said. “Denise has a lot of talent and she’s a great kickboxer, but I don’t think she’s as complete an MMA fighter. I think Dakota has an answer for every area. If Denise stays in the pocket, she’ll knock you out, but if Dakota moves, uses her range, and doesn’t make mistakes, I don’t think Denise will be able to do much damage.
“Unless Dakota injures her hand again and can’t finish, I think she’s ultimately going to knock out Denise, take some time off, and be ready to fight again at the end of the year. The only person that makes sense for that fight is me.”
Check out Carmouche’s post-fight news conference above (H/T Home of Fight)
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: If PFL won’t add 135, Liz Carmouche says no choice but 125 title next
