What happened in this episode?
Ariel Helwani speaks with former UFC title challenger and ex-Bellator champion Liz Carmouche ahead of her PFL women’s flyweight title bout against Jena Bishop. Carmouche reflects on extending her career into her 40s, attributing renewed performance to stepping away from running gyms, prioritising recovery, and joining a team that encouraged experimentation rather than staying within a fixed style.
Carmouche discusses prospective matchmaking with Dakota Ditcheva, saying the fight would make sense after Ditcheva’s recovery timeline, and questions whether Ditcheva’s recent opposition has been comparable to the tougher side of tournament brackets, while still crediting Ditcheva’s media work and finishing ability. On Bishop, Carmouche responds to criticism about being “too physical” as a training partner, saying she pushes partners to keep working but denies trying to hurt anyone.
She revisits her 2013 bout with Ronda Rousey, arguing that had she finished the early choke, women’s MMA may have developed differently because she was not positioned to be the sport’s media-facing figure in the way Rousey became. Carmouche also comments on Bishop’s links to Rousey, suggesting footage shared on social media may have been recorded earlier rather than during the current camp.
The interview closes with Carmouche discussing the PFL’s transition toward MVP involvement, hopes for improved fighter pay and education around monetising social media, and broader concerns about women’s MMA losing opportunities as weight classes contract. She also mentions spending fight week with a service-dog-in-training puppy linked to the Pat Tillman Foundation.
