Scott Coker just announced to media here in Hawaii that @BellatorMMA has signed Liz Carmouche. pic.twitter.com/m0vUpmOIjB
— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) December 20, 2019
The Ultimate Fighting Championship‘s loss is Bellator MMA‘s gain, with the latter promotion picking up a fighter suddenly released earlier in the month.
According to Bellator President Scott Coker at a media event on Friday, Liz Carmouche (13-7) has been signed by Bellator. While the weight class she will pursue has not been stated nor has she been given an opponent yet, flyweight queen Ilima-Lei Macfarlane welcomed an opportunity to face off against her training partner. Prior to her signing, Carmouche remarked that “Bellator would be a perfect fit, because I already know them and I have a good relationship with them.”
The former bantamweight and flyweight title challenger was unceremoniously released from her UFC contract two weeks prior, and has rejoined former Strikeforce President Coker, as she was a frequent participant in the Challengers series. Carmouche was informed of her termination while attending a UFC promotional event in Washington D.C. on her own dime. While her release was put into effect the day before, the news was not properly communicated to her or her team.
Her release was preempted by a one-sided flyweight title defeat to champ Valentina Shevchenko, where she landed just 18 significant strikes and zero takedown attempts over five full rounds. She left the Las Vegas-based promotion with a record of 5-5 across the 125- and 135-pound divisions, having been ranked among the top 5 in both. “Girl-Rilla” holds wins over Jessica Andrade, Katlyn Chookagian and Kaitlin Young across her nearly 10-year career.
The four-time Strikeforce participant was involved in the first two cards with Invicta Fighting Championships in 2012 before signing with the UFC. Her promotional debut saw her take on Ronda Rousey in the first women’s bout in UFC history for the bantamweight strap. Although she took Rousey’s back in the opening round and nearly pulled off a submission in that UFC 157 bout, Rousey escaped and scored an armbar to take the throne.