PFL 2025 World Tournament One to Watch: Liz Carmouche

There will be no shortage of talent in the women’s flyweight division when the Professional Fighters League moves forward with the next leg of the PFL 2025 World Tournament. It features former Bellator MMA champions Liz Carmouche and Juliana Velasquez, two well-respected and accomplished competitors. Most view Carmouche as the favorite to win it all at 125 pounds.

No one in the competition can match Carmouche’s pedigree, and she has enjoyed plenty of success since she parted ways with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. She went 7-0 in Bellator, then posted a 2-1 mark in three appearances with the PFL in 2024.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 11 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2..

It took just four fights for Carmouche to claim a championship in Bellator. She went on to defend it on three occasions against Velasquez, DeAnna Bennett and Ilima-Lei Macfarlane. Even at 41 years of age, she shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Carmouche discussed her desire to add another title to her collection and check off items on her personal bucket list in a pre-fight interview with Sherdog.com. Among them: She wants to record finishes that she finds unique. Carmouche could be considered even more dangerous because she has decided to focus only on herself and pursuing accomplishments her way.

“Girl-Rilla” has been on a tear in the back half of her career. Before she dropped a unanimous decision to Taila Santos in the 2024 PFL semifinals, Carmouche had rattled off nine consecutive victories. Next up: a quarterfinal showdown with Ilara Joanne as part of the PFL 2025 World Tournament First Round 2 undercard this Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Should Carmouche advance, either Elora Dana or Diana Avsaragova await in the semifinals. Even with Velasquez, Jena Bishop, Kana Watanabe and Ekaterina Shakalova on the other side of the bracket, she appears to have a clear path to success.

Carmouche can call upon her big-fight experience—she faced Ronda Rousey in the first women’s match in UFC history—and the understanding of what lies ahead. Because she feels little to no pressure in advance of the tournament, she appears to be enjoying the ride at this late stage of her remarkable career. Carmouche plans to march into the competition and chase the $500,000 grand prize in whatever manner she sees fit, making it a good bet that she will continue her recent trend of winning at the sport’s highest level.