Liz Carmouche, Jena Bishop Set to Battle for Inaugural PFL Women’s Flyweight Championship in Chicago
The Professional Fighters League is heading back to Chicago with championship history on the line.
Fresh off its landmark merger with Most Valuable Promotions, the PFL announced Wednesday that Wintrust Arena will host PFL Chicago on Friday, October 16, with Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche and Jena Bishop meeting for the inaugural PFL Women’s Flyweight World Championship.
The matchup brings together two of the division’s top talents and a pair of familiar rivals who have already shared the cage.
Carmouche enters the championship bout with a 26-8 professional record and a résumé that places her among the pioneers and most accomplished fighters in women’s MMA. The former Bellator and PFL World Tournament Champion made history in 2013 when she competed against Ronda Rousey in the UFC’s first-ever women’s fight.
A former U.S. Marine who began her professional MMA career in 2010, Carmouche has continued to compete at an elite level more than a decade into her career. She has won 13 of her last 14 fights, with 10 of those victories coming by way of stoppage.
Now, Carmouche has an opportunity to add another piece of championship gold to her résumé.
Standing across from her will be Bishop, an 11-3 submission specialist who brings one of the strongest grappling backgrounds in women’s MMA into the matchup. Bishop is a BJJ black belt, former IBJJF No-Gi World Champion and former U.S. representative at the ADCC World Championships.
Her grappling credentials have translated directly to MMA, with seven of her 11 victories coming by submission.
The two fighters are already familiar with one another after meeting in the PFL World Tournament finals in 2025. Carmouche emerged victorious in that matchup, stopping Bishop with a third-round TKO after catching her with a hook.
Bishop has responded to that setback in impressive fashion.
The grappling specialist has scored consecutive first-round submission victories since the loss, including a finish of previously undefeated Georgian fighter Borena Tsertsvadze. Those performances earned Bishop another opportunity to challenge for championship gold—and another chance to settle the score with Carmouche.
This time, however, there will be even more at stake.
The winner will become the first-ever PFL Women’s Flyweight World Champion, putting a new championship belt and a place in PFL history on the line.
For Carmouche, the fight represents another opportunity to add to an already historic career. For Bishop, it is a chance to avenge her previous defeat and establish herself as the first champion of the division.
The matchup also represents another major event for the newly combined PFL and MVP organization as it continues its expansion across MMA and boxing.
“Chicago has become an important market for PFL, and we’re excited to return with another championship event for our fans,” PFL CEO John Martin said. “The inaugural PFL Women’s Flyweight World Championship is another milestone for our organization and a testament to the incredible talent competing across our roster. Liz Carmouche and Jena Bishop have already proven they’re among the very best in the world, and there’s no better stage than Chicago to crown the first champion in this division.”
Pre-sale tickets for PFL Chicago are currently available, with tickets scheduled to go on general sale Friday, August 21 at 11 a.m. ET.
When Carmouche and Bishop meet again on October 16, the rivalry will have a new prize attached: becoming the first name etched into the history of the PFL Women’s Flyweight Championship.
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