Former Bellator MMA flyweight champion Liz Carmouche advanced to the semifinals of the PFL World Tournament for the second straight year Friday, with a first-round TKO of Ilara Joanne.
Carmouche (23-8) has been one of the most consistent forces of women’s MMA for the past decade, and still appears to be as good as ever at age 41. She finished Joanne via strikes on the ground after dropping her early with shots to the body. The 125-pound bout took place on the main card of the PFL event in Orlando.
Also a former UFC title challenger, Carmouche advanced to the semifinals of last year’s tournament before losing to Taila Santos. Carmouche moves on to the June semifinals against Elora Dana (8-0), who punched her ticket with a first-round submission against Diana Avsaragova.
On the other side of the women’s flyweight bracket, Ekaterina Shakalova (9-2) advanced to the semis with an upset submission victory over Juliana Velasquez.
Jena Bishop (8-2) moved to the semis with a decision over Kana Watanabe. Like Carmouche, Bishop has now made the semifinals in back-to-back years. She lost in 2024 to eventual champion Dakota Ditcheva via knockout.
The opening round of the men’s bantamweight tournament also took place Friday. Marcirley Alves (13-4) defeated Leandro Higo (23-7) in a close split decision. Alves will face England’s Jake Hadley (12-4), who scored a highlight Scottish twister submission finish over Matheus Mattos. Justin Wetzell (11-2) and Mando Gutierrez (11-3) also advanced to a semifinal matchup.
The PFL World Tournament continues April 18 in Orlando with opening-round middleweight and lightweight matchups.
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