Carmouche claims she submitted Bishop in sparring and left her in tears ahead of PFL title rematch

Liz Carmouche has revealed she submitted Jena Bishop during a sparring session in San Diego, leaving her opponent in tears — a story she shared with Ariel Helwani ahead of their PFL women’s flyweight world title fight on 16 October at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Carmouche (26-8) and Bishop (11-3) are set to contest the inaugural Professional Fighters League women’s flyweight championship, a rematch of their 2025 PFL World Tournament final, which Carmouche won. But according to Carmouche, her psychological edge over Bishop stretches back further than that result.

She recalled Bishop visiting her gym as a guest sparring partner when both fighters were based in San Diego. Far from being wary of the matchup, Carmouche said she actively welcomed it. Bishop has held a jiu-jitsu black belt since 2013, and Carmouche framed the session as a chance to test herself against a superior grappler.

“Here’s somebody who’s been a black belt since 2013,” Carmouche told Helwani. “MMA-wise, I don’t think at that point I had trained with a black belt in MMA sparring… I was like, man, this is going to be a good challenge. I’m going to get messed up on the ground. I’m inviting it. I like challenging people in their strong suits.”

Carmouche described Bishop as initially hesitant to engage before eventually sparring with considerable aggression. The session ended with Carmouche securing a submission — and Bishop’s emotional reaction caught her off guard.

“She was being super dodgy and finally she was kind of pushed to get into it. Definitely came out wanting to go super hard and being really aggressive. Then when on the ground, I had a chance to submit her, and she cried that she lost,” Carmouche said. “Seeing her crying just definitely seemed like that was a little bit too emotional for somebody that was going that hard.”

Carmouche arrives at PFL Chicago on a four-fight winning streak, reinforcing her status as favourite heading into the title bout. Bishop, meanwhile, has shown resilience since her tournament defeat, stringing together two consecutive submission victories to rebuild momentum.

The rematch carries added weight as the first PFL women’s flyweight world title will be on the line, giving both fighters a tangible prize beyond settling their personal rivalry.