at 41 years of age is Liz Carmouche just now entering her prime?

Back in 2010 after defeating Colleen Schneider in her Strikeforce debut, Liz Carmouche followed that up wit h a win over Valentina Shevchenko before challenging Marloes Coenen for the Strikeforce championships belt and then eventually facing Ronda Rousey for the 1st ever UFC Women’s Championship fight at UFC 157 in 2013.   Dropping from the Bantamweight limit of 135 to the flyweight limit of 125 Liz Carmouche eventually earned another shot at UFC gold where she rematched Valentina Shevchenko almost a decade after their first fight.

Carmouche would go on to lose a decision to Valenitna Shevchenko and in a move some fans were surprised by did not have her contract with the promotion renewed.   Carmouche became a free agent and ultimately signed with Bellator MMA after a 5-5 run in the UFC which included wins over Jennifer Maia and Jessica Andrade and losses against legends like Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, and Valentina Shevchenko.

Moving to Bellator MMA Liz Carmouche quickly made a name for herself with 3 straight wins against top talent like Deanna Bennett, Vanessa Porto, Kana Wantanabe that earned her a title shot against Juliana Velasquez who was undefeated at 12-0 at the time. Winning a three fight trilogy over Velasquez, Carmouche ran a 7-0 record in Bellator MMA and defended the belt 3 times before the PFL acquisition and merger.  Joining last seasons tournament Carmouche lost a decision to Taila Santos in the finals.

Now entering her 2nd season in the PFL Tournament, Carmouche finds herself back on a winning streak as she gets set to fight Jenna Bishop in the finals of the 2025 PFL Featherweight World Championship Tournament. With a win Friday in Charlotte North Carolina Liz Carmouche has a chance to capture a 500,000$ tournament cash prize and add the championships belt to her accolades.  Now 11-1 after leaving the UFC, some could argue Liz Carmouche at 41 years of age is better than she has ever been before.