Liz Carmouche will get another chance to become a world champion next month.
Multiple sources confirmed that Carmouche would be taking on Juliana Velasquez in the Bellator flyweight title at Bellator 278.. The event takes place April 22 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. MMA Junkie first reported the booking.
Velasquez has won all 12 of her pro bouts, including a 7-0 start to her Bellator career. The No. 4 ranked 125-pounder in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings captured the title with a unanimous decision win over Ilimi-Lei Macfarlane at Bellator 254 in December 2020. Velasquez successfully defended her title against Denise Kielholtz this past July at Bellator 262 via split decision.
Carmouche won every one of three promotional contests since she moved to Bellator after being transferred from UFC. This includes finishes by Kana Watanabe (finish) and DeAnna Bennett (finish). “Girl” was denied two opportunities to win the UFC title — the first woman’s fight against Ronda Rousey at UFC 257 — but she came out short. The most recent victory went unanimously to Valentina Shevchenko, August 2019..
Guilherme Cru contributed to this report.
