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Jena Bishop upsets Liz Carmouche to become PFL's first women's flyweight champion

Bishop survived a battering first round, then controlled the next four largely through wrestling to win a unanimous decision and reverse her August 2025 knockout loss to Carmouche at PFL Chicago.

Editorial deskPublished · Updated
5 sources
Liz Carmouche stands smiling among a group of Marines in camouflage uniform in front of a backdrop reading PFL and GOVX
Liz Carmouche, a Marine Corps veteran who lost PFL's new flyweight title to Jena Bishop by decision on October 16, 2026, pictured at an official Marine Corps meet-and-greet at Camp Pendleton in June 2026. Illustrative file image, not from the title fight. Display crop and resize applied. Display crop and resize applied.Sgt. Haley Fourmet Gustavsen / U.S. Marine Corps · Public domain

Jena Bishop is the Professional Fighters League's first Women's Flyweight World Champion after a unanimous decision over Liz Carmouche in the main event of PFL Chicago at Wintrust Arena. All three judges scored the five-round title fight 48-47 for Bishop, according to PFL's own updated fighter record and a full results report from Cageside Press.

The result reversed the pair's first meeting. Carmouche had stopped Bishop in the August 2025 PFL World Tournament final, and she carried that form into the first round Saturday, hurting Bishop on the ground after a takedown attempt went wrong, Cageside Press reported from ringside. Bishop recovered to control the remaining four rounds largely through wrestling and top position, working for a rear-naked choke in the third round without finishing it.

The win moves Bishop to 12-3 and hands the 26-8 Carmouche her ninth career loss. It also breaks the trend ESPN had tracked before the fight, in which Carmouche had gone 4-1 across her career's rematches, including 2-1 in prior championship rematches.

Why it matters

PFL created the Women's Flyweight World Championship to replace its old tournament-trophy format with a conventional, defendable title, and Saturday's card was both the division's first coronation and its first title rematch. Bishop now holds a belt PFL can book her to defend, rather than a tournament trophy that resets each season.

The rest of the main card

In the co-main event, Timur Khizriev again outpointed Gabriel Braga, this time by split decision, 29-28, 28-29, 29-28. Sarvarjon Khamidov stopped Rafael do Nascimento by first-round knockout at 1:49, and unbeaten welterweight Oualy Tandia won a unanimous decision over J.P. Saint Louis.

The source file

Reporting & references

Follow the original reporting and records behind this article.

  1. PFL (Professional Fighters League)Full Card Finalized For PFL Chicago On October 16 At Wintrust Arena
  2. ESPNHow championship rematches became a specialty for PFL titleholder Liz Carmouche
  3. PFL (Professional Fighters League)Jena Bishop fighter record
  4. Cageside PressPFL Chicago: Carmouche vs. Bishop 2 Full Results
  5. Cageside PressJena Bishop Survives Near-Finish, Battles Back to Upset Liz Carmouche, Claim Gold at PFL Chicago

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