Carmouche joins Bellator’s women’s flyweight division following a six-year run in UFC – a tenure that includes world title bouts in both the bantamweight and flyweight divisions, as well as notable wins over Katlyn Chookagian and Jessica Andrade.
Fighting out of San Diego, the 35-year-old Team Hurricane Awesome-product also formerly competed for Strikeforce, notching a pair of victories with the promotion. She earned an additional win over Valentina Shevchenko earlier in her career.
Prior to her days as a professional athlete, the Lafayette, Louisiana-native spent five years serving as an aviation electrician in the United Stated Marine Corps, where she completed three tours of duty in the Middle East. A longtime friend and teammate of Hawaii’s own Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, “Girl-Rilla” finally has the opportunity to compete alongside Bellator women’s flyweight world champion in an already-stacked 125-pound division.
Carmouche’s promotional debut will take place early 2020 in the flyweight division, which is championed by her training partner, Ilima-lei Macfarlane, who headlines Bellator 236on DAZN tomorrow night in Honolulu, Hawaii. The division also features Macfarlane’s opponent Kate Jackson, as well as other top athletes competing this weekend in Hawaii, including Juliana Velasquez, Veta Arteaga, Bruna Ellen and Alejandra Lara.