The PFL crowns its first women’s flyweight champion Friday night at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, and the two women fighting for the belt have already shared a cage. Liz Carmouche (26-8) meets Jena Bishop (11-3) in the PFL Chicago main event. The rematch closes out the division’s tournament and tops a 13-fight card. According to the promotion’s post on X, the early card starts at 6 p.m. ET on the ESPN App and the main card follows at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Carmouche won the first meeting by third-round TKO, according to Sports Illustrated’s MMA Knockout. The promotion rebooked the matchup while Dakota Ditcheva (16-0) recovers from injuries, and Carmouche told the outlet the decision didn’t bother her. She also didn’t sound like someone treating Bishop as a formality. “I never want to look past the opponent,” she said. “Even if MMA math adds up and it shows you should come out the victor, things happen.”
This is her second fight of 2026. In June at PFL San Diego, she finished Viviane Araujo (14-8) with a second-round guillotine, and she arrives in Chicago on a four-fight winning streak. The Bishop fight came together on short notice. Because the event is in the Midwest, Carmouche said she stayed on the East Coast and ran her camp with Team Atlas instead of crossing the country.
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The history angle is real. Carmouche was a UFC bantamweight title challenger 13 years ago, when she lost to Ronda Rousey, and she framed this title shot as the next piece of a long run through the sport. “Being able to come out, answer the bell, and make another moment that’s gonna put another stamp on women’s MMA,” she told MMA Knockout. This is also the PFL’s second card at Wintrust Arena this year.
She has also made her plans for the belt public. MMA Knockout described Ditcheva as the likely frontrunner to face the winner sometime next year, and Carmouche agreed. “So, the only matchup, and the one everyone wants to see, is me vs. Dakota,” she said. She added that a loss to Bishop would cost Ditcheva her No. 1 world ranking, though Carmouche still sees her near the top.
It’s hard to find anyone outside Bishop’s camp who expects an upset. MMA Junkie’s preview asked who was picking Bishop, which tells you how most people are betting this one. Bishop gets a clean shot at the same history Carmouche wants. A win would also erase a TKO loss and put her first in line for Ditcheva.
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I’m taking Carmouche, and I don’t think it’s especially close. She already solved Bishop once, she’s winning fights in more than one way (the Araujo guillotine came only four months ago), and a short-notice camp worries me less for a fighter with 34 pro bouts. The interesting fight comes after this one. If Carmouche wins Friday, the PFL has an inaugural champion and an undefeated challenger waiting for 2027, which is about as good a setup as a young women’s flyweight division can get.
