5 Things You Might Not Know About Liz Carmouche

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The first time Liz Carmouche met Valentina Shevchenko, the fight was decided by the doctor. Shevchenko wanted to continue but the physician opposed. They will finally run things back at UFC Fight Night 156 on Aug. 10, where the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s flyweight title is at stake. As Carmouche prepares for a similar result, here are five things you might not know about her.

1. She served three tours in Iraq.

With her father stationed in the U.S. Air Force and having been raised around military bases, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Carmouche would go the military route. Her chosen path led her to the U.S. Marines Corps, where she was an aviation electrician and served three tours in Iraq. Carmouche completed her service in 2009, and it was after that when she started training in mixed martial arts.

2. She was initially disgusted by MMA.

Though she has no recollection of the opposing fighters, Carmouche remembers how disgusted she was seeing an MMA fight for the first time. The sight of blood threw her off, and she was perplexed at how anyone could possibly have the drive to participate or even watch such an activity. But after trying it out firsthand, she quickly realized that the fighters were athletes who put in time and effort to be able to display their skills inside the cage. Needless to say, she enjoyed her first MMA training session and has been doing it ever since.

3. She made history with Ronda Rousey.

UFC president Dana White had repeatedly claimed there would never be women in the UFC. But of course, Ronda Rousey came into the picture and was paired with Carmouche for the first-ever women’s UFC bout. The historic event known as UFC 157 happened on Feb. 23, 2013 in Anaheim, California. It ended with the first of Rousey’s three armbar finishes in the Octagon.

4. She made history with Katlyn Chookagian and a bunch of other fighters.

Once again, Carmouche found her name in the history books. UFC 205 was the promotion’s first show in New York since the state lifted its ban on MMA. The event took place at the famed Madison Square Garden on Nov. 12, 2016, and “Girl-Rilla” was part of it. She was matched up with Katlyn Chookagian, whom she defeated via split decision. The historic card featured three title bouts, including a champion versus champion encounter between Conor McGregor and Eddie Alvarez.

5. Something strange happened in her first fight with Shevchenko.

UFC Fight Night 156 marks the second time Carmouche and Shevchenko will share the cage. The two flyweights had first fought at an event called C3 Fights: Red River Rivalry held in Concho, Oklahoma, in 2010. According to Carmouche, the promoter offered her a fight with Antonina Shevchenko, Valentina’s elder sister, who was less experienced than her.

But at the time of the event, Carmouche was surprised to see Valentina in the poster. She nonetheless pushed through, winning via doctor stoppage and dealing the current flyweight champ the first loss of her MMA career. To be clear, Valentina had nothing to do with the promoter’s actions.