Former Bellator MMA women’s flyweight champion Liz Carmouche believes that PFL women’s flyweight standout Dakota Ditcheva is ducking her.
Carmouche, who fought Ronda Rousey in the first-ever UFC women’s fight at UFC 157 in February 2013, is currently starring for PFL. Despite being 42 years old, she is still at the top of her game, as she recently won the PFL women’s flyweight tournament last summer.
Despite winning that tournament, however, she has still not fought Ditcheva, the PFL women’s flyweight standout. And she thinks she knows why.
Liz Carmouche Believes Dakota Ditcheva is Ducking Her
Speaking to Guilherme Cruz of MMAFighting.com, Carmouche said she was surprised that Ditcheva was recently booked to fight Denise Kielhloltz in her next title defense at PFL New York in July. Carmouche believes that her not being next for the title is a combination of Ditcheva not wanting to fight her and PFL protecting its cash cow, as Ditcheva is arguably the promotion’s most marketable fighter right now.
“I wish I could answer that (not getting a title shot). I can’t. I’ve been asking the same thing. I thought coming out of the tournament that the only match-up that made sense was last year’s champion versus the year prior champion, but they have a different agenda,” Carmouche said, adding that it appears Ditcheva is ducking her.
“It certainly seems that way. Of course, I want to be fighting the best and prove that I’m the one that deserves to be having that belt and to be a contender for the belt, if not the belt holder. But I certainly understand they want to protect their future. They invested a lot of money into her, and she’s the face of PFL. So you certainly don’t want it to give it to somebody who’s in their 40s, you want to give it to the young 20-year-old.”
Liz Carmouche Still Thinks She Will Fight Dakota Ditechva
Even if Ditcheva is avoiding Carmouche for now, and even if the PFL is keeping her away from “Girl-Rilla,” Carmouche still thinks she will eventually step into the cage with Ditcheva, as long as the American Top Team product doesn’t join the UFC before the fight happens.
“I think the only way that it doesn’t happen is if she decides that she wants to leave PFL and go to the UFC. That’s the only way, in my mind, to slide past and get out of this,” Carmouche said.
With Ditcheva fighting Kielholtz next month, Carmouche will instead take on former UFC women’s flyweight fighter Viviane Araujo at PFL San Diego later this month, which is a hometown fight for her.
Should Carmouche defeat Araujo, and if Ditcheva beats Kielholtz as expected, then the logical next fight to make would be Carmouche against Ditcheva. But with the PFL potentially having other ideas about Ditcheva, there is no sure thing that Carmouche will get the next women’s flyweight title shot, even though a win over Araujo should absolutely seal the deal.
Liz Carmouche Believes Dakota Ditcheva is Ducking Her