PFL tournament champion Liz Carmouche recently reacted to a surprising moment during UFC 319. Longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan gave her a rare shout-out live on air.
Rogan congratulated Carmouche on winning the 2025 PFL women’s flyweight world championship tournament. The recognition caught fans off guard, as fighters outside the UFC are rarely given praise like that.
Carmouche, 41, earned a 3rd round knockout over Jena Bishop to win the tournament. Before joining PFL, she held the Bellator women’s flyweight champion and defended it three times.
During the UFC 319 broadcast, Rogan congratulated Carmouche, a pioneer of women’s MMA, for her win against Bishop and longevity.
“First woman to ever enter the UFC octagon, and at 41, won the PFL tournament last night…by KO! Shout-out to Liz,” Rogan said.
Carmouche expressed gratitude to the longtime UFC commentator the publicly acknowledgment. She said it meant a lot coming from someone with Rogan’s influence in the sport.
‘Girl-Rilla’ explained the significance of receiving praise by Rogan and what that meant to her.
“It was really cool to see the cross promotion mention of anyone else is a big deal. And for it to be someone like [Rogan], that’s an even bigger deal for him to mention anything in a positive light,” Carmouche told MMA Junkie. “I was definitely riding cloud nine on that, seeing Joe Rogan’s shout-out to me.”
Joe Rogan Called Liz Carmouche’s UFC debut
Rogan was cageside calling the action when Carmouche made her UFC debut against Ronda Rousey.
The fight headlined UFC 157 and marked a major milestone in MMA history. It was the first women’s fight in UFC history and the first UFC women’s championship bout to headline a pay-per-view.
The division was introduced the women’s bantamweight division after UFC’s then-parent company, ZUFFA, absorbed Strikeforce. Dana White had once said women would never compete in the octagon. However, Rousey’s growing popularity changed that narrative.
Though Rousey won by 1st round submission, Carmouche was a part of MMA history.
Carmouche Opens Up About Potential UFC Hall of Fame Induction
Carmouche also discussed the possibility of a UFC Hall of Fame induction in the future. While she never held a UFC title, her role in MMA history is undeniable.
‘Girl-Rilla’ won gold outside the promotion. She won the Bellator women’s flyweight championship and successfully retained it three times. Since the promotion was absorbed by PFL, Carmouche has added a women’s flyweight tournament championship to her resume.
Now, Carmouche could be in line to challenge PFL women’s flyweight champion Dakota Ditcheva.
Speaking with MMA Junkie, Carmouche admitted to not reflecting on past accomplishments too much because it could be a distraction. However, she acknowledged that a UFC Hall of Fame induction would be an honor.
“When you’re caught up in the moment of just trying to evolve as much as possible in between fights, you kind of lose the perspective on some of the things you’ve accomplished,” Carmouche said. “I would love if there was a UFC Hall of Fame I could be part of. If PFL created one, I could be part of that too. That would be really awesome just to add to the things I have accomplished.”
PFL Champion Expresses Gratitude for Joe Rogan’s Shout-Out at UFC 319