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Liz Carmouche shaved her head to make the 125lb limit for her PFL flyweight world title fight against Jena Bishop in Chicago.
Liz Carmouche shaved her head to successfully make weight for her world title fight in Chicago on Friday. The MMA veteran, who has previously fought in the UFC and Bellator, faces Jena Bishop in the main event for the PFL flyweight world title.
Bishop came in just under the 125lb limit, but 42-year-old Carmouche needed a hasty haircut before she stepped on the scales. The American's team used electric clippers to shave her head and ensure she made weight. Despite the last-minute rush, Carmouche was all smiles as she weighed in, rubbing her hair to show off her new haircut - including some bare spots.
Speaking earlier in the week, Carmouche admitted flyweight was a "crazy cut" for her. "My bone density keeps increasing, therefore my weight keeps increasing and I can keep reducing calories but that's not going to change the build of my body," she told Ariel Helwani on Uncrowned. "So 135lb makes the most sense, but the performance I have at 125lb makes it really hard to want to go up a weight class."
Carmouche v Bishop is a rematch of their 2025 encounter, where the latter suffered a third-round knockout. Carmouche, a former Bellator flyweight champion, has six wins and one defeat since her PFL debut in 2024. Bishop, 40, has had mixed fortunes in the PFL with three losses in eight fights.
A win for Carmouche would be the 27th of her pro career, having made her MMA debut in 2010. Despite her lengthy career, Carmouche says she has no plans to retire and intends to fight Briton Dakota Ditcheva in the near future. Ditcheva is recovering from surgery and Carmouche says should she capture the title on Friday, that is the only "fight that makes sense" as her first defence.
"[March] gives her enough time to heal from her surgery," Carmouche said. "I think a welcome back fight makes no sense at all."
The incident highlights the physical toll and extreme measures fighters sometimes take to meet weight classes, as reported by BBC Sport. Carmouche's decision to shave her head underscores the difficulty of maintaining the 125lb limit as she ages, a challenge she has publicly discussed in relation to her bone density and body composition.
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This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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