Former training partners and current friends Liz Carmouche and Ilima-Lei Macfarlane opened up the Bellator 300 main card earlier tonight (Sat., Oct. 7, 2023) in a women’s Flyweight title fight. But only Carmouche was eligible to walk out the champion after the challenger missed weight.
It was a rather cautious approach from both ladies, who vowed that their friendship wouldn’t get in the way of their performances. For the majority of the fight, both were content with keeping the fight on the feet, but it was Carmouche who enjoyed the most success in that department, especially in the kicking game.
Indeed, for 20 minutes, Carmouche peppered Macfarlane’s lead leg to the point that she could barely walk, dropping her on a few occasions. At the start of the fifth round, Carmouche once again tagged her foe with a brutal low kick that sent her crashing to the canvas, forcing the referee to put an end to the fight.
That is now three straight title defenses for “Girl-rilla,” one short of Macfarlan’es record o four in a row.
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