Carmouche’s weight cut came down to the wire. According to Cageside Press, she trimmed her hair to get under the limit, about as close a shave as a championship weigh-in allows.
The fight is a rematch with a clear history. Carmouche knocked Bishop out in the third round last year to win the 2025 PFL flyweight World Tournament, and PFL is now staging their second meeting for its first undisputed 125-pound title, a belt that became available after a hand injury to Dakota Ditcheva reshaped the division’s title picture, according to Cageside Press. Carmouche, 26-8 and ranked No. 2, is one of the pioneers of women’s MMA and a former Bellator champion. She is on a four-fight winning streak with three finishes and has not lost since Taila Santos beat her in 2024, most recently taking a one-sided decision over Viviane Araujo. Bishop, 11-3, ranked No. 4 and 40 years old, brings credentials that stretch beyond the cage: PFL bills her as an IBJJF No-Gi World Champion and ADCC veteran. She has answered last year’s knockout with back-to-back first-round submission wins, including one over Ariane Lipski da Silva. The question tonight is whether the grappling that carried her back to a title shot can change a result that, the first time, was decided on the feet.
The co-main event has its own history and a far heavier backstory. Timur Khizriev, the unbeaten 2024 PFL featherweight tournament champion, weighed in at 145.4 for his rematch with Gabriel Braga, who came in at 145.8. Khizriev, 18-0, has been out for nearly two years, recovering from injuries he sustained when he was the victim of an armed attack, including a broken hand, according to the PFL. He beat Braga in their first meeting, and a win tonight would move him closer to a world title opportunity. Braga, 17-3, has gone 3-1 in his last four, most recently outpointing Cheyden Leialoha, and arrives looking to avenge that loss and end the unbeaten run. Making weight answers the first practical question about Khizriev’s readiness. The fight will answer the rest.
The 13-fight card also features Sarvarjon Khamidov against Rafael do Nascimento at bantamweight, with the early card streaming from 6 p.m. ET on the ESPN App.
For the PFL, a promotion that has spent the year navigating its merger with MVP and a change of chief executive, tonight is about building something permanent: a new belt and the first name in its lineage. Carmouche can add a PFL world title to a career that already spans championships in more than one promotion. Bishop can turn a grappling world title and a hard lesson last year into the biggest MMA win of her career. One of them leaves Chicago as the division’s first champion.
