Jena Bishop turned a near-disaster into PFL history. She survived a first-round storm, then out-grappled Liz Carmouche over five rounds to become the inaugural PFL Women’s Flyweight World Champion on Friday, Oct. 16, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Bishop (12-3) beat Carmouche (26-9), a former Bellator champion and the 2025 PFL World Tournament champion, by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 48-47. Carmouche had stopped Bishop in the first round of their 2025 meeting at PFL Charlotte.

Jena Bishop Survives Early Storm, Takes Over

Carmouche started fast, but Bishop weathered the opening round and controlled the rest of the fight with her ground game. In the third round, Bishop came close to ending it with a rear-naked choke, but the tough Carmouche escaped.

“This was so great. I love fighting in Chicago,” said Bishop, the PFL Women’s Flyweight (125 lbs) Champion. She then explained why the night felt special.

“I mean, I fought here twice this year, and had a great outcome both times, and it’s close to home, so I get my family, and, I love the city. It was great.

“Oh man, it feels good to add another world title to my resume. It’s great, but I think this one means a little bit more than what I’ve done in the past, so I’m really, really excited,” Bishop said.

PFL Chicago Results: Khizriev, Khamidov Win

Dakota Ditcheva faced off with Bishop after the fight and put her name forward as a challenger. Ditcheva had been cleared to return to full-contact training.

In the co-main event, No. 2-ranked featherweight Timur Khizriev (19-0) beat Gabriel Braga (17-4) by split decision to stay undefeated. The scorecards read 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29.

Sarvarjon Khamidov (18-1) knocked out Rafael do Nascimento (13-3) at 1:49 of the first round. Khamidov dropped do Nascimento with a short left hook to the chin, then followed with a barrage of hammerfists.