Flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Mcfarlane has said she wants Liz Carmouche to be signed by Bellator, and would be ‘happy’ to lose the belt to her.
The pair have been friends and training partners for a long time and following Carmouche’s underhand dismissal from the UFC roster, Mcfarlane has expressed her hopes that Bellator snap up the 35-year-old’s services.
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‘Come to Bellator’
Mcfarlane has not only outlined her interest in a fight with the American, but wouldn’t mind losing her unbeaten record and flyweight title in the process.
She told MMA Junkie: “I want her to come to Bellator,”
“I want to lose the belt to her.”
“I’m not overlooking Kate Jackson at all or any of these other girls, but my dream would be to lose the belt to Liz.”
Poorly Handled
Carmouche was in the middle of a promotional tour with the UFC when she was abruptly released and has since said she thinks the situation could have been handled better by the organisation.
“I’m a little bit pained,” she told MMA Junkie.
“They brought me out here and had me doing a lot of media obligations…only to find out that I’d been released earlier.”
“The news just finally trickled down to me.”
“It’s a little bit insane that you would (do that),”
“Especially during the holiday season. I have a four-year-old at home. My wife is at home and I’d love to be spending it with them. Especially saving up as much money to spoil them for Christmas. To take a week off from that definitely sucks and is kind of a setback. And to be done this way is definitely not a great taste.”
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‘We’d Try to Kill Each Other’
With Carmouche now a free agent, Mcfarlane hopes the Marine Corps veteran makes the switch to Bellator.
The champion said she wouldn’t let the belt go without a fight, but should she lose it to anyone she hopes it’s her old friend. She said: “I’m not planning on fighting forever,”
“If I’m going to lose the belt I want it to be to somebody who is my mentor and my main training partner and my coach through this entire journey.”
“That’s who I would want to lose to.”
“But don’t get me wrong, we would totally go out there to try to kill each other.”
“It’s not like I’m just going to hand it over.”
“People always ask me my dream fight, I’m like, ‘Liz.’”
“Hopefully she can come over.”
(Featured image source: Instagram/ Ilima-Lei Mcfarlane and Liz Carmouche)