Liz Carmouche says if PFL does not add 135 pounds, she will target the 125 title instead

Liz Carmouche’s next career decision, at least as she frames it, could come down to which weight classes the PFL offers and which ones are sustainable for her. In comments reported by Yahoo Sports, Carmouche suggested that while she has continued to compete successfully at flyweight, she is growing frustrated with the process of cutting weight, and she believes her options may narrow if the promotion does not create a women’s 135-pound division.

The PFL, which organizes its seasons around regular-season matchups followed by playoffs, has increasingly drawn attention for its roster-building approach. For fighters, division structure matters because it can dictate training cycles, recovery time, and the size of the competitive window between when a body is at its strongest and when it must be at its lightest. Carmouche’s message, as described in the Yahoo report, was less about one opponent and more about long-term feasibility.

In the Yahoo Sports piece, Carmouche is positioned as one of the sport’s best women’s fighters, and the crux of the interview is her fatigue with “the cutting weight part” of competing at flyweight. That wording points to a common tension in MMA weight management, where fighters may be technically sharp but still forced into repeated, punishing routines to make a limit that does not naturally fit their best form.

Carmouche’s alternative, again according to the report, would be to pursue a championship at a different weight. The article’s framing is explicit: if PFL does not add 135, she says she would have “no choice but” to aim for the title at 125. That statement matters because it underscores how closely championship aspirations are connected to division availability and to how a fighter’s body responds across training camps.

The difference between 135 and 125 also carries practical implications. At the elite level, small variations in weight class can change how opponents carry their strength, how grappling positions translate, and how quickly fighters are able to recharge after weigh-ins. While Carmouche did not present that as a tactical breakdown in the Yahoo description, her emphasis on weight cutting suggests she is thinking about performance consistency over the long haul rather than only about the next matchup.

For the PFL, the potential of adding 135 pounds is more than a line on a press release if it is something fighters are already factoring into their career planning. If women’s bantamweight or a 135-pound bracket is treated as a natural bridge between flyweight and higher classes, it could reduce pressure on fighters caught between limits, while also giving the promotion additional title-picture material. Carmouche’s comments, as reported, imply that the organization’s decisions can have direct consequences for who feels compelled to move.

What to watch next is whether PFL clarifies any plan for a 135-pound women’s division, and how Carmouche’s immediate championship path develops if that clarification never arrives. If her “no choice” framing is accurate, then the storyline likely becomes a race for leverage at 125, with weight-class structure determining who gets the clearest route to a belt.

Until official PFL announcements confirm any expansion, the safest takeaway is that Carmouche is telegraphing a contingency plan. Her remarks, as captured by Yahoo Sports, portray a veteran who wants to compete at the weight that best protects her health and output, and who believes the promotion’s division setup will decide whether her next title run starts at 125 or waits for 135.