Liz Carmouche

Hey everybody! This week I will be talking about Liz Carmouche, also known as “Girl-Rilla.” She was born on February 19, 1984 in Lafayette, LA but was raised in Okinawa, Japan. In 2010, she began her professional career in mixed martial arts. Before becoming a mixed martial artist, Liz served in the United States Marine Corps for five years. She actually had to go on three tours in the Middle East. Liz is currently going to school for kinesiology. This is also known as human kinetics which is the scientific study of human movement.

                Liz Carmouche competes for Strikeforce. She is 5’6’’ and weighs 135 pounds. This is considered a welterweight fighter. Liz’s fighting style is Vale Tudo. Vale Tudo means “everything allowed” or “anything goes.” This is a style of fighting where there are very few rules. It became very popular in Brazil during the 20^th century. Her mixed martial arts record is 5-2. This means she has won five of her fights and only lost two. Three of these fights were won by knockouts, one by submission and another one by decision. This isn’t a bad record at all since she is ranked 8^th in the world according to Unified Women’s MMA rankings. The style of fighting Liz prefers is Judo, Kickboxing and Wrestling. Liz has a yellow belt in Kenpo and a blue belt in Jiu-Jitsu. She fights out of San Diego, California from her team, “Team Hurricane Awesome.”

                The reason Liz started mixed martial arts was for a physical challenge and an outlet. She has never won a title or held a rank. She tells Strikeforce that “It is an honor. This means being considered the best in this sport.” Liz’s favorite grappling technique is an armbar and her favorite striking technique is the left cross. Strikeforce asks, “What do you consider to be the key fight is your career, and why?” She says, “Currently, I think the key fight in my career was my fight against Marloes Coenen. For me it was the opportunity of a lifetime.”