Liz Carmouche and Ilima-Lei Macfarlane are simply too good of friends to portray anything else.
Three days ahead of their flyweight world title fight on the main card of Bellator 300 on Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, Calif., the two shared the stage at a press conference promoting the event.
Macfarlane’s opening comments were a mix of positive comments and a desire to “punch each other in the face.” By the end of the media session and again during the staredown, it was apparent, however, that the two have nothing but positive feelings toward each other.
“I think the trash talk was mainly us sending food videos to each other to try to sabotage the weight cut,” said Macfarlane, who held the 125-pound title from 2017 to 2020. “In all seriousness, Liz was the one who got me started in this sport. I have so much respect and love for her, but like she said, we’re going to punch each other in the face, we’re going to hurt each other — but we’ll actually get paid for it this time, which is nice.”
Bellator will hold three title fights in the same night for the first time. A fourth was scrapped when Linton Vassell withdrew from his bout with heavyweight champion Ryan Bader due to illness.
Macfarlane, who successfully defended the title four times during her run as champion, earned one final title shot with a split-decision victory over Kana Watanabe at the Blaisdell Arena in April.
It’s a dream fight against Carmouche, who helped get Macfarlane involved in the sport at a nearby gym in San Diego close to a decade ago.
Macfarlane’s first live MMA event was Bellator 131 in the same arena, which then was called the Valley View Casino Center. It was headlined by Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar and broadcast live on Spike TV.
“To be able to fight here in San Diego against my former teammate where we both trained is super cool and a super full-circle moment,” Macfarlane said. “I think just that detail alone makes this a really, really awesome fight. Even if it wasn’t for the belt, it would be a super cool fight.”
Macfarlane wasn’t asked about this being her retirement fight, but she seemed pretty adamant when in Hawaii for her fight in April that this would be it.
It’s a tall task against Carmouche, who served in the Marine Corps and spent time in the Middle East before starting her professional MMA career in 2010.
Carmouche fought Ronda Rousey in the first women’s UFC fight in 2013 and is 6-0 with three wins by submission and two by TKO since joining Bellator.
“You can still say that we are friends, but the hardest training sessions we had, the most damage that was done in the gym was to each other,” Carmouche said. “I can say with confidence we can go out there and put on a great show for everybody because nobody has hurt me more and I haven’t hurt anybody more than Ilima.”
No matter what happens in the cage, the two plan to have dinner after. The only question is, which side of the table will the belt be on?
“We haven’t trained with each other for maybe two years, and I feel like Liz’s game has really changed a lot,” Macfarlane said. “Her style changed ever since making the switch (in gyms), so, yeah, if anything I know her physical power. That’s something that’s never going to leave her, so I know that side of her.”
Carmouche doesn’t like to touch gloves with her opponent before the start of her fights, but said she would do it this time.
Bellator CEO Scott Coker says he doesn’t expect their friendship to get in the way of what should be an entertaining bout.
“I feel like it’s all going to be friendly until the bell rings and then they will go at it,” Coker said. “Once somebody gets punched in the face it will be all over. Friendship is one thing, but this is a competitive fight at the highest level. This is a world championship fight and I think it’s going to be great.”
The preliminary card, which begins at 12:30 p.m., includes a featherweight fight between Kamehameha alumnus Kai Kamaka III and No. 9-ranked Henry Corrales.
