HONOLULU – Liz Carmouche is acquainted and comfortable in title chances, but she isn’t using her Bellator 278 shot for granted.

Friday, Carmouche (16-7 MMA, 3- BMMA) will, for the third time, obstacle for a significant advertising title when she will take on champion Juliana Velasquez (12- MMA, 7- BMMA) in a 5-round primary celebration.

The initial two title pictures did not go her way. She shed to Ronda Rousey in the 1st women’s title combat in promotional history at UFC 157, then misplaced to Valentina Shevchenko six and a 50 % many years later at UFC Battle Night 156. Now, she has a 3rd probability.

“It feels terrific, not only since this is just putting into fruition every thing I’ve been chatting about and dreaming about, but also I get to do it beneath the Bellator banner,” Carmouche informed MMA Junkie at a news meeting Wednesday.

Carmouche is 38 and a person of the oldest fighters on the promotion’s roster, but neither of these info indicate she is not improving upon. In her title shot-clinching victory, Carmouche ran as a result of Japanese standout Kana Watanabe with a 35-second TKO, the first stoppage owing to strikes for he considering the fact that 2013.

“It took a small little bit to kick in, because you nevertheless have the adrenaline of acquiring expected 15 minutes,” Carmouche mentioned. “Going out there when it is that quick, it is like, ‘I nonetheless have additional than what I’m placing out below.’ I was definitely happy with my general performance, was definitely satisfied I was capable to set that stone in the route to heading for that belt.

Of course, she’s rolling. Carmouche argues at this level in time, she could be in the most effective sort of her overall occupation. Even so, she is dealing with this instant like it could be her previous crack at gold, a severe but legitimate reality for a fighter who has competed as a specialist for over a ten years.

“Each of my fights with Bellator, I’ve been contemplating about that specific issue,” Carmouche said. “I have to capitalize and stay in the second and give every thing I have in this fight, not focusing (way too significantly forward). As considerably as I targeted toward the belt and that was the very same when I came to Bellator, I was actually identifying each combat as staying the most significant fight I had and tried out to set anything into it. This is the same. This has to be the most significant battle, get the belt, and the up coming one particular will be the most important fight, and so-on and so-forth.”

Bellator 278 can take area Friday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center with the main card airing on Showtime just after prelims on MMA Junkie. People in attendance, nonetheless, will be solely military users, initial responders, and veterans. Bellator will not be offering tickets to the general general public.

For Carmouche, being aware of that is distinctive. A previous marine, Carmouche is embedded in several circles of the decide on Bellator 278 attendee demographics, so she’s happy to compete in entrance of her friends.

“(It is) super distinctive,” Carmouche explained. “I was just telling another person the other working day, most of my pals are either to start with responders, veterans, or lively responsibility armed forces. Everybody that is coming out to see it that we know, they are all very first responders, military services, or veteran. It signifies a great deal to be able to give back to that community, to be able to place on a display for people today I care so significantly about – simply because they’re also my mates, but also recognizing how a great deal … it helps make this sort of a change in their lives to view this, it implies the entire world to me.”