Ilara Joanne honored to fight Liz Carmouche at PFL, but says ‘I’m not afraid of her grappling’
Ilara Joanne was an 18-year-old Muay Thai practitioner in Fortaleza, Brazil, when Liz Carmouche made her UFC debut against MMA superstar Ronda Rousey in the first female fight in UFC history in 2013. More then a decade later, she’s now entering a cage to face the PFL and Bellator veteran.
Carmouche vs. Joanne co-headlines PFL 2 on April 10 in Orlando, Fla., with both looking to advance in the 2025 flyweight tournament. Competing for a $500,000 prize feels surreal for a woman who cashed less than $200 for her first MMA win just months after Rousey vs. Carmouche took place, but it’s even crazier to see “Girl-Rilla” standing across the cage.
“I had no idea how big the MMA world was,” Joanne told MMA Fighting about her pro debut. “I didn’t know it was possible to make money fighting in MMA. I only realized it when I made my MMA debut and thought, ‘I’m getting paid to do this?’ It opened my eyes. [Watching Rousey vs. Carmouche] and then making my MMA debut, that’s when I realized I loved this, and I could make a living off of this.”
“I’m honored to be fighting her. I watched her first fight on TV, with Ronda, and never imagined in my life that I would be facing that woman who has contributed so much for the sport on a global stage. Rest assured that I’m prepared to do my best and be part of history by beating her.”
Joanne started training Muay Thai when she was 10 years old and started watching MMA some time later, especially with Cris Cyborg’s success under the Strikeforce banner. but never really thought of MMA as a career until she was offered a fight with future UFC fighter Viviane Pereira in her debut, She lost by second-round knockout, and then lost her second fight via submission months later, but she was hooked.
Joanne won eight of her next 10 bouts to earn a deal with Bellator, where her teammates Patricio Pitbull, Patricky Pitbull, Leandro Higo and Matheus Mattos were already building their names and legacies, and defeated Alejandra Lara, Bec Rawlings and Denise Kielholtz to score her three wins in seven Bellator appearances. Now fighting for PFL, having gone 1-1 in the company in 2024, Joanne celebrates the new tournament format, walking away from the point system for a more traditional grand prix.
“I like the new rules, we don’t have that pressure that you only advance if you get the finish in this amount of time,” Joanne said. “That could be good for me, to take the fight to the later rounds. I’m ready to go three rounds if I need to. The strategy can change as soon as the fight starts but that change can be very positive for me in terms of strategy. You’re more relaxed and focused to only win the fight.”
Carmouche had a perfect run in Bellator with seven victories in seven fights, six of those via stoppage, beating ex-Bellator champion Juliana Velasquez three times. Carmouche tapped Kana Watanabe in her PFL debut, but then lost a decision to Taila Santos, and now looks to re-start her run towards the belt.
“I think that almost every opponent she’s faced feared her grappling, but that’s my thing,” Joanne said. “I’m not afraid of her grappling. I’m prepared on the feet, I’ve evolved a lot since last year, but I’m even more prepared to grapple if needed be.”