When Liz Carmouche made her historic UFC debut against MMA icon Ronda Rousey in the sport`s first female UFC fight back in 2013, Ilara Joanne was an 18-year-old Muay Thai practitioner in Fortaleza, Brazil. Over a decade later, Joanne is now set to step into the cage to face the seasoned PFL and Bellator competitor.
The bout between Carmouche and Joanne is the co-main event of PFL 2, scheduled for April 10th in Orlando, Florida. Both fighters are looking to advance in the 2025 flyweight tournament, competing for a grand prize of $500,000. For Joanne, who earned less than $200 for her first professional MMA victory just months after watching the Rousey vs. Carmouche fight, the opportunity to compete for such a significant sum feels surreal. However, the prospect of facing “Girl-Rilla” herself across the cage is even more astonishing.
Reflecting on her pro debut, Joanne told MMA Fighting that she “had no idea how big the MMA world was” or that earning money from fighting was even possible. She explained, “I only realized it when I made my MMA debut and thought, `I`m getting paid to do this?` It opened my eyes.” She credits watching the Rousey vs. Carmouche fight followed by her own debut as the moments she truly understood her passion for the sport and its potential as a livelihood.
Joanne expressed her deep honor in facing Carmouche. She recalled watching Carmouche`s initial UFC fight against Ronda on television and never imagining she would one day be facing someone who has contributed so significantly to the sport globally. She confidently affirmed her preparedness to give her absolute best and aims to become part of history by securing a victory against her.
Having started Muay Thai training at age 10, Joanne later began watching MMA, particularly inspired by Cris Cyborg`s success under the Strikeforce banner. However, she didn`t seriously consider MMA as a career until she was offered her professional debut fight against future UFC fighter Viviane Pereira. Despite losing that first fight by second-round knockout and her second bout via submission a few months later, she found herself hooked on the sport.
Joanne went on to win eight of her subsequent ten fights, earning her a contract with Bellator. There, she trained alongside notable teammates like Patricio Pitbull, Patricky Pitbull, Leandro Higo, and Matheus Mattos, who were already making names for themselves. In her seven appearances for Bellator, she secured victories over Alejandra Lara, Bec Rawlings, and Denise Kielholtz. Now competing in the PFL, with a 1-1 record in 2024, Joanne voiced her appreciation for the new tournament format, which moves away from the points system in favor of a more traditional grand prix structure.
Regarding the new rules, Joanne stated, “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.” She believes this change could work to her advantage, allowing fights to potentially go into the later rounds. “I`m ready to go three rounds if I need to,” she confirmed. While strategy can adapt as the fight progresses, she sees this adaptability as a positive change, allowing fighters to be “more relaxed and focused to only win the fight.”
Liz Carmouche had a perfect run during her time in Bellator, winning all seven of her fights, six of which were stoppages, including three victories over former champion Juliana Velasquez. In her PFL debut, Carmouche secured a win by submitting Kana Watanabe but then suffered a decision loss to Taila Santos. She is now focused on restarting her campaign towards the championship title.
Joanne commented that she believes most opponents Carmouche has faced have likely feared her grappling, but confidently declared that grappling “is my thing.” She asserted, “I`m not afraid of her grappling.” While she acknowledged significant improvement in her striking since the previous year, she emphasized being “even more prepared to grapple if needed be.”
