The Professional Fighters League delivered an unforgettable night of mixed martial arts action at Wintrust Arena for PFL Chicago 2, headlined by a championship clash that allowed redemption to take center stage. Over fourteen months after suffering a heartbreaking and controversial third-round stoppage against Liz Carmouche at the PFL World Tournament Finals in August 2025, Jena Bishop finally got her chance to settle the score. In a grueling, momentum-shifting main event, Bishop survived a terrifying opening frame to outlast Carmouche and capture the vacant PFL women’s flyweight championship via a unanimous 48-47 decision.
The victory not only crowns a new queen in the flyweight division but also erases the sole blemish of contention that has weighed on Bishop’s mind since their previous encounter. Throughout the buildup to the rematch, Bishop maintained that the stoppage in their first meeting was premature, repeatedly vowing to avenge the loss and prove her superiority inside the SmartCage. On Friday night, she had to dig deeper than ever before to back up those words against one of the most decorated veterans in the sport.
Jena Bishop Avenges Liz Carmouche Loss with 48-47 Decision at PFL Chicago 2
The championship main event began with an explosive sequence that nearly brought a swift end to Bishop’s championship aspirations. Carmouche, possessing a wealth of high-level experience and a formidable reputation as "Girl-Rilla," caught Bishop flush with a barrage of heavy punches in the opening round. She quickly transitioned that success to the canvas, dominating the remainder of the frame with a suffocating ground-and-pound attack. All three unofficial scorers cageside awarded Carmouche a dominant 10-8 score for the first five minutes, putting the challenger in an immediate and steep hole.
Facing adversity, Bishop demonstrated the resilience of a true champion. Heading into the second round, the 37-year-old grappler began turning the tide by relying heavily on her elite grappling and positional control. While Carmouche continued to pose a severe threat on the feet—landing stinging combinations whenever the fight was standing—Bishop methodically neutralized her opponent’s offense through relentless wrestling, takedown defense management, and targeted submission threats.
The middle rounds evolved into a gritty, tactical chess match. Carmouche was forced to constantly defend against takedowns and submission attempts while simultaneously looking for openings to inflict damage with her hands. Bishop’s persistence paid off as the championship rounds wore on, wearing down the champion’s explosive pace.
The defining sequence of the late rounds occurred midway through the fifth and final frame, when Bishop successfully dragged Carmouche to the canvas. She immediately transitioned to the back and locked in a tight rear-naked choke, coming dangerously close to forcing a tapout. However, Carmouche showcased her trademark toughness, surviving the frantic closing seconds until the final horn sounded to end the championship bout.
When the judges’ scorecards were tallied, all three officials saw the fight 48-47 in favor of Bishop, completing her inspiring comeback story and elevating her professional mixed martial arts record to 12-3. Notably, none of the official judges awarded Carmouche a 10-8 score for her dominant first round, keeping the margins razor-thin but ultimately rewarding Bishop’s four-round rally and championship-winning urgency. Carmouche, whose remarkable career boasts a record of 26-9, fell just short in her bid to retain her grip on the division.
In the co-main event of the evening, the featherweight division saw another high-stakes rematch that carried plenty of lingering controversy. Gabriel Braga stepped back into the SmartCage to face Timur Khizriev, hoping to reverse the outcome of their tightly contested 2024 meeting, a split decision loss that Braga firmly believed he had won.
The Brazilian contender came out firing, hurting Khizriev with a sharp left hook in the opening frame before twice dropping the undefeated fighter to the canvas with heavy punches in the second round. Khizriev, displaying incredible durability and championship composure, weathered the storm and worked his way back into the fight. Both featherweights engaged in a relentless, bloodied striking battle as the bout ticked toward the final bell.
When the scorecards were announced, history repeated itself in heartbreaking fashion for Braga. While all three unofficial Sherdog scorers favored Braga with a 29-28 tally, and one official judge agreed, the remaining two judges scored the bout 29-28 in favor of Khizriev. The split decision victory preserved Khizriev’s unblemished professional record at 19-0, while Braga slipped to 17-4 despite a heroic performance that left fans on the edge of their seats.
The preliminary card and undercard action set a frantic pace for the evening, highlighted by a series of devastating finishes and statement victories across multiple weight classes.
Sarvarjon Khamidov solidified his status as a top contender in the bantamweight division with a spectacular first-round knockout over Rafael do Nascimento. The Tajik fighter caught Do Nascimento with a blistering short left hook that dropped him instantly, then followed up with precise hammerfists until the Brazilian lost consciousness. The referee stepped in to halt the bout at 1:49 of the opening round, boosting Khamidov’s impressive undefeated record to 18-1 and dropping Do Nascimento to 13-4.
In a 173-pound catchweight affair, Oualy Tandia maintained his undefeated professional status by earning a unanimous decision victory over J.P. Saint Louis. Tandia utilized his cleaner, more precise striking and dictated the pacing of the bout, successfully nullifying Saint Louis’s takedown attempts. Saint Louis, falling to 12-6, managed to secure several successful takedowns, but Tandia’s active striking carried the day on the judges’ scorecards, reading 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 to lift Tandia to 6-0.
Welterweight powerhouse Eliezer Kubanza put on an explosive display, overwhelming Trey Waters en route to a first-round stoppage. Kubanza initially dropped Waters with a barrage of punches, and after the American managed to stagger back to his feet, Kubanza quickly floored him for a second time. Relentless follow-up punches forced the referee to wave off the contest at 1:36 of the first round, improving Kubanza to 10-1 and dropping Waters to 10-3.
Veteran light heavyweight Emiliano Sordi demonstrated veteran poise by rebounding from a difficult opening round to dismantle Abraham Bably in the second. Sordi cracked Bably with heavy combinations and followed up with a punishing series of punches and knees that forced his opponent to collapse against the cage fence. The stoppage came at 3:13 of Round 2, pushing Sordi’s extensive resume to 28-14-1 while handing Bably his fourth loss against eight wins.
Lightweight contender Kevin Pease kept his perfect record intact, improving to 9-0 with a slick submission victory over Cassio Barao. Known as "Sweet Pea," Pease successfully transitioned to Barao’s back during a scramble and locked in a deep rear-naked choke, forcing the Brazilian veteran to tap out at 3:28 of the first round and dropping Barao to 10-2-1.
Shannon Clark authored a thrilling comeback in her women’s flyweight matchup against Lucero Acosta. After absorbing significant damage and losing a difficult opening round, Clark began to take over as Acosta visibly slowed down in the later stages of the fight. Clark increased her forward pressure, secured dominant position on the ground, and battered Acosta with a series of heavy elbows and punches from the top position. Referee Kevin MacDonald intervened to stop the bout at 1:59 of the third round, moving Clark to 9-1 and dropping Acosta to 6-3.
Gamid Khizriev put on a wrestling masterclass in his preliminary bout against Michael Boylan. Khizriev secured early takedowns, smoothly navigated through dominant positions on the canvas, and systematically dismantled Boylan with ground strikes. Referee Nick Cimmarusti ultimately stepped in at 3:04 of the first round to halt the technical knockout, lifting Khizriev to a pristine 8-0 record while Boylan fell to 6-2.
In bantamweight action, prospect Cobey Fehr made quick work of Rosario Romero, securing a submission victory in just 58 seconds. Fehr quickly secured a takedown, slipped onto Romero’s back, and applied a tight rear-naked choke that rendered his opponent unconscious. The lightning-fast finish pushed Fehr to 5-0, while Romero dropped to 4-1.
Levan Khabalaev also wasted little time in his lightweight showcase, stopping Brock Hamer in 61 seconds. Khabalaev dropped Hamer with a crisp combination of punches and maintained his offensive momentum with knees and strikes along the fence until the referee intervened. The victory elevated Khabalaev’s record to 7-0, while Hamer fell to 5-2.
In the women’s flyweight division, Paulina Wisniewska earned a hard-fought unanimous decision over Chelsea Hackett, with all three judges scoring the bout 29-28 in favor of Wisniewska, lifting her professional record to 8-1 while Hackett moved to 5-4-1.
Opening up the preliminary card, Noah Hermosillo delivered an impressive third-round technical knockout against Caden Cox in their featherweight encounter. After two tightly contested, back-and-forth rounds, Hermosillo broke the fight open by landing a crushing kick to the body that crippled Cox. Hermosillo followed up with decisive punches on the grounded opponent, forcing the referee to halt the bout at 1:43 of the third round to seal his second professional victory, while Cox dropped to 2-1.
