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Jena Bishop believes she belongs in the conversation as one of the top females in the PFL. | 📷: PFL MMA
Jena Bishop has put together quite a resume in combat sports, and although she got a late start in mixed martial arts, she has made up for lost time in the Professional Fighters League. She now finds herself one win away from winning a championship.
The accomplished 39-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner will take on Liz Carmouche when their PFL 2025 World Tournament 9 women’s flyweight final serves as a co-main event on Friday at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. In Carmouche, Bishop faces an opponent with which she has some familiarity. The two briefly trained together in the past.
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“It’s nice to have somebody that you have some history with,” Biship said. “Having that feeling of going up against them in the past and then being able to do the faceoffs and put my hands and eyes on my opponent, what they feel like—it’s about the vibe and the energy of my opponent for me.”
Bishop credits her extensive grappling background with allowing her to excel in mixed martial arts in a relatively short timeframe. The bout with Carmouche will be just the 12th of her career. Carmouche, by comparison, has 32 on her resume.
“I think if I didn’t have the experience that I have in jiu-jitsu at a high level, I wouldn’t be where I’m at right now,” Bishop said. “You can only get that experience by doing the work and challenging yourself at the highest level. Now people are getting into MMA, but they don’t come in with a specific skill set. I do, and I think that’s something that sets me apart and gives me an advantage.”
With her only two losses coming to Taila Santos and Dakota Ditcheva, Bishop believes she belongs in the conversation as one of the top females in the PFL. She carries that quiet confidence into her showdown with Carmouche.
“I don’t think a lot of people would have the level of opponents that I have had, even when I started my professional career,” Bishop said. “Since I started, I’ve only had tough and seasoned opponents. Going into this tournament has been no different, and it’s given me the opportunity to test myself. Taking on opponents who have much more experience than me shows that I can be in there with the best of them and [that] I’m at their level.”
Bishop welcomes the possibility of going to the mat with Carmouche, a former Bellator MMA champion who has delivered 16 of her 24 pro victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission.
“If we’re talking about if the fight is on the ground, I already know how that goes,” Bishop said. “I’m pretty excited about that possibility. I expect a finish, that’s it. I expect to finish her.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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