Liz Carmouche Accepted the Fight with Ronda Rousey When Others Turned It Down

When the UFC signed Ronda Rousey and was looking for the first contender to her bantamweight title, many calls were made, but Liz Carmouche was the first fighter to step up and accept the fight.

“I know there’s been a lot of things that have been said since we made this fight. She’s the one that took the fight,” said UFC president Dana White following the UFC 157 pre-fight press conference on Thursday. “She’s the one that wanted the fight at the time this fight was happening. Other people did turn down the fight. It’s a fact.”

White didn’t name names, but stressed that fighters were contacted and turned down the fight with Rousey.

“They do this (expletive) all the time. Guys are like, ‘I didn’t turn down that fight.’ Yeah, you did. If you didn’t take it, you turned it down, right? If you don’t take the fight, you turned the fight down. ‘I don’t want to do the fight then.’ Well, that’s when the fight is (expletive) happening. That’s the date of the fight.”

For Carmouche, the decision was a no-brainer. She didn’t hesitate. It’s the fight she’s wanted on the biggest stage in mixed martial arts.

The two headline UFC 157: Rousey vs. Carmouche on Saturday. The historic event marks the first time the UFC has featured a female bout. It’s the first time women have headlined a UFC event. It’s the first time for a women’s title fight to take place inside the famed UFC Octagon.

Liz Carmouche is there because she wanted to be and because she said, “yes,” when others did not.

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