Liz Carmouche faces Viviane Araujo in PFL San Diego co-main
Former Bellator flyweight champion Liz Carmouche will face UFC veteran Viviane Araujo in the co-main event of PFL San Diego on June 27 at Pechanga Arena. The flyweight matchup could determine the next challenger for undefeated titleholder Dakota Ditcheva, who has been sidelined with a hand injury.
Carmouche, 42, is riding a three-fight winning streak after sweeping the PFL flyweight tournament in 2025. She stopped Jena Bishop in the finals and knocked out one other opponent during the run, per MMA Fighting. The San Diego native has gone 12-1 since leaving the UFC in 2019, with her only PFL loss coming on the scorecards against Taila Santos in 2024.
Araujo enters ranked ninth after PFL debut win
Araujo, 39, earned a decision over Shanna Young at PFL Chicago earlier this month in her promotional debut. The Brazilian went 7-6 during a six-year UFC stint that ended in 2025, beating the likes of Karine Silva, Jennifer Maia and Andrea Lee. She dropped verdicts to Tracy Cortez, Natalia Silva and Alexa Grasso before exiting the promotion.
According to Sherdog, Carmouche sits second in the PFL flyweight rankings while Araujo checks in at ninth. The promotion confirmed that the bout carries title implications, with Ditcheva waiting on her next assignment after returning from injury.
The card is headlined by a featherweight clash between A.J. McKee and Salamat Isbulaev. The main card airs on ESPN 2 at 10 p.m. ET, with prelims streaming on the ESPN app starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Original reporting:
- mmafighting.com — Liz Carmouche faces fellow UFC veteran in PFL San Diego co-main event | MMA Fighting
- sherdog.com — Pivotal women’s flyweight clash booked for PFL San Diego co-main event