Liz Carmouche
I always wanted to make sure that within my unit that I was never the weak person. So I made sure that my physical fitness was top.Collection: Fitness
My mom raised me to be an independent woman, and if there is anything I want in life, to go after it. And that nobody could hold me back. The only person that could do that was myself. That's the core of who I am and she ingrained that in me at a really young age, so I've been an independent, strong person my whole life.Collection: Mom
I'll never experience the hardships that I experienced while going to Iraq and being in combat. And that kind of prepared me for life in itself because I knew that if I was able to overcome the military and do three tours and come out alive and stronger for it, then there's nothing in life that's ever going to challenge me and be able to break me.
As a champion, you are supposed to embody professionalism for the entire weight division.
I started off and I didn't have the advantage like other fighters of having an amateur career to grow and learn and make mistakes. Unfortunately, I spent the early years of my professional career doing that, and I feel like I've learned from all those mistakes.
When I decided I wanted to fight, one biggest issue was just trying to find a gym where I could train. At that time, a lot of gyms wouldn't allow women to train there at all.
I don't think anyone should try to put themselves in a situation or push themselves out of the zone that they don't feel comfortable and safe in.
To be closeted for so long was so difficult.
I would absolutely be willing to fight Cris Cyborg.
When I watch fights, it's on YouTube.
One thing I learned in the military is we fight for everybody's rights to say and do as they please, so everybody is free to make their choices.
Everybody has strong feelings and they back what they believe, and they have the right to.
I want to fight more often than just once or twice a year.
I've done judo, I've done Greco, I've done boxing, I've done catch wrestling.
I didn't come from a combat sports background where I had a real definitive background in anything to fall back onto.
I seek out people that are experts in their fields and see how I compare with them and if I can hold my own.
I'm genuinely a flyweight.
After the Ronda fight, I wasn't sure what the UFC held for me. I think coming out of that fight, I didn't know if losing that fight meant that I could get cut because I knew the rumors at the time was how easily fighters could get cut from the UFC.
I took a lot from that Ronda fight. What that taught me was one - just how to manage my time.
I had zero interest in going to college. I used my GI Bill to help pay for training. I hated doing group projects or deal with people in the class who aren't paying attention. That made me go insane. I was looking for any way out. My sanity was fighting.
My nickname was Liz Lemon. When I would go for a takedown or get in there to 'ground and pound,' I would make this disgustingly horrible face like I sucked on a lemon.
After my time in the Marine Corps with 'don't ask, don't tell,' I didn't want to hide any more.
The way I was raised, I didn't have a role model who was openly out.
Coming into Bellator, I didn't want to slide into title contention just because I was in UFC. That wasn't fair to the other women. If I had to fight through all the women, I wanted to do that.
When I went to Iraq, I was the lowest person on the totem pole. If everyone else was inside and was relaxing, I was the one working for eight hours straight.
When I joined the Marine Corps, you have to do a vocational test to get in, and I took the test, they were like, 'You did great. You can do anything you want to do.' I said, 'OK, I want to do this.' 'Except for that because you're a woman.'
There's a certain safety net that you find in the military that, as dangerous as it is, you know they're going to provide you a meal and a home no matter what happens.
When my contract with the military was done, then I started following MMA.
After growing up in a military family and going to an Evangelical Christian school, to look around and see lesbians and gay men of all ages and colors living their lives openly, it was awesome.
Growing up I was always stronger than all the other kids. I wasn't allowed to play with the other girls because they were too weak. And I had to be careful with boys because I'd always be hitting them and I'd get into trouble for hurting them.
I always needed a physical outlet, this is always who I've been.
To me, fighting in Strikeforce was a dream, like saying 'I want to be an astronaut and go to the moon.' You don't think that it's actually is going to happen, you just wish it.
Every day I wake up, and my goal is to be better than I was the day before.
Each day I go to train and I'm like, 'This is what I did well yesterday, and this is where I need to improve.'
I wouldn't say I'm a social hermit, but pretty close to that.
You can play the what-if game with anything in life. But everything happens for a reason.
I fell into a safety zone where I didn't want to risk losing my fighting life with the UFC, so I wanted to go the safe route instead of taking risk and being the fighter I've always been.
There's a lot of hype surrounding Ronda and a lot of the girls she's fought fall for that Ronda hype and they're beaten before they go in. They freeze in front of her and she uses it to her advantage.
The hype around Ronda is incredible and it's created this aura of invincibility. If you let that play with your mind, you'll be beaten before the bell rings. She's a great fighter, but I know I can beat her and I don't let that aura of invincibility bother me.
For a lot of MMA fans, especially in the UFC, they didn't know who I was... unless you're really involved in women's MMA.
I don't believe in letting my words speak for me, I let my actions speak.
If you have a dream, put everything you have and follow it because that's the only way you'll have success in your life.
I was always a gym rat.
I'm constantly pushing myself to evolve and be a better person and the best that I can be and that pushes me in my fighting career and personal life.
For me, if there's something that I don't succeed at, I'm not doing well, then I absolutely have to go back until I feel like I'm confident with it.
I've definitely been in elements of grappling where I'm tied up and in a weird position and my mouth and my nose are covered and I can't breathe. You still have to be able to escape. The last thing you want to do is tap in that scenario when you have an opportunity to escape.
I'm not satisfied with walking away from something and letting it beat me. That's not my spirit.
I'm that person, if I'm not good at it, that means I have to go back and master it.
I hate taking breaks in my training. But I'm having to change that, and let my body heal.
Women always have to work harder to prove themselves.