Carmouche to defend Bellator title on April 21

Liz Carmouche will defend her Bellator MMA women’s flyweight championship against DeAnna Bennett in the main event of Bellator 294 on April 21, part of the fight promotion’s two-night visit to Honolulu, Bellator announced Wednesday.

Carmouche (18-7) won the title last April with a TKO of Juliana Velasquez, then submitted Velasquez in a December rematch. The April title fight will also be a rematch, as Carmouche made her Bellator debut in 2020 with a choke-out win over Bennett (13-7-1).

The second event at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena, Bellator 295 on April 22, will be headlined by the finale of the Bantamweight World Grand Prix between interim champion Raufeon Stots (19-1) and Patchy Mix (17-1), with the winner earning a shot at champion Sergio Pettis. That night’s co-main event features Honolulu’s Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (12-2), the former women’s 125-pound champ, facing Kana Watanabe (11-1-1).