The stakes will be different, but the opponent will be familiar when Liz Carmouche and Juliana Velasquez square off at PFL 1 on Thursday night.
The flyweight rivals previously met twice in title bouts under the Bellator MMA banner. The first ended in controversial fashion, as Carmouche claimed the 125-pound belt with a fourth-round stoppage of Velasquez at Bellator 278. Velasquez, who was finished with elbows from the mounted crucifix, appealed the ruling on the grounds that none of the blows were significant enough to warrant a stoppage. That appeal was denied, and Carmouche retained the title in more emphatic fashion in the rematch, winning via second-round submission at Bellator 289.