PFL Chicago: Carmouche vs. Bishop 2 delivered a new champion and reshuffled rankings across bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, light heavyweight, and women's flyweight. The event went down at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on October 16.
Biggest Movers
| Fighter | Division | Old Rank | New Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Lapilus | Bantamweight | #4 | #3 | +1 |
| Sergio Pettis | Bantamweight | #3 | #4 | -1 |
| Sarvarjon Khamidov | Bantamweight | #7 | #6 | +1 |
| Magomed Magomedov | Bantamweight | #6 | #7 | -1 |
| Naoki Inoue | Bantamweight | #9 | #10 | -1 |
| Simeon Powell | Light Heavyweight | #1 | #2 | -1 |
| Luke Trainer | Light Heavyweight | #4 | #3 | +1 |
| Natan Schulte | Lightweight | #9 | #8 | +1 |
Jena Bishop Is the New PFL Women's Flyweight Champion
The main event delivered the biggest story of the Chicago card. Jena Bishop defeated Liz Carmouche by unanimous decision — 48-47 across all three judges — to claim the PFL Women's Flyweight World Championship. This is the inaugural title in the division, and Bishop earned it the hard way.
Carmouche, a veteran of major MMA organizations who began strong in the early rounds, could not hold off Bishop's sustained pressure. Bishop came closest to a finish in round three with a rear-naked choke, but Carmouche survived. Over five rounds, Bishop controlled pace and position consistently enough to take a clear decision.
Bishop is now 12-3 and the undisputed best women's flyweight in PFL history. With the championship wins in women's flyweight, the division gets a new era. Sabrina de Sousa moves up one spot to #6, while Denise Kielholtz drops to #7 and Viviane Araújo falls to #8 in the division's contender rankings.
Bantamweight: Khamidov KOs His Way Up
The bantamweight division saw the most concentrated movement of any single weight class at the Chicago card. Sarvarjon Khamidov landed a first-round KO over Rafael do Nascimento at 1:49, moving from #7 to #6 as Magomed Magomedov drops to #7. Khamidov's finish was clean — combination punches into a ground finish.
Taylor Lapilus benefits from the reshuffle, moving from #4 to #3, while Sergio Pettis drops from #3 to #4. These positional swaps reflect the committee's post-event assessment of activity and results across the full bantamweight pool. Naoki Inoue slips one spot from #9 to #10, making room for new entrant Daniel Marcos, who joins the bantamweight rankings at #9.
Featherweight: Two New Faces Enter High
Timur Khizriev makes a strong entrance into the PFL featherweight rankings, debuting at #2 after winning a split decision over Gabriel Braga on the Chicago card. It was a competitive fight, but Khizriev showed enough quality to warrant an immediate top-three entry. Jesus Pinedo also enters the featherweight rankings at #3 in the same update cycle, giving the division two high-ranked new names at once.
The featherweight division gains significant depth and fresh challengers with both entries. The committee's decision to place Khizriev at #2 signals that they view him as a genuine title contender.
Light Heavyweight: Powell Drops, Trainer Climbs
Simeon Powell falls from #1 to #2 in light heavyweight, while Luke Trainer moves from #4 to #3. Emiliano Sordi's TKO win over Abraham Bably on the Chicago card adds context to the committee's reassessment of the LHW division. Champion Corey Anderson holds at the top, but the contender order below him continues to shift.
Lightweight Adjustment
Natan Schulte picks up one spot from #9 to #8 in the lightweight division, as Amru Magomedov drops to #9. Lightweight is anchored by champion Usman Nurmagomedov. Schulte's consistent activity earns him a one-step climb in a division that has been stable at the top.
The Full Picture
The Chicago card did meaningful work across multiple divisions. Bishop's championship win is the defining result of the evening and of her career. Khamidov's first-round KO adds direct fight-driven movement to bantamweight. Khizriev's split-decision win earns him an immediate top-three featherweight position. PFL heads into the final stretch of 2026 with clearer title pictures in several divisions and fresh competition at the top of featherweight.
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This article was generated with AI and may contain errors.