UFC 157: Liz Carmouche talks about getting Ronda Rousey’s back, her performance and the fans

Liz Carmouche came up short in her upset bid against bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey at UFC 157 on Saturday night at the Honda Center, but she undoubtedly gained plenty of fans.

At one point, “Girlrilla” had Rousey’s back and was going for a rear-naked choke before attempting a neck crank. It was a precarious spot for Rousey, who shook the challenger off about halfway through the round and eventually got the armbar tapout at 4:49 of the first round.

We got a quick one-on-one after the fight with Carmouche, who earned a lot of praise and respect for her effort.

On getting Ronda’s back:

“I really wanted to get under her chin and unfortunately I was secure on the neck crank and I was like, “Man, I’ll give it all I got and hopefully get it.” But a neck crank is really hard with people. I was trying to get under her chin and I got it in her mouth. I was like, “Whoa, you know, I’ll go for the mouth and get some teeth and that’s a tap.” I’ve been in those situations and I won’t tap to it, but I thought, maybe I’ll try. And it didn’t work out, but it happens.”

On what she came away with from her performance:

“That I’m in the UFC. I gave her the hardest time she’s ever had. I put her in a compromising situation she’s never been in before. I left marks on her. Normally she comes out of her fights unscathed and it’s a quick finish. And that’s the closest fight she’s ever had.”

On the positive reaction from the fans at the sold-out Honda Center:

“It’s great, you know. The fans are what make the fights. If the fans aren’t behind you, the fans don’t want you to be there, then you’re not gonna be there. So to know they’re behind me is great because I know that I’m gonna keep being in the UFC as long as they support me.”

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